https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:24:33 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-babies-adjust-their-own-bedtimes#post-2054275 Wed, 04 Feb 2015 15:15:08 +0000 oliviaoblivia 2054275@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>At that age I just watched LO for when she was getting fussy. Bedtime could be 7 or 10. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-babies-adjust-their-own-bedtimes#post-2054262 Wed, 04 Feb 2015 15:11:33 +0000 Meridian 2054262@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs. wagon: His last nap - IF it happens - is a catnap from around 5:30 - 6:15. But it's a crapshoot, sometimes he just fusses/cries... yesterday I was trying to hold him to sleep at that time to ensure he got some extra rest, but he FOUGHT me the entire time! As in pushing away from me, rejecting his paci, and crying. :crying: I must have looked shell-shocked when DH got home and tried taking over, but LO did the same thing to DH!</p> <p>So what holds me back from moving his bedtime up is, if he won't nap, how can I expect him to go to "bed" around that hour?! Also, DH doesn't get home until 5:30/6PM, and we do bedtime together after they have about 30 -45 mins of playtime (bath, lotion, swaddle, and then we alternate who feeds him has last bottle). I selfishly don't want to handle bedtime by myself, especially after dealing with LO all day on my own, haha!</p> <p>@Littlebit: He wakes up anywhere between 7 - 8AM. If he had a bad night, sometimes he'll "sleep in" til 8:30, and I'll let him... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-babies-adjust-their-own-bedtimes#post-2054164 Wed, 04 Feb 2015 14:26:36 +0000 Littlebit 2054164@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What time is he waking up? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-babies-adjust-their-own-bedtimes#post-2054156 Wed, 04 Feb 2015 14:24:20 +0000 autumnlove 2054156@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I felt like it took forever for LO 1 to sleep before 7....maybe 5-6 months?</p> <p>LO 2 just did it on her own at 5 weeks. We got lucky there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-babies-adjust-their-own-bedtimes#post-2054152 Wed, 04 Feb 2015 14:21:57 +0000 Mamasig 2054152@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When mine were newborns, it felt like there was no real bedtime at first since they woke to eat every 2-3 hours. Eventually, their first stretch of sleep started extending to 4 hours, then 5, etc. Bedtime was my bedtime, so around 9-10. Then I noticed they started getting fussier earlier in the night so I'd start the bedtime routine earlier. That just kept creeping up. DS1 never had a bedtime earlier than around 8. He has low sleep needs. DS2 now has a bedtime around 7:30 to 8. He starts showing sleepy signs as early as 6:30. Hope that helped! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-babies-adjust-their-own-bedtimes#post-2054140 Wed, 04 Feb 2015 14:11:03 +0000 Mae 2054140@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For us bedtime was sort of trial and error. We'd try putting her to bed earlier and later and keep track of night wakings and morning wakeup time for a few weeks. We realized that she did the best when we set her down at 830. Any earlier than that she woke up a lot overnight and any later than that she woke up at the same time in the morning so she got less sleep. Then when the time change happened we considered moving her bedtime up an hour (i.e. not shifting her with the clocks) but were worried she'd be up too early then. So we just moved her "up" 30 min (which was actually back 30 min in her time due to the "falling back") and when she woke up early I'd rock her back to sleep until her normal wakeup time and after a few days she was cool with that. </p> <p>Now I'm thinking maybe she needs an earlier bedtime because I almost always have to wake her from her last nap (like I think if I didn't that might be her first night stretch), but we haven't messed around with it yet. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-babies-adjust-their-own-bedtimes#post-2054130 Wed, 04 Feb 2015 14:03:03 +0000 MenagerieMama 2054130@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For us it was when any nap later than 5pm we would get her only long sleep stretch (~4 hours) as if it was the first sleep of the night. So we shifted her bedtime to whatever random night time it ended at to 6-6:30pm because that seems to give her enough sleep without waking up too early (earlier than 6am) (usually!) and it's when she starts to get tired at the end of the day. Although we do have an issue with the 3rd nap for her - because sometimes her second nap ends too late for a 3rd nap that LO won't think is bedtime, but it's still too long to keep her up. Haven't solved that one yet. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-babies-adjust-their-own-bedtimes#post-2054125 Wed, 04 Feb 2015 14:01:45 +0000 mrs. wagon 2054125@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When is his last nap? You could definitely try dropping the last nap and putting him to bed around 6. The on and off until about midnight sounds familiar!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-babies-adjust-their-own-bedtimes#post-2054117 Wed, 04 Feb 2015 13:59:00 +0000 Meridian 2054117@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've seen a lot of people say in other sleep posts that their babies naturally "shifted" their own bedtimes earlier as they got a bit older. How does this happen?! Do you see them start to get sleepy earlier? Drop their last nap? </p> <p>LO is 16 weeks/11 weeks adjusted, and we start the bedtime routine around 7/7:15, and aim to have him in the crib around 8/8:15. But some nights, he cries off and on for 2 - 3 hours until 11PM, when we give him a bottle, and THEN he will settle down for the night. There have been a few magical nights where he fell right to sleep by 8:15, but it's hard to replicate those nights!</p> <p>How will I know if he's ready to shift it earlier? </p>