https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 05 Jun 2026 03:27:52 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2031941 Tue, 20 Jan 2015 06:12:54 +0000 Mae 2031941@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'd also move bedtime later and rock to sleep for bed. I don't think sleep training has to be all or nothing. If it works for naps great! But it doesn't seem to work for night </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2031915 Tue, 20 Jan 2015 03:22:09 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 2031915@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>A 3-4 hour stretch is really great for a 9 week old!</p> <p>Around the 8-9 week mark, DS usually went to bed around 8 pm, and his first stretch of sleep at night was from 8-11 pm. He was still waking up every 3-4 hours.</p> <p>15-20 min of playtime, then bedtime routine right after he wakes up from his last nap seems a little on the short side to me. I think he might need a longer wake time - I'd say at least an hour after he wakes from his last nap. I agree that a later bedtime at this age is normal! Hang in there, at 9 weeks it is still full on survival mode! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2031819 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 22:53:17 +0000 Mrs.ThinMint 2031819@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree that it seems like he needs a later bedtime. My son we g to bed the same time we did at 10:30 at that age. He's 6 months now and we're putting him to bed at about 9:30 at this point. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2031123 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 14:24:09 +0000 Pumpkin Pie 2031123@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Meridian: when my LO was 9 weeks we were still putting her down between 9-10pm, them moved to 8:30-9 pm a little after 3 months, and now at 4 months it's 7:30pm. We also bounced to sleep until we started training her to fall asleep on her own a few weeks ago. Getting on an exercise ball and bouncing worked the best for soothing and putting her to sleep. Rocking and swaying stopped working after 2 month, but bouncing worked. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2030996 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 13:14:12 +0000 spaniellove 2030996@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Meridian: Oh, the crying when you leave the room! How long does it last? LO does that too. What I've learned is if he doesn't cry until I leave then I cannot go back because he was physically fine. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2030983 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 13:11:24 +0000 Meridian 2030983@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Littlebit: He wakes usually between 7 - 8AM</p> <p>@spaniellove: Hrmm, I'll have to try it, I don't know if he can be soothed without touching, and especially without the paci, hah! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2030966 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 13:04:11 +0000 spaniellove 2030966@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is just our experience, but I don't touch LO at all when soothing him. I learned around that age that picking him up or touching him starts the whole process over again! So I can sing to him, turn on a light with stars briefly to redirect him, or give him a lovey, but no touching. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2030960 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 13:01:18 +0000 Littlebit 2030960@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What time does he wake for the day normally? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2030937 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 12:47:10 +0000 Meridian 2030937@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for the response, ladies! LO is 14 weeks/9 weeks adjusted, duh, should have included that info initially. </p> <p>@Pumpkin Pie: I think the training has been helping for other hours of the day, just not bedtime :(</p> <p>@miramira: We rocked, swayed, held, co-bedded, etc., for the first 12 weeks and he was still sleeping terribly. That's when we consulted the RN and decided to go this route...</p> <p>@BabyTsMom: Surprisingly, the checks do seem to help soothe him, but half the times, he'll start crying again right when we leave the room. I think we'll need to start extinction soon, but am planning to wait a few more weeks until he's at least 17 weeks/12 weeks adjusted.</p> <p>@Mrs. High Heels: His naps deteriorate throughout the day. His first 2 naps are great, as I mentioned. Then nap 3 is around 2:30/3PM, and we're lucky if it's an hour. Nap 4 is a crapshoot around 5:30/6PM, he's more likely to cry/fuss than sleep. The we do 15 - 20 mins of playtime after that nap, and start his bedtime routine. </p> <p>@MK0180: Hmm, maybe we do need to extend awake time before bedtime, as he always seems the most awake during the evenings. Everything I read pushes for an earlier bedtime, so I thought I was doing the right thing by moving it earlier and earlier. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2030865 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 12:03:12 +0000 MK0180 2030865@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS's bedtime was around 10 or 11 when he was a NB and then it gradually settled to around 7:30 at 6 months where he is right now. Also, awake times in between naps and bedtime were pretty crucial for him - if he woke up at 6 he wouldn't go to bed until around 8:30/9. He needed to be up for a couple of hours at least before he got tired again.<br /> Maybe either eliminate the book time or do it earlier in your routine? Also, maybe not do 5 min checks but stretch it out and not stand with him for a minute - just a few seconds to reassure him that you're there and then leave the room? Just some suggestions. It depends on your LOs age as well (like others mentioned). We loosely followed Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child starting around 4 mos. It was more like a guide for us as to what to expect at each development. Good luck to you and I hope you find a solution quickly! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2030828 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 11:45:40 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 2030828@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Also curious how old your LO is. What times are his naps, and what time does he wake up from his last nap? Our bedtimes were never exact, and would change based on last wake up time. I'd usually do an X amount of hours between when he woke from last nap til bedtime depending on his age. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2030817 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 11:41:01 +0000 BabyTsMom 2030817@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>How old is your LO? If he's under 3-4 months, I'd also say that a 3-4 hour stretch is actually pretty good, and that a late bedtime is pretty common for young babies. My LO's bedtime started off around 10pm as a newborn, then slowly went to 9, then 8:30, etc etc to the 7:15 it is today at 8 months.<br /> As far as the checks you're doing, could it be that it is stimulating him? Maybe you can try stretching the checks apart, or extinction? I think it really depends on how old your LO is and if he's ready for it.<br /> Good luck. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2030804 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 11:34:06 +0000 miramira 2030804@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>One 3-4 hour stretch at night is very good if your baby us still only little! </p> <p>Are you against rocking him to sleep? Maybe in combination with white noise &amp; swaddling? It sounds like he just needs some help falling asleep. I don't agree with sleep training so I can't comment on that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2030684 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 10:45:27 +0000 oliviaoblivia 2030684@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD1 had a late bedtime for ages... 10:30/11:00.<br /> It sounds like he might want a late bedtime. I'd count back from 11 and start your routine so that it ends approximately when he's ready for sleep. Right now fighting for sleep has become part of his routine so I'd take a week to condense that and then start slowly pushing back when you start the routine until you have the bedtime that works for you all.<br /> Hugs mama, baby sleep is hard. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2030662 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 10:38:13 +0000 Pumpkin Pie 2030662@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>How old is your son? Maybe he is still too young for training? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/please-help-me-figure-out-when-infant-bedtime-should-be#post-2030642 Mon, 19 Jan 2015 10:31:57 +0000 Meridian 2030642@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>ETA: LO is 14 weeks/9 weeks adjusted</p> <p>Sorry in advance for the novel! We've been consulting with an RN/Sleep trainer about all of LO's sleep issues, and are doing what I call, "sleep training LITE", where we let him cry for 5 mins and then go in and soothe him for 1 min by stroking his forehead, putting a hand on his chest, and inserting his paci (I'll reference the cry/soothe cycle as C/S below). When he starts crying again, we re-start the timer, rinse and repeat. We started on Jan 3, so we're on day 16 of this. We've seen significant improvement in his daytime sleep. He previously couldn't sleep longer than 5 - 30 mins in his crib, but now his first 2 naps of the day are almost 2 hours long (I usually have to wake him up from those 2 naps), and he does ONE 3 - 4 hour stretch at night. Naps 3 &amp; 4 are still a crap shoot, but I'll take what I can get. </p> <p>But bedtime is still a disaster. I can't figure out what time to put him down, because he cries for hours! When we initially started this, we were putting him down around 9 - 9:30. Then brought it to 8:30, then 8PM, then 7:30PM, and last night I tried 6:30 just for shits and giggles. FYI, our bedtime routine is bath, lotion, pjs, white noise, bottle, swaddle, 1 board book, and crib. It can take 60 - 75 mins because he is a slow drinker and that bedtime bottle can take up to an hour. In terms of awake time between last nap and bedtime, it's usually about 90 mins, including 15 - 20 mins of play and then we start his bedtime routine. Here's a recap of the past few days (mainly focusing on bedtime issues, the rest of the night isn't great either, but bedtime is the worst):</p> <p>Thurs 1/15: 8AM wake up, 4 daytime naps = 5 hrs-ish, in crib at 7:30PM. 3.5 hours with 8 C/S checks, didn't officially settle to sleep til after his bottle at 11:45PM, so almost 4 hours after we put him down.</p> <p>Fri 1/16: 8AM wake up, 3 daytime naps = 4.5 hrs-ish, in crib at 7:30PM. 8 C/S checks, didn't officially settle to sleep til after his bottle at 11:40PM, so almost 4 hours.</p> <p>Sat 1/17: 7:50AM wake up, 3 daytime naps = 4 hrs-ish, in crib at 7:44PM, 2 hours with 5 C/S checks, asleep at 9:50PM. This was our best night yet, where he did two 3 hour stretches after settling.</p> <p>Sun 1/18: 7:25AM wake up, 3 daytime naps = 4 hrs-ish, in crib at 6:30PM, 4.5 hours with 13 C/S checks, didn't officially settle to sleep til after his bottle at 11:30PM.</p> <p>So last night's 6:30 bedtime resulted in the longest amount of crying. So do I go back to 7:30? I have no idea why he fights sleep so much. Everything I've read said that night time sleep is the easiest to resolve cuz their brains are hard-wired to fall asleep in the evening... apparently not my son. HALP!! </p>