Join Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant, Arielle Driscoll, and get all your sleep questions answered. Ask her about night wakings, short naps, early wake ups, and more!
Our 6 month old had established a good 9pm-6am sleep routine for the past couple of months but recently wakes us crying in the middle of the night and it's tough to put him back to sleep, also has become tougher putting him to sleep at his usual bedtime. Not sure what's going on? Would appreciate help and advice!! Thank you
Roomasa
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Arielle D.
Hi Roomasa, |
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Thank you Arielle, we do try to get him to nap during the day but it is
Thanks again!
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Arielle D.
First, I would highly recommend white noise if he wakes easily from sounds. My favorite white noise machine is the Marpac Dohm. |
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Arielle D.
How are things going? Let me know! |
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Thanks you for checking in, yes I've been pushing the day time naps and that has really helped!! :) |
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Arielle D.
Yay!!! |
My kiddo is 22 months; she sleeps 11 or 11.5 hours at night, pretty much regardless of when I put her to bed or how tired she is. She's in school 4 days and only naps 30-45 minutes there most of the time, getting increasingly tired towards the end of the week. For months, we gave her two naps on days she was home to catch up. A few weeks back, she started taking a long time to fall asleep and waking at night, so we switched to one nap every day. But her sleep is still a mess: it can take her up to 45 min to fall asleep and she's rarely napping much more than an hour, even at home. Did I jump the gun or should I stick it out? Thanks!
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Arielle D.
Hi Sarah! |
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Sarah She's usually up between 6 and 6:30 am. (I don't take her out of the crib before 6.) School offers the nap at noon or a little bit before, so we've done the same, and she goes to bed between 6:30 and 7 pm. She falls asleep on her own and generally sleeps through the night or resettles herself if she wakes, and she has regularly taken long naps in the past! She's generally an easy sleeper unless overtired, but 13 hours seems like her happy place these days, and I haven't been able to get more than 11.5 (6:30-6 or 7-6:30) at night. |
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Arielle D.
I would back up bedtime if her naps are super short. If she only naps 1 hour, I would get her down for bed by 6 instead of 6:30 and see how she does with that. My guess is that it's likely developmental and she will work through it. I would definitely stick with one nap at her age! |
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Sarah Thank you! |
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Arielle D.
You're welcome! :) |
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Arielle D.
Hi Sarah! Just wanted to check in and see if you were able to implement the earlier bedtime? |
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Sarah Yesterday, for mysterious toddler reasons, she napped an hour and 40 minutes at school, so we put her down a few minutes after 7 pm. She talked to herself until a bit past 7:30 pm but then slept through until 6 am. Maybe she knew I'd talked to you ;-) |
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Arielle D.
Haha! That's great though! |
Welcome Arielle Driscoll, certified pediatric sleep consultant! Arielle is joining us to answer your sleep questions about naps, nighttime sleep and more. Arielle is answering the first twenty questions, so ask now!
Hi Arielle! My 7.5 month old is waking up for the day between 5-5:30am after going to bed around 7pm. I used to be able to nurse him then put him back in his crib where he would fall back asleep until about 6:30 or 7, but for the past few weeks he hasn’t been able to fall back asleep after this feed. We end up getting him out of bed for the day in the 5 o’clock hour, which is rough! How can I help him to wake up a little later? His typical sleep schedule is below:
8/8:30am: Nap #1 for 1-1.5 hours
12:30/1pm: Nap #2 for about 1.5-2 hours
7pm: Bed
5/5:30am: Wakeup to nurse, up for the day
Thank you!
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Arielle D.
Hi Sarah! |
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Arielle D.
At this age, I typically recommend a schedule like the following: |
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Sarah Hi Arielle, |
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Arielle D.
Sarah, |
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Arielle D.
Leigh - I recommend being 100% consistent with method. I would use Ferber for naps and give him a full hour to try to extend his nap. As for mornings, I would also recommend using Ferber. I would drop the 5 p.m. nap and aim for an early bedtime. |
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Arielle D.
How are things going? Let me know! |
Hi. My 15 weeks old sleeps some 6-7 Horus straight per night in bed with me (after nursing him), but during the day no matter what I do he won't sleep for more than 30-45 min. The only time he would sleep longer is if i put him in bed and have the boob there for him which he grabs every 10 min.
Thank you
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Arielle D.
Hi Christina, |
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Cristina Thank you. Will try that. Until what age do you recommend this 4 naps schedule? |
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Arielle D.
I would drop the fourth nap pretty soon. And I would look into some sleep training methods to promote him learning to fall asleep somewhere other than your arms. Check out the "Happy Sleeper" method. It's a gentle method that's great for his age! |
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Cristina Thank you!!! |
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Cristina I have another question... not much related to first... apart for sleep consultation do you also offer a course to become a sleep consultant? Or advise on where to go to become one? Thanks |
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Arielle D.
Hi Christina, |
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Arielle D.
How are things going? Let me know! |
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Cristina Hi Arielle. Thanks for following up. Nights are still good ( although he still uses boob to fall asleep), nap times.. I tried to put him down 4 times but we are on holidays now and then we are going to go and change time zones ( 6 hours difference) so I am not quite sure about the plan.... |
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Arielle D.
Oh, yes. I would definitely wait until after your return! |
Our 3 yr old has been a champion sleeper. He still needs a nap (almost 4-5 days/week) from 2-4/430 pm.
We put him to bed at 9pm since he's still napping. Wakes up around 7am.
Big concern is waking up 1-2 almost every night with a nightmare. We calm him down before bed time and explain that he's in his room very safe.
Any tips on how to deal with this?
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Arielle D.
Hi Nina, |
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Nina Since 2 months |
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Arielle D.
The main cause of nightmares/night terrors is when a child is overtired. I would adjust his schedule if you're able. I would recommend a nap from 12-2 and then bedtime closer to 6:30/7. This should help immensely, as it's more age appropriate for him. |
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Arielle D.
Hi Nina! I just wanted to check back and see how things are going. |
My 14 week old started day care a couple weeks ago on July 5 and is still adjusting (including not napping well while there - if we're lucky she gets and hour or hour and a half all day).
I bring her home and she sleeps much of the evening, which has worked okay with her bedtime, which seems to naturally fall around 10. I read about wake periods before bedtime and that her bedtime should be moving up at her age and I'm not quite sure the right approach to take - above all I want her to get enough sleep.
Her schedule is in crib at 10, sometimes with a wake up around 11:30 and more often another around 2. Wakes up for the day from 5:30-6:30. This has gone on for about 2 weeks. Before that she would sleep straight from 10 to 6.
How should I treat our after daycare time to best support a good night's sleep for her and I?
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Arielle D.
Hi Caitlan, |
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Arielle D.
How are things going? Let me know! |
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Caitlan We are still napping post daycare for 1.5-2 hours (I pick her up around 4/4:30), but I am trying to move up her bedtime - last night we started our routine at 7:30 but she didn't go to bed until 8:45. She did sleep until 7:30 this morning with one wake up at 3:30. Naps are slowly getting a little better during the day according to her teachers and I will continue to move her bedtime up. |
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Arielle D.
Great! :) |
Hi Arielle,
We've been sleep training our 6 month old, and so far, it's been successful, however every night is a little different. It doesn't help that he's teething, so we've been having some night wake ups. The real issue is I cannot get him to nap unless I'm holding him. I've tried everything! He will just scream and cry in his crib longer than we've ever had him cry at night. Any suggestions on how to approach this? I'm thinking we may need to wait to tackle naps until we have the nighttime sleeping down pat.
Thanks!
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Arielle D.
Hi Brigit, |
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Brigit We started out with going to check on him after 5 min of crying and then leaving him until he stops. This worked great for the first few days, albeit there was crying, but he would eventually sleep straight through the night. Then he started crying more and more and the teething, etc. I've moved onto the Ferber Method and this will he night 3. Hoping he drops the wake ups. Not sure if they're from teething pain or what, but I know he can go all night without eating, and I'm trying not to nurse in the middle of the night as to create associations that will be difficult to break down the road. |
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Arielle D.
Brigit - teething actually does not cause prolonged sleep issues. There isn't a lot of pain that goes along with teething (really!). I would just stick to Ferber but I would adjust his schedule, as it's not really age appropriate. I would have for: |
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Brigit Thanks Arielle. Do you think the issue with him not actually napping in his crib will resolve itself? Should I just do the Ferber for naps and let him CIO? When his crying and naps last all afternoon, it makes it difficult to get anything done!! |
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Arielle D.
I would definitely stick with your method and remain consistent with that and your schedule. I would only give a nap one hour and if he doesn't take it, get him up and move on with your day. You may need to adjust the next nap timing and make it a little earlier, as well as bedtime, if naps are short or skipped. |
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Arielle D.
How are things going? Let me know! |
My son is 6 months old and has yet to consistently sleep through the night. I've tried everything from giving him more food before bed, lavender and chamomile baths and Tylenol for teething but nothing seems to work. Any advice or suggestions?
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Arielle D.
Hi Christina, |
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Arielle D.
How are things going? Let me know! |
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Christina Things haven't changed yet but I will keep you posted as days progress. We're traveling a lot in the summer so it's been especially difficult to keep to a schedule |
My toddler is 2 and her sleep schedule has even crazy lately. I end up staying up til 9:30-10 just so she will may sleep through the night . But even that doesn't work. She wakes up at least twice through the night and either wants me to come in her room and lay next to her or get in my bed . and I try to reframe from doing that but that all that seems to settle her . I don't want her waking up even more. She takes one nap at school a day from 12:30-2:45. When it's bedtime she chooses to sleep on couch bed instead of her bed. Should I let her cry it out in the middle of the night?
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Arielle D.
Hi Danielle, |
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Arielle D.
How are things going? Let me know! |
Hi Arielle,
Thanks for taking questions today! Our 3yr old sleeps about 9-10 hours at night and takes a 2-2.5 hour nap most days. In the fall she will be going to school where they only take a 1 hour nap or at least a designated quiet time so I am wondering how we can start to make that transition easier. Some days she doesn't take a nap at all but is really cranky and difficult in later afternoon/early evening so I would prefer to keep a nap for as long as possible.
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Arielle D.
Hi Paula, |
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Paula Thanks! How do you shorten naps? Just wake her up at 1-1.5 hrs? We've tried that and she falls asleep again. |
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Arielle D.
Hi Paula - yes, I would wake her and then I would get her outside or take her to do some other activity so that she is not able to fall back asleep. |
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Arielle D.
How are things going? Let me know! |
My 8week old will not sleep anywhere unless your holding him . You can't put him down . I know it's too early to do any kind of sleep training but I don't know what more I can do . I'm juggling to kids : infant has to be attached to me and toddler wants me in her bed with her. So I'm constantly going back-and-forth between rooms. Something is gotta give. But my infant seems to be plain spoiled what should I do
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Arielle D.
Hi Danielle, |
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Arielle D.
How are things going? Let me know! |
My almost 12 month old still doesn't sleep through the night and likes to feed at night (bottle or/and breastfeed) I think it is more for comfort then anything else. Also he doesn't like to sleep in his crib/room all night and wants to be close to us. Will he transition out of this on his own? I feel bad doing any kind of crying it out because he is in daycare all day already...
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Arielle D.
Hi Florence, |
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Florence Hi Arielle, he gets about 22oz or so total of both put together. He also eats solids. I almost feel like he has separation anxiety and as soon as he figures out (after 2-3 hrs in his crib) he wants to come in bed with us and then will whine or cry until we give him bottle or breast. |
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Arielle D.
It's really typical for a baby to wake 2-3 hours after bedtime when they are overtired. When a baby is overtired, his brain fills with cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine. These hormones make it difficult for a baby to fall asleep and/or stay asleep. It sounds like he could benefit from some sleep training and also an age appropriate schedule. |
Hi Arielle!
Thank you for hosting a Q&A! My son is 9 months old and his naps are so short. We have a very consistent bedtime routine. Here is his schedule:
6-6:15a: wake
9:15a: nap (usually at least an hour-two hours, some days 30 minutes!?)
1:30-2pm: nap (45min)
7pm: bed
How can I get him to lengthen that 2nd nap? He generally goes down very easily.
Thanks!
Rebecca
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Arielle D.
Hi Rebecca! |
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Rebecca His morning nap evolved at like 7 months to be 1+ hour. The afternoon nap has never been longer than 45 mins. |
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Arielle D.
Ok, I would adjust his schedule a bit: |
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Arielle D.
How are things going? Let me know! |
My 15-month-old has been resisting his second nap but still wanting an early first nap. Before this he would have a longer morning nap or afternoon nap so that his second nap/bedtime would be affected - so I knew he was ready for the transition to 1 nap. For the past few days he's been taking his morning nap for about 2 hrs and resisting his second nap so he's pretty overtired for bed and I put him down early at 6 and he wakes up pretty early around 540. My thought is that I need to start pushing his morning nap back which I started doing since yesterday so today I'm going to try to move it to 1045 and get it close to it as close to 11 and eventually noon. But it's so hard to see him so tired in the morning because he wakes up early and wants to go down around 9 or 930... any suggestions? Is this the right route to go?
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Arielle D.
Hi Gaurika, |
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Gaurika Thanks! Is the goal noon and a 3 hr nap? What if he only napped for two hours should I try to put him back down since I know he's not going to nap in the afternoon? I also forgot to mention that he's really starting to cruise a lot so at first I thought it was a developmental thing but now I'm pretty sure it's the need to transition. |
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Arielle D.
I know very few children who nap for 3 hours. Also, children who do nap for 3 hours often have disrupted nighttime sleep. The goal would be to have a nap lasting anywhere from 90 minutes to 2.5 hours (typically that's the max I recommend). As far as timing, I have clients whose children begin their nap as soon as 11 a.m. and as late as 1 p.m. It really depends on what timing works best for your son. I wouldn't recommend starting a nap later than 1 p.m. |
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Gaurika Ok thanks!!! One more point I forgot to ask - he still tries to wake up once at night to nurse and I'm trying hard to get him to stop - i'm hoping the transition to one nap will help him sleep better at night and wake up a little later in the morning have you seen that happen? |
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Arielle D.
That can be a tough transition. I would consider some sleep training methods to cut out that night feed. Once he has transitioned to the one nap and then he's off the nighttime feed, I would anticipate that he would wake later. :) |
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Gaurika Great thanks. I read somewhere that you shouldn't start the 2-1 transition until they sleep through the night but he's clearly begging to go down to one nap. Do you think the waking up at night will affect the transition? Can I do both at the same time? Basically now when he wakes up I just hold him and walk/rock him around and let him cry until he's just falls back asleep without the nursing. I'm hoping he will get the picture and stop the night waking since he only wakes once. |
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Arielle D.
Oh gosh, that's crazy! And not true! |
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Gaurika Thanks for all of your help Arielle!!! |
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Arielle D.
You're welcome! |
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Gaurika Hi Liz can we chat via phone I am an wits end with the early waking and trying to end his night nursing my waking - he woke up at 4 today which is unusual but he has been waking early and I don't know what to do. |
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Gaurika Sorry typo, Arielle not Liz!!!! |
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Arielle D.
Hi Gaurika, |
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Gaurika Concord MA |
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Arielle D.
Oh! Fabulous. I'm in Bolton. :) |
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Gaurika Just emailed you |
Hi Arielle,
Our almost 6 month old has been sleeping 9pm-6:30pm (with 1-2 wakeups to eat) pretty consistenly. She naps at daycare around 9am (she often skips this one) and around 1pm. Nap lengths vary (1-3 hours) but the last one usually ends at 3/3:30.We have been giving her a third nap from roughly 5:30-6:30. Sometimes the nap is as little as 15 minutes but usually ends right around 6:30pm. I know this is late for a last nap but it seems to be working ok.
I'm not sure she can go from 3:30 to 7:30 without a nap but its not feasible for me, due to our schedules, to put her to bed any earlier than that. Do you suggest we drop this 3rd nap and aim for 7:30 bedtime or can we keep the current schedule? or something else?
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C. She sleeps 9pm-6:30AM |
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Arielle D.
Hi Carlota, |
My toddler isn't formally potty trained but has been waking in the 5-6 hour yelling she wants to pee. She has had dry diapers. She pees all day in a diaper. We have started cutting her liquids back before bed. Bt I can't get her out of her room to pee without seeing daylight in our hallway. How do I stop this?
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Stephanie She also won't pee in her toddler portable potty if I were to move into her room. Plus entering the room would expose light to the room. forgot to mention she's 22 mths. |
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Arielle D.
Hi Stephanie, |
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Stephanie Thanks Arielle! On those days when she refuses to resettle even if we don't go in and she's up in the 5-6 hour do I have to realign the whole day's schedule to nap early then? These early wake ups ruin our day's plans. |
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Arielle D.
I wouldn't - I'd stick with the nap as close as possible. If you realign the whole day, she'll just continue with the early waking! |
Tips for early riser?! My daughter just turned 17 months and for past month has been waking 445/5. She was sleeping 630-530 and takes 2 naps a day around 9
and 1. I was ok with 530 wake but the 445/5 is killing me. I have tried cio but does not work and I don't want her waking her 3yr old sister so I usually get her in 10-15 minutes. She is tired when she wakes so I know not ready to be up but then why wakeup?! i have read time to dropa nap but how do I keep her up from
5-11?!
TIA!
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Arielle D.
Hi Katrina, |
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Katrina is it true not to go in car or stroller, so she won't fall asleep? and do i push nap back 15 min every fewdays or just keep her up until |
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Katrina thank u!! |
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Katrina i don't see my followup comment |
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Arielle D.
I would just aim for 11, then you can slowly push by 15 minutes every few days. :) |
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Arielle D.
How are things going? Let me know! |
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Katrina just started today |
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Katrina started today at 10:25 and she woke at 11:50 |
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Arielle D.
I would push her tomorrow! That's a GREAT first nap length. Yes, I'd do an early bedtime. Hang in there. |
Hello Arielle,
My son just turned 9 months and does have a good bedtime routine ( I think). He is typically asleep by 7:15-7:30 and wakes up around 6:30/7am. He falls asleep on his own in his crib, typically without crying. However, his naps only last like 30 minutes! He sometimes takes 2 or sometimes 3. If he sleeps longer it is usually if he is in the stroller when he is going for a walk or in the car. Twice a week my mother watches him at my home and the other two times a week he is with a caregiver at her home. Any tips and when she he be napping? I have been doing pretty much after being up for about 3 hours. Thank you!
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Arielle D.
Hi Mishell, |
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Mishell Thanks, Arielle. So you suggest an even earlier bedtime then? |
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Arielle D.
Yes! That's correct. :) |
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Arielle D.
How are things going? Let me know! |
How can my baby sleep for 3 or 4 hours straight ? Of all night long ? During the day she takes 3 naps but only sleeps for 30 mins. And at night she goes to bed at 830 but she wake up constantly using my boob as a pacifier . Sometimes every hour .
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Arielle D.
Hi Karlin, |
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Arielle D.
How are things going? Let me know! |
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Karlin Hi Arielle , she sleeps better last night .. I was thinking maybe is because she's teething . Because before she used to wake up twice to eat . |
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Arielle D.
Have you tried the new schedule at all? |
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Karlin Yes I did yesterday but she didn't go to sleep until 2 pm and I today we wake up at 7 and it's 1023 and she's not sleepy at all :( |
Good morning, and thank you for answering questions!
My baby boy is 10.5 months old. For the past couple of months, he has dependably napped from 9-10:20 and again from 1:30-2:50 (3 hours total). He falls asleep with a pacifier, but otherwise independently, between 7:15 and 7:30 after a robust nighttime routine. He has black out curtains in his nursery and sleeps with both a dome white noise machine and fan running.
Until about 6 weeks ago, he was still up once or twice each night to nurse. Since I decided to stop giving him that comfort, he has begun sleeping much better in the last third of the night, but he still usually wakes up at around 5:30. We try to leave him alone in his crib until 6, but then - if he is fussing - we go in with a bottle and start out day. If he seems more agitated before 6, we often go in early and try to get him back to sleep by holding him. It rarely works. Last week, he stayed asleep 3 days in a row until 6:15 (hallelujah!), but since then has been back to the early wake ups.
What can we do to help our baby get in one or two more sleep cycles in the morning?
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Arielle D.
Hi Devon, |
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Devon Thank you, Arielle. We will give that a try! |
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Arielle D.
Great! :) |
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Arielle D.
How are things going? Let me know! |