Showing posts with label morning wake time. Show all posts

Poll Results Post: Morning Wake-up Time

The start time of your day can have more of an impact on the flow of your day than you might think. Let's discuss this start to the day. You can find original answers on the blog here and on Facebook here.

1-What time does your child get up each day (whether you wake him up or he wakes on his own)?

6:00--4

6:30--4

7:00--5

7:30--2

8:00--1

2-How consistent are you with this wake up time each day? How many days a week would you say you usually have this be your start time?

Very consistent: 15

Try to be very consistent: 3
Don't push it, but consistent on own: 1
NOTE: A few people commented that they are very consistent on weekdays, but more relaxed on weekends. I put them in the very consistent category.

3-What time is your child's bedtime the night before?

6:00--1
6:30--1

7:00--8

7:15--1

7:30--1

8:00--9

4-Do you notice an impact on the day if wake up time is off? If so, what sort of impact?

Natalie said: " Seems the only impact is that if she wakes too early and doesn't take long enough naps, then there is too much wake time between her last nap and bedtime and bedtime ends up being too early."

Erin said: "-No real impact. Usually, if he happens to wake early, there's a reason (light getting into the room, still weaning off the pacifier dependency). But he's a pretty happy boy no matter what."

Leah said: "No. I mean, it's never outside of the 7:30-8:00 AM range, though. But I notice no difference whether I get her up at 7:30 or 8:00."

AllieK said: "Kids are more cranky, schedule is thrown off."

Julie said: If wake time is too far off, we get off schedule, which probably bothers me more than him.

Faith said: Generally, if he wakes too early, he'll just take an earlier, longer first nap and get himself back on schedule or pretty close to it.

Nicole said: I can't remember the last time wake up time was off. Everyone shares a room here, so the first kid up tends to wake up the second kid. No one ever sleeps in...

Jess said: Because we are so consistent with wake time, this isn't often affected. However it does make him moodier if he wakes up an hour or more early and doesn't fall back asleep. Again, this doesn't happen very often.

Krista said:Not really for the older kids. It definitely throws baby's schedule off and makes nap time more difficult to predict when wake time is off.

5-Any comments on morning wake up time?

Melanie said: "Preface: Bedtime used to be 8 p.m. with a 6 a.m. wake up time, but after we had to have a consultation with a sleep specialiast for an breathing issue, one of his recommendations was for our 3yr old needed another hour of sleep at night.

Our new schedule is as follows:
We wake her at 6:30 a.m. on weekdays. On Saturdays she sleeps until she wakes up and on Sundays we wake her at 7 a.m. if she hasn't already gotten up (which is rare).
Bedtime is 7:30 p.m. (sometime closer to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, but we try!).
Since adding the extra hour, our 3yr old has been easier to wake up and get going in the morning. Additionally, she doesn't fight going to sleep at night. Doctors advice seems to have been on the money."

Natalie said:"I have noticed that whether I put her to bed at 6:30 or 8pm, she still wakes up about between 6:30 and 7, so it is better to put her down earlier so she isn't tired the next day."

Erin said: "-Morning wake ups used to be a lot harder - especially when I wanted to sleep and the baby WAS sleeping. I just wanted to let us all have a late wake up. But it really was worth it to keep on the schedule. The routine is so much a part of our lives now that it really helps us avoid a lot of power struggles, grumpy wake ups, and frantic rushing around before work."

Leah said: "Not really. I've been getting her up at 7:30 every morning since she was about 1.5 weeks old. I get up at 7:00 and eat breakfast before getting her up because that makes me a happier mommy. :)"

AllieK said: "Having a 100% consistent morning wake time was the key to sleep training success when my kids were babies! "

Julie said: I think having a consistent wake time makes the day so much smoother, and also makes consistent bedtime so much easier!

Brittany said: It's super important to be consistent with the wake up time while sleep training and while nursing in order establish a routine.

Nicole said: I chose 7:30 because I felt like it was a time I could live with for 20 years. By the time my youngest is 10, I will have been getting up at 7:30 for almost that long. I doubt I'll bother changing it back 😃

Jess said: If you are consistent with "not before x time" from the beginning it is much easier to enforce as they get older! I cringe when my friends and family talk about their child waking up at 4:30 or 5 some days and some days sleeping until 9. Consistency makes us all more pleasant!

Krista said:Prior to school age, I found it important to keep the kids on schedule, meaning the same wake up time each day as it made the day predictable as far as nap and eat times and I knew when baby would start to get fussy for food or nap and could easily predict what they wanted when they fussed.

Anita said: Both these wake times have been selected to best suit my school-age child

6-How old is your child?

10 weeks: 1

4 months: 1

5 months: 1

7 months: 1

10 months: 1

16 months: 1

19 months: 1

20 months: 1

2.5 years: 1

29 months: 1

3 years: 1

4 years: 2

5 years: 1

6 years: 1

7 years:1

8 years: 1

9 years: 1

11 years: 1

Morning Wake Up Time {Poll Discussion Post}

The start time of your day can have more of an impact on the flow of your day than you might think. Let's discuss this start to the day.

Please take a moment to answer the questions below. Doing so will help other parents now and in the future. It is very helpful for me when compiling answers if you at least number the answers you give. You can also copy the questions and answer them. If the question does not apply to you, simply put "N/A."

1-What time does your child get up each day (whether you wake him up or he wakes on his own)?

2-How consistent are you with this wake up time each day? How many days a week would you say you usually have this be your start time?

3-What time is your child's bedtime the night before?

4-Do you notice an impact on the day if wake up time is off? If so, what sort of impact?

5-Any comments on morning wake up time?

6-How old is your child?

How to Get Your Child to Sleep In Later in the Morning

Remember the days when you didn't have to get up to take care of living creatures in the morning? When school or work drove what time you had to wake up, but that was it? You could have variability in there. Hit snooze some mornings. Sleep in on weekends.

Then came parenthood. And out went the snooze button.

Being a parent is tiring. And oh what you would give for your child to sleep just that little bit longer in the morning! How do you get there?

1. Feed At Same Time Each Morning
The first rule for getting your first morning wakeup time to a certain time is to be consistent with that time of day. You will want to be super consistent while you are establishing this wake up time. After the consistency is there, you can flex within 30 minutes on a regular basis and then flex further when needed. Just keep consistency the norm rather than the exception.

Have breakfast at the time you want your child eating breakfast. This means if you want a 7 AM wakeup time, do not be feeding breakfast each morning at 6:30.

There can, of course, be an exception to that. If you have a baby, your baby might not be able to make it to 7 AM. That is why I wrote a post for those 5-6 AM Night Wakings. Check that out for what to do.

2. DO NOT Get Child Out of Bed
Along the same line of thought, do not get your child out of bed before the time you want to consistently start your day.

I get it. You are tired.

The day will come that you will just want to get your toddler up and stick her in front of the television so you can try to sleep a little longer. Don't do it! Do not do it unless you want to do it the next day. And the next. And yet the next. And on until you finally decide that needs to go.

I know because I have been there! Kaitlyn was a newborn. Her late night waking woke Brayden up one night (or morning, depending on who you talk to). He wasn't quite two. I was tired. He was wide awake. I had the "awesome" thought of, "I will just let him get up and watch PBS so I can sleep."

Eh. Wrong.

Not only did he not let me sleep (because what toddler wants to sit alone watching TV in the wee hours of the morning?), but he woke early the next day, too, even without the baby having woken at the same time. If TV was fun yesterday, it will be again today!

Just don't start it.

That doesn't mean you have to ignore your children. Since my mistake with Brayden, I have gone into my children's rooms in those early morning hours and said, "It isn't time to wake up yet. It is still night time." Then I have tucked them back in and left the room. Do they fall back asleep? Sometimes. Other times they just lay there until it IS time to wake up. But they don't start a new tradition of waking early each day.

3. Slowly Shift to Get to Desired Time
When I have a child waking before the best time of day to wake up, I like to slowly shift toward the preferred time. So if baby is waking at 6 AM and you really want 7 AM instead, spend a week having baby wait to get up and be fed until 6:15. A week later, move that to 6:30. Continue to move slowly until you have it to your desired time.

4. Be Realistic in Expectations for Wakeup Time
You might have dreams of sleeping in until 8 AM each day, but dreams are not always reality.

Brayden is 11, and I can count on one hand the number of times IN HIS LIFE that he has slept until the 8 AM hour. No kidding. I think two were this past summer. So work toward a time your child can reasonably attain.

That time might shift over time. My third and fourth children shifted slowly to waking up later and later. So just because you are looking at 7 AM with a 3 month old doesn't mean it is a life sentence (though it might!).

5. Do Not Assume Later Nights Will Equal Later Mornings
Later nights do not lead a young child to later mornings. It leads them to earlier mornings. Or night wakings. It is an idea that backfires big time. Sleep Begets Sleep. A consistent bedtime is important. See Consistent Bedtime.

6. Be Sure the Environment is Set Up For Sleep
If your child's bedroom is above the garage, your husband leaves for work at 6 AM, and your child wakes at 6 AM each day, then you have a safe bet the garage is waking your child up. Be aware of environmental things that can be waking your child up. Noises? Get a sound machine. Too hot? Think of ways to get the room cooler. Too cold? Put your child in an extra layer of PJs. Be aware of the environmental factors. See my post on Optimal Sleep Temps or Dressing for Sleep for help figuring this out.

Related Posts:

5-6 AM "Night" Wakings

Do you want your baby to sleep longer through the night? This post outlines ways to get your baby to sleep through the night. How to help your baby sleep through the night and stop waking up in the 5-6 am hour.

A really difficult time to navigate is the time when your baby starts to wake in the night around 5-6 AM. Most babies will land here for some period of time as they extend their night sleep. What was once a clear night waking around 2-3 AM extends to the 5-6 AM hour, leaving many parents wondering what to do. Do you count that as a night feeding? The first morning feeding? What do I do? How long will this last?

How long will this night waking last?

Of course it is impossible to say! Of my four children, all of them did this for some length of time. The time has ranged from mere days to weeks. I don't have a way to predict it for you. No matter how long it is, you will want a strategy of what to do when it happens.

Important Note

Please note, it is very important that you start your day at a consistent time. Babywise heavily stresses starting your day consistently--it states to not underestimate the importance of this for reaching your sleeping through the night goals.

You can always change what your desired waketime is (if you are able--people who work or have children in school are more confined to a range). So your first goal may have been 7 AM, but you move it back to 8 AM (I have done this). That is okay.

Whatever time it is, be consistent. What you don't want to do is feed at 6 AM and then let baby sleep until whenever. Let's talk strategies to stop these night wakings.

Sleep Problems: Morning Wake-up Time is Too Early

It is hard to stay on track each day if the first wake up time of the day is off. When baby is waking too early, it leaves you wondering what to do. Here are some causes and solutions to when baby is waking too early.

Chapter three in Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child is all about common sleep problems and how to fix then. Today we will be talking about your child's morning wake up time and what to do if it is too early (this starts on page 119).

What to do when baby is waking too early in then morning | Baby sleep | baby sleeping through the night | #babysleep

Causes of Early Waking (and the solutions)

The Sun: Two of my three children are easily woken by the sun in the AM, so I know this is a reality. Get some window-darkening shades. At our house, we have dark wood blinds that help keep out the morning sun. Our blinds are special blinds that do not have holes in them to let the sun in. We got these at Home Depot.

Some people have used everything from aluminium foil to blankets. I have heard that Home Depot has blackout curtains, and I think Joannes? If you have some room-darkening item, please comment and share what it is, where you got it, and if you like it or not. See also Early Morning Waking and the Sun.
Noise: Noise is another common reason for you child to wake earlier than he is ready to in the morning. This can be noise from cars on the road, your husband getting ready for work, or your dog barking at the sun rise. Weissbluth suggests you get a noise machine or a humidifier to counteract the problem of morning noise.

We have humidifiers in each child's room. We got them for 20-something dollars at Walmart. They aren't the best quality, but they have a nice gentle hum to them. Of course some of you will live in a climate that is humid and you don't want more humidity in your home. You can either use a noise machine or a humidifier without water in it.
Fussiness/Colic: "The most common cause for waking up too early before four months of age is extreme fussiness/colic" (page 119).
Bedtime Too Late: "The most common cause, after four months, is too-late bedtime" (page 119). The answer to this one is simple--move bedtime up earlier. I often get questions about a baby waking early who is going to bed at 9 PM or later. 9 PM is a bedtime none of my children have yet to see--it is too late for a child. If bedtime is too late, slowly move it up earlier. I like 10-15 minute increments. Your child should easily and quickly fall asleep. It might take some time to figure out the exact right bedtime--make a change and wait four days (unless it is totally obvious to you this was wrong). A hint is that most babies have bedtime in the 7 PM hour--some maybe about 6:30. Shooting for anytime in the 7 PM hour should get you close.

Hopefully these ideas help you figure out why your child is waking early in the morning.

Breakfast and Morning Wake Time

image source

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this is true for more reasons than just giving you the energy you need for the day. The time you eat breakfast every day impacts the time you wake up in the morning. This is true no matter what your age is.

If you eat breakfast every day at 7:30, most days you will wake up by 7:30--ready for food.

This is an important point to remember when you are establishing morning wake time.

Does your baby wake earlier than you want her to? Try slowly moving breakfast to the time you want to eat. If she wakes at 7:00 and you would prefer 7:15, get her up when she wakes if she needs you to, but distract her for at least 5 minutes. A few days later, try for 10 minutes. Then eventually get to where you feed her at 7:15.

Consistent breakfast time is also very important if you have night wakings that you want to stop. I have posts with more on this, so see:

Consistent Schedule: Start Your Day Right: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2007/11/consistent-schedule-start-your-day.html
What Time Should I Start My Day:http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2007/12/what-time-should-i-start-my-day.html
Early Morning Feedings Before Waketime:http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/01/early-morning-feedings-before-waketime.html

This concept is also true for older children. If you feed your toddler, preschooler, or child at the same time each morning, your child will tend to wake up closer to that time.

Now, there are of course more factors than the time of breakfast in morning wake time. We have the sun (Early Morning Waking and the Sun). We also have being too hot or too cold. We have what time the child went to bed the night before. The time you eat breakfast, however, is a very important part of the equation. Babywise book one cautions to not underestimate the power of starting the day at the same time each day in getting your baby to sleep through the night.

Keep breakfast time consistent, and you will have a consistent morning wake-up child.

Related Posts/Blog Labels:

morning wake time
sttn
sleep problems
Early Morning Waking and the Sun
Consistent Schedule: Start Your Day Right: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2007/11/consistent-schedule-start-your-day.html
What Time Should I Start My Day:http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2007/12/what-time-should-i-start-my-day.html
Early Morning Feedings Before Waketime:http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/01/early-morning-feedings-before-waketime.html

Hunger Patterns

I remember when I first started high school. Do you know what was one of the hardest things about high school? Lunch time. Why?

Because at our school, we couldn't all fit in the lunch room, so we had two or three (can't remember right now) lunch sessions. We also had alternating schedules, called "A" day and "B" day. Every other day, we had a difference schedule. Four classes on A day and four different classes on B day. We also had the potential to have lunch at different times. I was one who had it that way.

So one day lunch was at 11:30. Another, it wasn't until 12:30. Talk about difficult! There was no consistency to my eating, so my body had no idea what to do.

If you eat at the same time each day, that is when your body will get hungry. On Becoming Babywise says, "...the hunger mechanism (digestion and absorption) operates as if it has a metabolic memory reinforced by routine" (page 48). So if your baby eats at the same times, she will be hungry at the same times.

Granted there are things that can change this notion. Think to being pregnant. There are times when you are hungry all day long. This will be true for a baby, too, as she enters growth spurts. There also might be times she doesn't eat well for one meal, in which case she might be hungry sooner than her usual time.

If you are trying to establish a predictable routine, keep this idea in mind. Eating at the same times each day means the child will get hungry at the same times each day. Do watch for growth spurts because they happen often.

Also, keep this in mind as you are starting to establish a consistent morning time for baby to wake up. The recommendation is to keep the time of the first feeding consistent within 30 minutes each day. That means a 30 minute sway total, not 30 minutes in either direction. So from 7:15-7:45 or 7:30-8:00 etc. Feed baby within this window each morning so she will be hungry at that time each morning.

See the Wake Time blog label for more on morning wake time.

See Early Morning Feedings Before Wake Time for more on what to do when baby wakes close to your morning wake time.

Importance of the First Nap

The morning nap is usually the first nap to become consistent in a baby's life. Even though it is not the last nap baby keeps around, it is the most important nap of the day for a new baby. This nap sets the precedent for the rest of the day. This is the nap you want to figure out first. You really can't get the rest of the naps right until this nap is figured out.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child discusses more reasons this nap is so important. Weissbluth says "...the morning nap has more REM sleep than the afternoon nap; this suggests that in some infants, the morning nap may be viewed as a sort of continuation of night sleep" (page 29).

This explains why the first nap of the day is usually quite soon after waking in the morning. For most people, this is very counterintuitive. I remember talking to a friend on the phone one day as I put Brayden down for his morning nap. She was shocked he was going down for a nap and asked what time he got up in the morning.

The first waketime of the day is often the shortest waketime of the day. The first nap of the day, if timed right, is usually the longest of the day. It is usually the most reliable for parents. When sleep training, many babies won't even whimper at this nap if waketime was timed correctly.

Even for babies who are ready to drop to one nap a day, the morning nap remains in tact and the child plays through the afternoon nap. It is a reliable nap.

Timing the nap is important. For a newborn, this waketime will be the shortest of the day. She might even just wake up, eat, and go back down for a nap. Expect waketime to be 30-45 minutes. It will slowly increase over time. The rate of the increase varies from child to child.

By 4 months, your child will usually be up to at least an hour. Perhaps a little more. It continues to increase over time.

One thing to note, if your baby is on the younger side when going to a four hour schedule, the morning waketime will not necessarily be two hours followed by a two hour nap. It could be as much as 1 hour waketime and a 3 hour nap or a 1.5 hour waketime and a 2 hour nap.

For help on optimal waketime length, see the optimal waketime blog label.

What Time To Start Baby's Day

What time should you aim to start your day every day? When you want to! Of course, this will be affected by the child's input also. It seems to me most Babywise moms start their day in the 7 AM hour. Brayden and I always have started at 7 AM. I have Kaitlyn start at 7:30 AM because I still need to feed Brayen breakfast and such before starting with her. Here are some things to consider:

Your waketime now will likely be your waketime until your child decides that he actually enjoys sleeping in. That will take some time. You can work it back later, but it is easier to manipulate it now.
Are you a morning person? If so, you could start earlier. I am, but I prefer to start Brayden at 7 so I have 1-2 hours in the morning before he gets up. If not, you would probably prefer a 7:30 or 8:00 waketime.
Start early enough you can get all the feedings and naps in before desired bedtime.
You don't have to start at a half hour increment. You can start at 7:10 or 7:15. You decide.

Whatever time you start, be consistent. Start at the same time within 30 minutes. If you start at 7 AM, that doesn't mean you can start anywhere from 6:30 or 7:30, it means 7-7:30 or 6:45-7:15, etc. While I was pregnant with Kaitlyn, Brayden started at 7:15 so I could sleep until 7:00 and get up and use the restroom, etc. before I got him. Do what works for you.
Poll Results: What time do you start baby's day? (Waketime)
Results:
6:30 AM: 8 votes (12%)
7:00 AM: 23 votes (37%)
7:30 AM: 15 votes (24%)
8:00 AM: 12 votes (19%)
8:30 AM: 2 votes (3%)
9:00 AM: 2 votes (3%)
Total of 62 votes
Other Wake Time Posts:

Consistent Schedule: Start Your Day Right: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2007/11/consistent-schedule-start-your-day.html
Early Morning Feedings Before Waketime: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/01/early-morning-feedings-before-waketime.html

Reader Questions:

Amber said...
Hello...I have yet another questions! Here I go...My daughter is almost 3 1/2 months old and has been STTN (going 7 - 9 hours straight) for at least a month now. Bedtime at 8:30 sleep until 6ish, eat, sleep until 8:30 or 9:00. The question is that she is starting to sleep longer at night (until 7 or 7:30) I DON'T want a waketime that early so she eats and goes back to sleep. Do I feed her again at 8:30 or 9 when she wakes for the day or do I start my 3 hour schedule at 7:00ish in the morning?Thanks!
January 4, 2008 8:33 PM
Plowmanators said...
I think you are going to have to start your day at 7:30 when she wakes. Once she gets to the point of sleeping 12 hours, you could set bedtime at 8:30 and sleep until 8:30. I wouldn't start any later than 8:30 AM though. Until then, I would start the day and routine at 7:30.
January 5, 2008 10:01 AM
Becky & Scott said...
I just found you too! I'm sooo glad I did! I felt like I had no one to talk to about BW! My question is, at what point do you not set the morning wake-up time? Do you always? How do I know what he is capable of sleeping if I am waking him up? His dreamfeed is at 10pm and his wake up time is 7:00am. Sometimes he wakes for a feeding at 5:00am. Thanks!March 17, 2008 11:08 AM
Plowmanators said...
I always set the morning waketime. I think that is a very important step in getting a consistent schedule from day to day (meaning naps are at the same time each day). When he has a feeding at 5, I would let him sleep in an extra 30 minutes if he will, but no longer. You want that metabolism to get hungry at the same time each day.Glad you found us! It is very helpful to have fellow BW people to hash things out with.March 17, 2008 11:20 AM
Catherine said...
Hi Valerie, Just had a quick question:Is the waketime window 30 minutes on either side?For example, our waketime is 8. This morning my son woke at 7:30, so I just started the day. Sometimes he will wake between 5:30 and the 6 a.m. hour. (We are making great progress with sttn!) When that happens I will get him up at 8:30 to give more time between the feeds.Just wanted to make sure I was being consistent.March 21, 2008 1:10 AM
Plowmanators said...
Catherine, No, it is a 30 minute variance. So if waketime is 8:00, you could do 7:30-8:00 or 7:45-8:15 or 8:00-8:30 for example. This variance can change over time. By that I mean that if you chose 8-8:30 right now, it doesn't have to be that 3 months from now. You can change it based on her needs at the time.You can have off days if you need, but try to keep it consistent. A consistent waketime is a huge factor in having a consistent schedule from day to day.March 21, 2008 10:01 AM
bethers21 said...
Val, Is it normal to have to wake a baby almost every morning? Once we were on a consistent schedule our waketime has always been 7 am (6:45 during the week). He goes to bed after his 7pm feeding with a 10pm DF. I just didn't know if he should be waking on his own and needs more sleep or whether it's completely normal to have to get them up. Thanks!
April 27, 2008 12:52 PM
bethers21 said...
Sorry to post again...I wasn't logged in to blogger the first time so didn't get to check to be notified of any comments :)
April 27, 2008 1:02 PM
Plowmanators said...
I don't know that it is normal as in common, but I certainly wouldn't call it a problem :) It is quite possible that he will wake on his own once the dreamfeed is dropped. It is also possible that he is just an awesome sleeper. I had to wake my daughter in the morning for a long time. Most days she is awake in the morning, though sometimes she still is asleep. Same for my 3 year old.
April 28, 2008 9:59 AM
Erin Jensen said...
Hi! I have sort of this same question but a little different. My baby goes down at 9 or 9:30 and waketime is 7:30 - 8:00 depending on how early I need to get into work. However he doesn't usually wake on his own either and usually isn't so happy to be getting up...does this mean he needs more sleep and I should put him down earlier? This would probably mean going down to 5 feedings which he would probably do ok with but I just don't know. Oh he is 4 months old. Thanks!!!
July 18, 2008 12:08 PM
Plowmanators said...
I would put him down earlier. If he needs a 6th feeding, I would do a dreamfeed at 9:30 or 10:00 ish. It sounds like he is read for more sleep :)
July 21, 2008 4:50 PM
Erin Jensen said...
Thanks! I will gradually start getting him down earlier and we'll see how he does without a dreamfeed. A little more time in the evening with him sleeping will probably be nice for us too!
July 21, 2008 6:50 PM
Plowmanators said...
You are welcome! It will be very nice for you :)
July 23, 2008 3:33 PM
Ikaika and Laura said...
I had a question about waking early-my almost 4 month old goes down between 8-8:30 because that is when my 20 month old goes down. he eats right before bedtime but does not have a dreamfeed. he wakes anytime from 6-7:00 but i do not feed him until 12 hours from when he last ate to encourage him to sleep the whole 12 hours. he does not cry in his bed or anything he just plays and sucks his thumb. but then by the time i get him out to feed him he is pretty much ready to take a nap already. so we dont really have eat wake sleep it is more like eat change pamper sleep. is there anyway to encourage him to sleep until his first feeding?July 28, 2008 5:25 PM
Plowmanators said...
Keep in mind that baby does not move to a possible 10-12 hours of sleep at night until weeks 16-24. So I personally wouldn't try to force 12 hours out of him before 24 weeks old unless you are positive he can do it. Also, some kids don't sleep 12 hours. 10 hours is okay too.
See 10-12 Hours of Sleep: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/07/10-12-hours-of-sleep.html
If you prefer him to sleep in later to going to bed earlier, then I would put him to bed later. If you prefer the earlier bedtime, I would continue with that but them feed him when he wakes. He is doing a great job. Another option would be to add a dreamfeed at 10:30ish to get him to be able to go longer into the morning.
July 30, 2008 3:06 PM

How to Have a Consistent Schedule: Start Your Day At the Same Time

You are on a 3 hour schedule, but it never seems to be the same three hours each day. You really want some consistency but you can't figure out how to get there. Or maybe your child can't quite make it through the night and consistently eats in the 5 AM hour. What do you do? How do you start the day? What time? This post contains affiliate links.

Refer to On Becoming Babywise and you will see that you need to start each day at the same time within 30 minutes. What time do you want to start? Let's say it is 7:00 AM--a common time for many Babywise moms. You need to start each day at 7, or within 30 minutes of 7. That doesn't mean 6:30-7:30--that means 6:45-7:15 or 7:00-7:30, etc. Even if you are feeding your baby at 6 AM--start out right! Try feeding your baby as little as possible at 6 if you want to feed then. A consistent wake time will help you move toward no eating at all in the night.

Babywise gives a 30 minute window, but when I am working on establishing consistency, I try to be as close to the minute the same each morning as I can be. Once baby is established, a 30 minute window can be worked with without a problem (unless your baby is one who needs things super consistent). Take 1-2 weeks to be super consistent to establish what is "normal" and your baby will be able to get established.

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