Please share some tips on how to get DC to sleep later? - LONG!

Jack has always been an early riser.

A few weeks ago I tried putting him to bed at 7:15 and he was waking around 6:30 (much better then 5 o'clock which is what was happening when he went to bed later)

Some days he takes a nap and wakes up pretty late from that (4 or 4:15) so I can't see having him in bed by 7:15.

Basically his day goes like this.

In the crib around 7:45pm - takes about 45 minutes to unwind and fall asleep.

Wakes anywhere between 5-6am - most days closer to 5.

Naps from 1:30-3:30 (some days 4/4:15)

The problems are:
I cannot see getting up at 5am for the day. I am so not a morning person - neither is DH.

I am giving the baby a bottle around 4:30 - so basically once the baby gets up to eat I never get back to sleep.

I can't take it - and need a solution. I know that he's probably just an early waker and that's his nature - but I need to fix this somehow.

I already told DH that I don't think we should get him out of the crib before 6am. He has toys in there that he can play with but he just stands and calls for us to come get him. My hope is that if he realizes we don't come after a few days he will start to play with the toys in his crib.


I do know that when he is in the crib at 7:15 he will wake later - but unfortunately with DH getting home from work at 6:30ish - it's really not going to happen.

Help a desperate mom in need of sleep! Anything at all that may have worked for your child! Please!

Message edited 11/3/2009 9:42:18 PM.

Re: Please share some tips on how to get DC to sleep later? - LONG!

Its probably two things- he's taking a nap for too long and he's going to sleep too early.

I got my DS into a good routine. He goes to bed at 8, wakes at 8, and naps from 12-1. I just cut him nap down from 2 hours to 1, and then slowly eased him into an 8 o'clock bedtime. Maybe you could try something like that?

Re: Please share some tips on how to get DC to sleep later? - LONG!

Re: Please share some tips on how to get DC to sleep later? - LONG!

Lucas naps anywhere from 2 to 3 hours and even when he wakes at 4:30 pm he goes back down no later than 8pm for the night.

I think you already do these things but I find this helps:
- Run him around between nap and bedtime (Rich takes him out on his little bike toy around the block on the weekends)
- Nice full belly before bed (I don't care if it's the same thing he ate for lunch...I want that belly full)
- Bath
- Stories

Re: Please share some tips on how to get DC to sleep later? - LONG!

Re: Please share some tips on how to get DC to sleep later? - LONG!

My older DD is an earlier riser (I say earlier because she never did the 5am thing...but would sometimes wake before 7am. I know, I know you're crying for me... ). Anyway, what always worked for us is a CD. She's been listening to this CD when she goes to bed since she's been like born, but that makes no difference--I'm sure you could introduce any CD. When she would wake up early--and we don't let her get up for the day before 7--we would put on the CD and tell her she was to stay in bed (or the crib when she was younger) until the CD was over. This particular CD happens to be 35 min., so it buys us some time. Occasionally, we'd have to put in on more than once and yeah, it's broken sleep for us, but it's something.

I am STILL using this CD after school to get her to "nap!" I get a whole 35 minutes of peace and quiet!

Just a thought...

Re: Please share some tips on how to get DC to sleep later? - LONG!

Posted by greeneyes361708

Posted by Diana1215

When you say he goes to bed at 8 - does he fall asleep right away? Or is that the time he's put in the crib?

Also - his naps aren't always that long. A few days a week he will be out of the crib at 3:15ish - so napping for a little over an hour and a half.

Also, not to be completely selfish, but I kind of need his naps to be that length, I don't know how I would function if they were any shorter with DS#2 here now. I feel like that is my quality time with the baby. KWIM?

He's so tired by 8 I have to fight for him to stay awake until then He is out in 2 seconds most nights.

I totally get it about needing naps to be that long, I feel that way sometimes too But really, it is so so nice to have him in bed by 8 that I can try my best to remain sane until bedtime.

Re: Please share some tips on how to get DC to sleep later? - LONG!

Posted by Eireann

My older DD is an earlier riser (I say earlier because she never did the 5am thing...but would sometimes wake before 7am. I know, I know you're crying for me... ). Anyway, what always worked for us is a CD. She's been listening to this CD when she goes to bed since she's been like born, but that makes no difference--I'm sure you could introduce any CD. When she would wake up early--and we don't let her get up for the day before 7--we would put on the CD and tell her she was to stay in bed (or the crib when she was younger) until the CD was over. This particular CD happens to be 35 min., so it buys us some time. Occasionally, we'd have to put in on more than once and yeah, it's broken sleep for us, but it's something.

I am STILL using this CD after school to get her to "nap!" I get a whole 35 minutes of peace and quiet!

Just a thought...

Re: Please share some tips on how to get DC to sleep later? - LONG!

how old is your dc?

Re: Please share some tips on how to get DC to sleep later? - LONG!

not sure how old your DC is... but my DS is 19 months and we finally have a good routine going.

of course, now that i said that - we won't! lol.

anyway, DS sleeps from about 8 pm to 8 am. Sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later.

He takes one nap from about 130 to 330. Sometiems shorter, and very rarely a little longer. Today for example he napped from 2-430. I delayed bedtime by maybe 20 minutes since he had such a big, late nap. He fell asleep easily.

What helped us get him to sleep longer was makign sure he is nice and toasty in the am. I also try not to give him much to drink after 630 or 7 pm. i give him just 3 oz of milk right before bed. That way his diaper is not drenched in the am. We try to keep it very quiet - especially i the am. We use a white noise machine. I even turn the heat off around 7 am or so, so that the noisy heat doesn't wake him up. DS is a very light sleeper, especially in teh am - and once he's up in the morning, that's it!

for naps, i realized that he almost always wakes up one hour into his nap. I would always go right in and get him. but i realized that if i just wait a few minutes - he goes back to sleep.... unless he pooped.

hope some of this was helpful to you!!!

Re: Please share some tips on how to get DC to sleep later? - LONG!

All kids are different and there sadly are no real rules but my dr gave me advice and I stuck with it and it was helpful-he said if DS naps later than 3pm bedtime will be a disaster-that REALLY helped us and the later we did bed the better we were-after some days of adjusting. I also know this is soooooo bad and people would so disagree but it worked for us and sometimes you just have to do what works for you in your house regardless of what others think or do it is your life and your family. DS would get up early and he would want to get in bed with me after DH left for work when he was little he would get in bed have a bottle and go back to sleep until about 9-10am . As he got older the bottles stopped but he just liked the comfort of snuggling up to me and would get up come in the room (he is in a toddler bed so he can get out) he comes in the room and gets in my bed and will sleep until 9. Hey like I said I know it is a bad habit but it works for us and I am sleeping well and sane so that is what we do. Good luck find a system that is best for you and stick with it!