keeping baby up/out past bed time

I have been very strict with DDs bedtime routine. (she will be 4 months on Monday). She is a great (night time) sleeper for the most part. She also is sleeping for the night by 630-7. We keep turning down invites from friends b/c its past her bedtime (neither of our parents are close enough to come watch with short notice). Do/would you go out to a friends house with your LO if you knew you were going to be out past their bedtime?

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

We have, i bring her rock and play sleeper and she sleeps in that.

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

Yup that's the best time to do it. Dd used to sleep in the carseat. or the pnp.

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

We have done it, but I don't really like doing it. I usually change DD into her pj's at our friends' house. I also bring in her stroller and put her in the carseat and just rock her a little back and forth until she falls asleep. She'll nap for a little and wake up, but then she'll fall asleep on the ride home and we can transfer her into her crib without really disturbing her too much.

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

We don't. The boys sleep for 12 hours and I don't want to mess w/ it!

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

I really don't like doing it at all. I feel like it messes everything up the next day.

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

of course...

before children we had lives... and we still do after children... with or without the kids...

kids adjust

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

I have no problem doing it. My parents didn't leave somewhere early or not go when I was little so maybe thats why.

We just bring her pack & play & PJs and put her down when shes tired. It's not like it's every night, and she goes right to bed whenever we get home.

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

I brought her out for thanksgiving and kept her up til 8:30. Her schedule wasn't right for a week after that. But I now think the problem was me: I let her sleep until 10 the next morning. I'll definitely bring her out again - I need to have a life! - but will be sure that she is up by her usual 7 or 8:00 the next day.

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

we do, but its getitng harder as he is older, he doesn't use the carrier anymore and is to big for rock and sleeper so he won't fall asleep he will just get cranky and cry...our cue to leave

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

When my kids were that little I didn't do it. It's different with a NB - they will sleep anywhere. My infants needed their own beds to fall asleep and I didn't feel like holding a crying screaming mess while hanging out with my friends.

I guess it depends on the kid - some are able to adjust to how their parent's lives were before they arrived and some are not!

I will say that now that my kids are 3 years and 21 months I am SO looking forward to staying out late with them, knowing they can handle it now!

Message edited 12/17/2011 9:18:19 PM.

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

We dont take her out every weekend, but here and there, we stay out, past her bed time (7), and she either sleeps in her stroller reclined, then sleeps in the car seat on way home. I hate messing up her schedule, but we need our time out too.

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

Posted by headoverheels


I guess it depends on the kid - some are able to adjust to how their parent's lives were before they arrived and some are not!

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

We do just not all the time. Sometimes we give them bottles in the stroller and let them sleep in there reclined, sometimes we let them stay up if we are not going to be out late, and every once in a while we will bring pack n plays and put them down. With 2 it is sometimes just not worth the effort.

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

No, I don't. My DD is now 3 and we still make sure she's home in time for bed at 8pm. I personally think it's important to keep her on her routine, she's exhausted by her bedtime and ready to knock out so I feel like it's only fair we be home to get her into bed rather than torture her all night.

Obviously there are times when it's unavoidable, weddings or special parties, but when we make plans with friends we always make sure we're home for her to get to bed on schedule. Honestly, if we don't, she's just a wreck that night and then it makes our lives more difficult.

Edit - I don't feel like I have no life, I feel like I have a different life. We've just had to adjust how we hang out with friends. I may have been able to hang out until all hours before having my DD but life changes and I'm okay with that. I've adjusted my socializing to make it work for us. In actuality, it's pretty easy because all my friends have children and they feel the same way, it makes it get togethers simple since we're all on the same page!

Message edited 12/18/2011 12:35:22 AM.

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

Absolutely! DD has a great sleep routine and a deviation from it once in a while dosent throw it off.

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

My DC is 4 months and I have done this and I dont have a problem with it. My DC is a great sleeper so it is easy for us! I would prefer to invite people over though because it is easier, especially now that he is eating cereal.

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

If we are going to be out past his bedtime, we just bring PJs and he usually falls asleep on the car ride home. If there is action going on around him, he's usually fine. If he is a cranky mess, then we will usually just leave bc at that point, it's not fun for anyone.

He is usually in bed by 7pm. Would I leave my house to go somewhere with him at 7 or 8. NO WAY! My Mom will usually hang out at my house while he sleeps upstairs if we have somewhere to go.

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

For those who say they will fall asleep while your out, do they wake up from the car to house transition? I have to double park outside since I live in an apt. There are likely no spots in front of my house. Then my DH carries them up 3 flights of stairs and goes back outside to park while I tend to my twins. They would obviously wake up during this chaos so it would never work for me!

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

I prefer not to, but will do it on occasion. The issue with my DD is that she won't sleep some place else (unless she's sleeping over my parents or something) and she gets up at the same time no matter what. She loves a crowd and gets silly when she's overtired, so it's impossible to wind her down at someone else's house. We kept her up until 9:30 last night (normally goes to bed btwn 7:30 and 8). She fell asleep on the way home and we transferred her without a problem. But she was up at 7 am on the dot!

Message edited 12/18/2011 1:15:58 PM.

Re: keeping baby up/out past bed time

I've done it when dd was small and it was fine now at 16 months its more difficult because she won't sleep when she isn't home. So the past few times we have done it she gets extremely cranky.