I just have a question. I am trying to get my 4 month old on a good routine for sleeping. We try and put him down by 8pm every night sometimes (like last night) he doesn't go to sleep until 9pm although that is rare now. We have a pretty good routine that usually starts at 7:30pm. My big questions is this: my caregivers who watch him during the week show up at my house at 6am so that my husband and I can leave for work by 6:30am, should I leave him asleep or wake him up? I've been waking him up by 6am for the last 2 months to be ready and downstairs when grandparents show up. I'm just not sure if I should just let him sleep until he wakes up on his own. He's not a great napper but we usually get 3-4 hours of sleep throughout the day. Any thoughts? Let him sleep or wake him up?
new mom in Avondale
At 4 months of age we let
At 4 months of age we let our daughter sleep until she woke up on her own. She has always been a good sleeper and at 4 months she was sleeping 12 hours at night and rarely waking during the night. My pediatrician told me if she is sleeping, then she needs the sleep.....so i followed that and it seems to work well for us.
She is now 15 months and we still let her sleep until she wakes up on her own. The only time we wake her in the mornings is if its 8:30 and she is not up. But, 99% of the time she's up on her own between 7:30-8:30 AM. The only reason we don't let her sleep past 8:30. is it means she will be up later and we are trying to keep her on somewhat of a schedule.
The recipe for perpetual ignorance is: be satisfied with your opinions and content with your knowledge.
~ Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915)
they say never to wake a
they say never to wake a sleeping baby. :)
When my son was that age, I let him sleep until he woke up on his own whenever I could. He normally woke up on his own before I had to leave for work and take him to my mil's. On weekends - if he would sleep in a little - I wasn't about to wake him!
I agree, that was my Mom's
I agree, that was my Mom's advice to me - never wake a sleeping baby, unless you HAVE to! Now it goes for toddlers and "big" kids too in our house.
Lovemy4 is a discussion leader for North Central Phoenix, tired mother of 4 great kids and wife to one great husband.
I am a new mom of three
I am a new mom of three month old twins and I have the same dilemma. My twins go to sleep at 8pm and we wake them at 7am. Sometimes they're already waking up, but sometimes when we wake them they are still sleepy. I would say let him sleep. I won't let mine sleep past 7:30 but that's because I need to get them up and make sure I get some nourishment in them. They're only 13 lbs and I know they need it. However, mine are never ready to wake up at 6am. They started sleeping 11 hours when they were 2 months an my doctor's office told me I shouldn't let them sleep more than 7 hours because they need to eat, but I didn't listen. I figure if they were hungry, they'd wake up and let me know. So I upped he amount I was giving them at each feeding and they're taking about 30 oz a day and gaining weight just fine. If when you wake your son up he's still very sleepy then I say let him sleep. If it's easier for you to have im up at 6, maybe you should consider putting him to bed an hour earlier or so.
One thing to remember when
One thing to remember when you're talking of sleep routines for children under 1 (and even 2) is that a lot will change in that first year or two which will affect sleep and sleep routines. Teething, of course, often interrupts sleep, even for good sleepers. In addition, getting ready to reach a new milestone (sitting, crawling, cruising, walking, signing, talking to name a few) as well as growth spurts can often interrupt normal sleep habits. Sometimes it seems you finally get a good routine and then they stop sleeping well again. Just know that this is normal and will pass eventually, once they aren't changing as fast
Allison
Mom to Talia (10/03) and Trip (3/07)
I really like the book
I really like the book 'healthy sleep habits for a happy child' by Dr. Marc Weisbluth (or some name clost to that) - it has been my sleep bible. (of course, my son is only 3 months only and wakes every 2.5 hours...but it still is nice to have an 'expert' to consult). and it is fascinating to learn more about sleep.