It doesn't make sense at all to me, why she stays up so late. The kid is literally in and out of sleep from about seven or eight on but she doesn't finally conk out until midnight. Every night.
The only reasons it bother me at all are that I do wish I could have a little unwinding time for myself that wasn't in the wee hours of the morning. Also, because she stays up so late her wake up time is eleven (a.m.), and that tends to be a huge pain when it comes to scheduled things such as doctors appointments and play groups. We miss out because Gemma (more honestly, Gemma and I) are sleeping the morning away.
I know I shouldn't really be complaining. She isn't sleeping through the night exactly but she is sleeping for about 7 or 8 hours and often another 2-4 hours at a time. That is completely manageable for me.
Maybe there is just too much going on at night? Or she adjusted herself to my night owl schedule in-utero?
Or maybe she is afraid of missing something.
Just like her mama...
Is she on a feeding schedule? Once we put Clint on a good schedule and started a night time routine (bath, bottle, rocking and put in crib) he started going down consistently at 8pm or so. Our doc told us to always put him down awake so that he learns how to put himself to sleep, so that's what we strive for. Now he sleeps from about 8p-6a without waking.
ReplyDeleteWell... this was all before he got sick with RSV. lol Right now he's being fed on demand and has no schedule at all and is definitely not STTN. Although he does still fall asleep anywhere from 8-9p and doesn't wake up until 12-1a. Let's hope we can get him back in his routine once he gets better!
I agree with the Bailey's. You should put Gemma on a routine to kind of get her settled into an earlier bedtime/wake up time so that you can be a better schedule too (and have those evenings to yourself). But don't feel like you are alone. I have a girlfriend whose baby is pretty much on the same schedule as Gemma.
ReplyDeleteIt is better to establish a set bedtime now than later. Babies get set in their ways as they get older so try to make up a bedtime routine for Gemma to help get her settled for bed. That way, when you start the routine on a consistent basis, Gemma will soon get the hint that it is getting close to bedtime. I pretty much do the same thing of giving Zakiah a bath for 20 minutes, breastfeeding her, and cuddle/rock (if she allows me to). Then I put her to bed (most times) awake and leave. She will fuss for about 5 minutes but then she is out. Now she doesn't like seeing me leave the room so I have to turn the lights off first, put her in the crib, and leave. She fusses less that way. (Just learned that a week ago)
It might take several days for a routine to click together the way it will work for the both of you. When I got started, I had to set alerts on my phone to make sure I am consistent with Zakiah's bedtime routine.
You can start tomorrow by waking Gemma up around 8 or 9. She might be tired or grumpy but generally the later she sleeps in, the later she will go to bed. When she wakes up, you can feed her and have her play until she is ready for her nap. At her age, she probably can eat about every 3-3.5 hours. You can start her bedtime routine at around 7:30 and have Gemma to bed at 8:30-9.
Sorry for being so long with this comment but I really want to help you out as much as possible because I just can't stress how good it feels to have your "ME" time in the evening and still get to bed at a decent time yourself.
Now I am not sure if Gemma is sleeping with you most nights or in her crib. I am not too sure how get her to sleep on her own if you two are co-sleeping. Zakiah got her crib around the 4 months and has pretty much slept on her own except for a few times while out of town or when I want to catch a nap with her.
But above anything, do what works for you two. I can only offer advice based on what I have read and what I have experienced.
Good luck and I love the blog design!
Oh, I am praying for restored health for your son @ The Bailey's!
Our schedule has been off and on!I took my LSAT and then there were the Holidays and the routine we were on went out the window.
ReplyDeleteWe are definitely working on improving though!