Two Kids with Two Different Schedules

hey D.! "yes" you can go against your daughter's "natural" schedule! i give you permission to do so! Lol! when does she wake up? perhaps you can wake her up earlier (no, i'm not crazy!) and this may prompt her "natural" clock to kick in for the nap at the earlier hour that works best for the rest of the family. tots at this age ...their "clocks" are changing anyways as they grow...so, think of it as "coaching" her sleep pattern... and perhaps there's some tweaking that's neccessary for your son too? my Mom used to put us (sis and I are 4 yrs apart) to bed at the same time.... regardless of age...regardless if we were tired, etc... and we turned out just fine! take care!! remember, this phase is temporary!!

Babies don't have "natural clocks." They respond to what the parents initiate. Therefore, wake her up earlier in the morning so she will nap earlier in the afternoon. If she sleeps so long at a nap that she can't settle down for bedtime, wake her up at naptime. It is all a cycle. :) You just need to "reset" the schedule.

D.,

I think everyone below has already given you great suggestions. There are a million different ways you can 'tweak' her schedule. Just go with your gut and give something a try for at least a few days or a week b/f you move on to another idea. Up earlier, shorter nap (2 hours only?), etc.

I just wanted to chime in to say as well, "Yes", it is possible to go against her natural sleep patterns. If you think it's in the best interest of the family to have them sleeping at the same time, you can make it happen. I have twin boys that are 2, and they have always wanted to be on slightly different sleep schedules. Each has had to 'compromise' a bit along the way, but I've always managed to keep them ont he same schedule. Sometimes I feel bad about it (I know one of my boys would love to sleep later in the morning...if his brother didn't wake him up -- and us too), but I do think it's in the best interest of the family to have them stay in synch. And that includes me!

Good luck, and just keep 'tweaking' and trying different things until you find what works. :)

-J.

D.,
I think you have lots of things you could try.
1. Hold firm with your son. His bed time is 7 pm regardless of his sisters. You have two different kids with two different sets of needs. What one goes for one is not always the case for the other. They need to learn this because, these situations will continue to happen as they both grow older.
2. When your son wakes up at 6:00, tell him it is too early and he must go back to bed. Don't get up yourself and keep his room completely dark. If there is no one up at 6, and there is nothing to do, he will hopefully, find it boring and sleep later the next day. Keep at this, it may take some days.
3. You could start your daughters whole day earlier. Then, she would have an earlier nap time and bed time.

When I get frustrated, like you are, and I can't seem to find an answer, I've found that a nap for me can make all the difference. Then, I can see everything in a new light. Find a friend or babysitter to watch your son for a few hours and take a nap when your daughter does. I think you will find a solution that everyone can live with. Good luck.

What time does she wake up in the morning? Start there. What I would do is set her morning wake time by waking her up at the same time every day.. that way you can control how early she naps. If she is waking up at 8 and won't take a nap until 1:30 then wake her up at 7 instead and put her down at 12:30. You are the mom, you set the nap times and bed times. 9:00 is too late for a baby to stay up and I am sure that your son won't mind if his sister is waking up before him rather than going to bed later.