Hi!
I have a 2.5yr old daughter and a 9 wk old son. I have been trying to establish a bedtime for my son at 8pm. I am not sure what his bedtime is or will be. so, I wake him up btwn 6-630, then play for 1 hr and goes back to sleep until 9. I feed him every 2.5 hour. after each feel he plays until get tired anywhere from 45-60 mins. I feed him 600am, 830, 11, 130, 4, 630, 9pm, 1130 and he wakes up at 3am.
I have been trying to put him down for bed at 8pm, so i give him a bath or wash btwn 7 and 730 (depends on what my toddler is doing--dinner or bath). He would sleep, but wakes up at 9 and then he is not able to fall asleep until 1130. if i put him down in his crib after his 9 o'clock feed, he keeps crying until his next feed. during the day he is ok if I put him down awake. I am not sure if its too early and he will keep sleeping between 9 and 1130, once he is more awake during the day? Please advise what i should do differently.
Thank you all in advance! :)
I think you might be putting him to sleep a little early, seems like he's napping.
My son, who now has an 8:00 bedtime (he's 3) generally didn't go to sleep for the night until 10 or 10:30 when he was very small. The more active he was the earlier his bedtime.
He's too young to be on a schedule.
Feed him every 3 hours when he awakes for food (or more often if he
wakes up sooner than 3 hrs).
His belly is small & he gets hungry.
Too little to expect to sleep through the night no matter what time you put him to sleep.
And don't wake him if he's sleeping. He will wake up & let you know when he's hungry. Meaning if it's 3 hrs & 30 mins.....don't wake him. Let him sleep. He will wake up & cry to be fed when he's ready.
At this age.....it's about every 3 hrs (some babies that are breastfed may eat sooner than 3hrs in btwn each feeding).
Instead of getting him to sleep at certain times.... go by his cues.
He is only 9 weeks old. They do not have real set patterns of sleep yet. Not like an older child.
Newborns/babies, nap a lot and also sleep.
After being awake for about 2 hours or so, they get tired again and need a nap. For example.
And if over tired or over stimulated, they cannot sleep well and may wake more.
Don't wake him up in the morning. Let him sleep until he wakes on his own in the morning.
And a baby will not be on the same schedule as a 2 year old.
9 weeks is also a growth spurt period in a newborn. Every 3 weeks is a growth spurt. Then at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and so forth.
And at growth spurts, they need more intake/feedings and more often. Don't "schedule" baby's feedings. Feed/nurse, on-demand. Or a baby will not be getting what they need to keep up with them and their growth.
Often also, a baby/newborn "cluster feeds." Which means they also will need to feed every single hour. And if you feed on-demand, then, baby will get more ideal intake.
My kids as babies, napped about 3 times a day. Woke. And I nursed them and nursed them on demand. Which would occur at 1 or 2 or 3 hours at most. I went by THEIR cues for hunger and sleep.
They woke, nursed, woke, nursed, woke, nursed, woke, nursed etc. Day and night. And varying intervals.
Put him down earlier, at 6:00. I know that sounds crazy, but I promise he will sleep better that way! Believe it or not, 6pm is the magic bedtime for babies that age. For whatever reason, they are able to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer when put to sleep early. I found that 8pm was much too late for my little ones - and they would sleep a solid 12 hours (YES!) if put down at 6pm at that age. I hope that helps!
I would stop looking at the clock and just pay attention to his signals. He is way too young for a "schedule." Routine is good. It's good to have certain things happen in a certain order. It's helpful for him to know that after bath comes food and soon after sleep. But what you're trying to do is force him to be tired at a certain time and hungry at a certain time and awake at a certain time.
Stop waking him. Stop putting him to bed awake. Just let him fall asleep when he's ready and wake up when he's ready. He will fall into a pattern that is uniquely his own. Even that might now happen for a couple of months, and that's totally normal.
9 week olds are simply not ready for such a rigid schedule.
If I recall correctly, our pediatrician said it isn't until 3-4 months old when their bedtime can be pushed so early. Until then it is around 10 -11 pm.
