Night Time - Dade City,FL

I would definitely recommend an earlier bedtime. I have twin boys who started sleeping through the night once I started putting them down @ 6:30 p.m. If she is overtired, it will be hard for her to stay asleep. You may want to read the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." Is has been so helpful and has a lot of good information about schedules for nap time and bedtime. Good luck!

How is she napping during the day???? Does she nap at all or does she take short or long naps??? How many naps during the day does she get? And, also, have you tried putting her to bed earlier???? Daytime sleep always and i mean always determines the night sleep!!!!!

put her down around 7-8pm that might help

she might be overtired. have you tried putting her down earlier? my little guy started sleeping through the night (with one short feeding at 2 am) when I changed his bedtime from 10pm to 7pm. Sleep begets sleep! Good luck!

Maybe she isn't ready for bed right at 10pm??? All kids are different, have different sleep needs at different ages and stages etc. Maybe try 10:15 to start and see how that goes. Maybe once she realizes she's being left, then she gets herself all worked up and makes herself stay awake longer than she would have. What happens when she cries? Is she left in the bed or held? That makes a big difference too. She may be developing an aversion to going to bed since she cries so much??

I would highly recommend playing ALOT with her whenever you can in the evening....LOTS of play and stimulation (assuming she had enough daytime rest so she's not getting over tired) and then try a bedtime that suits her bodily needs....maybe slightly earlier or later. Babies and kids can't be forced to do natural bodily functions right when we choose, such as eat, sleep and potty.... if you follow her lead and have bedtime be when she needs it, she wil sleep better.

Also, maybe the bedtime routine needs altering....maybe when she starts to show that she's sleepy, then start a routine that winds her down (when she already shows signs of tiredness), calms her, lights and household sounds are quiet and dim, etc...

Hope this helps! She may also just want more time with you (very sweet ) since you say you are away from her alot....

I think kids at this time need an earlier bedtime. When my daughter is over tired she can be a pistol to get to sleep! I would try getting her to bed by 8pm. Does she just want to be up with you?

Maybe an earlier bedtime?Or have Daddy do bath,relax,bedtime routine.
Best of luck

Dear A.,

I had the same difficulties with my son. I don't think there's any sure way to alter this (he keeps changing his schedule on me), but I have noticed routinely that if he doesn't get enough rest during the day (being allowed to nap whenever and however long he wants), he is cranky at night, and NOTHING I do helps. Almost as though he's so tired he won't let himself sleep. If I make sure he has a routine that is comfortable enough he can take his naps, however, he is fine at night. He may still want to be up after we lay down, but he's happily and quietly up until he wants to fall asleep on his own.

It's possible she is just needing more of your attention seeing you are gone all day. Maybe try spending some more Mommy and Me time in the evening. Also try giving her some cereal before bed time. That might help. I always had my girls in bed by nine at the latest. Good Luck!

Sounds like you're missing your opportunity. By waiting too long you're missing the ideal time for her to go to bed of her own accord. Try moving her bedtime up a half and hour at a time until you find the right time. For my daughter it was 9 (she is STILL a night owl) for my son it's between 7:30 and 8:00, but I have friends whose children literally NEEDED to be in bed by 6:30pm. Every child is different, but at that age, approximately 12 hrs at night and two naps is recommended for a total of 15 hrs of sleep a day.