Sleeping Habits of 8 Month Old

Mine was the same way. I find its easier to follow their schedule. It makes for a happier baby and a happier Mom. It wasnt too much skin off our nooses when he began feeling tired around 10ish. Then he'd sleep in until 8ish and down for a nap again by 10 am. With time, he gradually began getting more and more tired earlier. Now he goes down about 9pm and is up by 8am. Is there a reason you want him to sleep earlier? Cuz if he's happy and it works, why mess with it?

I would put him down between 6:00-7:00 at night. I know it seems early, and counter-intuitive, but that early bedtime may be just what he needs!

My son only slept through the night (and I'm talking 12 hours straight!) once we started putting him to bed really early. As in 6:00! Otherwise, he'd fuss a lot and then wake up an hour later ready to party. It's almost like we'd miss the sleep window, and then he wasn't ready for bed until waaaaaay later.

Worth a try!

E.,

Not to judge, but I am hoping he doesn't cry his way to sleep; it sounds like it won't improve your chances of getting him to bed earlier. I think he is just on that 10-9 wheel, which is a healthy 11 hours.

My son settles between 9-10 PM, and wakes at 8ish. We have a routine at night where we put away toys, turn off the lights together, brush teeth, get him in a snuggly outfit, read his favorite book, turn on his music, turn off the light and turn on the nightlight, say prayers, and other bedtime settling routines. When he is more tired than usual, he usually looks for his favorite book as a way of saying 'hey, I've had enough'.

Start your routine up, then slowly inch it forward 5 minutes at a time if you have to. Babies don't make big jumps in schedule (unless they do it on their own :)

A calm routine, calm parents, will have a calm kid, and likely an earlier bedtime before long. Patience is a virtue with kids, you reap the virtues of your patience! :)

Another note: sleep usually begets sleep, is what I have been told and hear still. Eliminating naps is not the way to go; he's sleeping because he needs it. Slow and gradual changes are the way. I liked someone else's suggestion of the bathtime and soothing scents.

Good Luck!
M.

Dear E.,

My daughter did the same thing she slept from around 9:30 until 7:30 with two naps during the day. My son was a great sleeper 7-7 with a two hour nap during the day. All babies are different. Once my daughter started pre-school she gave up her nap and started going to sleep at 8 but up until then she was never one to go to bed early. Sleep patterns change for babies throughout their first year frequently. Once he starts crawling, and walking he will probably require more sleep. Good luck!!

Keep him active during the day, with one nap in the middle section of the day. Then around 5:30 or 6:00pm, feed him, then give him a warm bath with lulling music on in the background. Read stories to him and put him down for bed. Keep a soft night light on so he knows where he is when he wakes up and maybe a soft noise machine so he stays asleep. Good luck.

Hi E.,

As others have suggested, try an earlier bedtime and possibly fewer naps during the day. My experience is that there are several bedtime "windows" during an evening. If a baby/toddler misses the first window (which can appear between 6:30 and 8 pm) he/she will often go into "overdrive," racing around in a state of high hilarity for several hours. That kind of super-active, overtired behavior can then make it harder for young children to sleep well at night, which in turn makes them wake up early and rely more on naps for real rest. So try an earlier dinner and bedtime.

Best of luck!

Mira

What are his daytime nap routines. That could be the key to everything. But with so little information it's hard to give advice.