Need to get baby into a routine - please help

mumslave

I never found any of mine could last without an afternoon nap until around 6 months old, but I will say, I never let them go past 30-45 minutes. By the time baby is about 12 weeks old, they take on an adult sleep cycle of 30-45 minutes and if they come into their light sleep and go back off again, they go into a much deeper sleep which I found put them off a 7pm bedtime.

fernliebee

Agree with some others about the afternoon nap, I try not to let lo nap after about 6 (for a 9pm bedtime), I just literally feed her as soon as she shows any sign of squawking or falling asleep, bath her or nappy change to wake her up. Not sure if it's different for breastfed babies, but both DD's have cluster fed in the evenings, like literally all evening, and whilst I obviously can't say exactly how many oz they take, when DD1 was sick (reflux) she would cover me, her, sofa, and anything within about a metre radius so there was a lot going down!

MichelleM

Obviously all babies are different but have you just left her to do her own thing for a few days? Then you can write down her sleeping habits and "tweek" it a little over time. Some babies sleep better at night if they have had chance to sleep when they want during the day too- my LO naps from 5-6 before her bedtime and she will cry if i dont let her (if were out or something). For example, my LO is 11weeks now and has just gonw through a growth spurt. I noticed that from 4-7 she will feed like anything- She is breast fed. Since then shes been sleeping longer through the nights. Now I try to feed her more often during the day so Im not attached to her during the early evening. Maybe you could add an extra ounce to each feed during the day rather than all at once in the evening? I would speak to your HV though. Good Luck!

By the way, I haven been putting her in any routine, just going of her cues if shes tired/hungry and she seems pretty relaxed about it. She sleeps from 8-4. feeds then back to sleep til 9-11 depending on her. In the beginning we did have her downstairs with us, we noticed she started to fall asleep at 11pm so we would put her in her cot at that time. Her routine has changed because of her.