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"Early Bedtime
Means Better Sleep"
In their efforts to
encourage their baby to sleep better, one approach that
many parents use is to put their baby to bed later in the
evening. They think, “If he's 'really tired,' he'll
sleep better, right?” Wrong! This often backfires
because Baby becomes overtired and chronically
sleep-deprived.
In the majority of cases, a
baby's biological clock is preset for an early bedtime.
When parents work with that time, a baby falls asleep more
easily and stays asleep more peacefully. Most babies are
primed to go to sleep for the night as early as 6:30 or
7:00 p.m. I often hear about how babies and toddlers have
a “meltdown” period at the end of the day, when they
get fussy, whiny and out of sorts. I suspect that it's
simply a sign of overtired children longing for sleep.
Early to bed, early to
rise?
For babies, early to bed
does not mean early to rise! Most babies sleep longer with
an earlier bedtime. Many parents are afraid to put their
baby to bed so early, thinking that they will then face a
5 a.m. wake up call. But keeping your little one up too
late backfires, and more often, a late night is the one
followed by that early morning awakening.
My youngest child,
two-year-old Coleton used to go to bed at 9:30, the time
when my three older children went to bed, because it was
convenient for me. At that time in the evening, it would
take him a long time to get settled. I never connected his
inability to settle with his late bedtime. When I started
putting him to bed at 7:00, he fell asleep much more
quickly and slept more soundly.
What About Working
Parents?
If you are a working
parent, and your evening with your little one begins at
6:30 or 7:00, you may find yourself torn between keeping
your baby up for some playtime and getting him right to
bed. You may find, though, that when your baby goes to
sleep earlier, and sleeps better, he awakens in a pleasant
mood, eager to play. Because you have gotten a good
night's sleep, you can consider getting up earlier in the
morning and saving some time before work to play with your
baby, as an alternative to that late-evening play session.
You'll both enjoy that special morning time. Later, when
your baby is consistently sleeping all night, every night,
you can move bedtime a little later and judge whether the
difference affects your baby's sleep.
Finding Your Baby's Best
Bedtime
It can take some
experimentation to find your baby's best bedtime. If you
have been putting your baby to bed too late in the
evening, you can approach this adjustment in one of two
different ways:
-
Adjust your baby's
bedtime to be earlier by 15–30 minutes every two or
three nights. Pay attention to how easily your baby
falls asleep as well as his awakening time and mood to
gauge the effectiveness of the changes until you
settle on his best bedtime, or
-
Beginning at around
6:30 p.m., watch your baby closely. As soon as he
exhibits any signs of tiredness (fussing, losing
interest in toys, looking glazed, yawning) put him
right to bed, even if his previous bedtime has been
11:00 p.m. When you do this, keep your home quiet and
the baby's room dark so that it resembles his usual
environment in the middle of the night. If this
bedtime is substantially earlier than usual, your baby
may think he's going down for a nap and awaken after a
short snooze. If he does this, respond very quickly so
that he doesn't fully awaken. Follow your usual method
for helping him fall back to sleep, such as rocking or
nursing; keep the room dark and quiet as you do during
the middle of the night.
Here's what Tammy, mother
of seven-month-old Brooklyn had to say about changing her
baby's bedtime:
"I had been
waiting until 10:00 to put Brooklyn to bed because
that's when I go to sleep. But your suggestion made so
much sense that last night I put her down at 8:00. I
loved having the evening to spend with my husband. We
haven't spent that much time alone together in months!
And the baby actually had a better night's sleep. I'm
happy that all our needs can be met in such a pleasant
way."
It may take a week or more
of adjustment to settle into a new bedtime, but once you
do, you'll find that both you and your baby are happier.
For more information from Elizabeth
Pantley go to her website.
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