What's the perfect bedtime?

How do you know when to put your child to bed?

It depends on the age, the nap, and the wake up time and more.  I often speak about the "Anticipated Bedtime" and catching the sleep window.  I could talk your ear off about this topic.

In a nut shell, here is a general guide-line but defiantly not written in stone:

• 4 months-6-7 but may still be unpredictable.  (4th month is crazy)
• 5 months Around 6-7 pm or 12 hrs after wake up and 90 minutes after the last nap
• 6 months-Around 6-7 pm or 12 hrs after wake up and 2 hrs after the last nap
• 9 months-Around 7pm or 12-13 hrs after wake up and 3-4 hrs after last nap 
• 12 months-Around 7pm or 12-14 hrs after wake up and 4 hrs after nap 
• 18 months-Around 7pm or 12-14 hrs after wake up and 4 hrs after nap 
• 2 years-Around 7pm or 12-14 hrs after wake up and 4-5 hrs after nap 
• 2.5-4 years-Around 7pm or 12-14 hrs after wake up and it's much more unpredictable  of a time frame after the last nap.

Other things to watch for are the child's natural behaviors that let you know they are tired. Yawning and eye rubbing are late sleep cues.  Watching for late sleep cues works more for Easier temperamented children and less for Alert children.  

Other things to watch for are:

Zoning out

Staring off into space

Glassy Eyes

Disinterest

Fist clenching

Eye Squinting

Red tinge to skin around eye brows and eyes

Slowing down

Clumsy

Clingy

Lay on the floor for a moment

When picked up they-head on your shoulder

There may be other unique cues that you will notice before the Yawning and Eye Rubbing 

If you see a burst of energy after Yawning and Eye rubbing, you just missed the sleep window. So keep one eye on your baby and one eye on the clock.

Here is my simple idea.  Set the alarm or timer on your smart phone for 2-3.5 hours when he wakes up. (Depending on the age)  Don't worry about catching the sleep window until the timer buzzes in your pocket.  Then keep snoozing the timer until you see his sleep cues.  Once you see his sleep cues, put him to bed.  So instead of watching all the time for the sleep cues, just do it for the 10-20 minutes around the end of the expected wakefulness.  Notice how cute he is instead  of going crazy watching for sleep cues.  One eye on your baby, one eye on the clock...but after the right amount of fun.

For sleep plans and sleep advice, call me.  Free 15 minutes for sleep deprived parents.

Tracy Spackman
Certified Gentle Sleep Coach
602-524-7610
www.GetQuietNights.com
https://www.facebook.com/QuietNights

17 months old - food sensitivities & waking screaming 'bloody murder'

I love getting emails like this:
Hi Tracy!

How are you? Long time, no talk which in your line of business isn't a bad thing ;)  I never began my 2 weeks of follow up calls with you because Hailey responded very well to some of the changes we made during the day. Following your advice, I began giving her a morning nap again (no more than 45 mins), changed the night light situation, I bathe her with lilac Epsom salts every night, and I have waged a war against any form of light entering her room. I think one of the biggest changes is that she now goes to sleep no later than 7 pm (whereas previously it was 8 pm) and I've been diligently paying abiding by the sleep windows. As such, she's been sleeping through the night and the world is a much brighter happier place for our family :)  In fact, we've fallen in love all over again with her!  She is a TOTALLY different kid and has such an unbelievable little personality.  She's more coordinated, there's no more raunchy, screaming crying, she's nowhere as intense, she's active, and best of all she's HAPPY!  Some of the things that desperately concerned me are no longer concerns as it seems that the sleep has fixed so many of my worries.  The more sleep she started getting during the day and the earlier bedtime allowed for her to start sleeping through the night.  I didn't have to do any of the shushing.  There was one week where she woke up often but she was getting 3 molars so I gave her an excuse.  Aside from teething she sleeps through the night and it has been glorious.

Thanks,

Heather

This mom's baby was 17 months old, we did some gentle things to adjust her schedule and she had food sensitivities and would wake screaming bloody murder.  The mom had serious health issues with her thyroid and what looked like PPD but guess what, getting back to sleeping all night fixed all the mom's health issues.  A good sleep makes a world of difference.  Sleep deprivation was wreaking havoc with her family and now it's wonderful again.  Getting enough sleep is the right place to start.

If you are sleep deprived, I can help.

Free 15 minute sleep assessment.  Just contact me.

Tracy Spackman

602-524-7610

www.GetQuietNights.com

https://www.facebook.com/QuietNights

Post by Tracy Spackman.