[misse10]

by DS is 6.5 mo and is finishing his second sleep around 3pm each day. i've been told to ensure he goes down at his bedtime of 7pm he shouldnt sleep past 4.30pm, but that means he's not tired enough to take a 3rd nap before its 4.30pm and i'm not supposed to let him....so in effect bub is up 4 hours before bed (rather than the 2-3hrs at other times). the only exception is if i walk him in the pram and he sneaks in 15 minutes...but i cant walk him every day.

i think its too long for him so he's whingy from about 4.30pm onwards, only breaking for feeding or bath times, and wanting to be held. he falls asleep well but has constant night waking.

is this the same with others? or is witching hour just a newborn thing? how to others handle this time...especially if you have more than 1!

ps. i've thought about putting him to bed earlier, but then he'll just wake up earlier and i'll still have the same problem of the number of hours before bedtime! won't i?

This post has been edited by misse10: 03/12/2012, 08:52 AM

[Bluenomi]

Moved his bedtime later and let him have his afternoon nap! Worked for us. DD went to bed around 7:30, got her afternoon sleep and it was so much better for all of us.

[Ehill]

Welcome to the worst hour of motherhood!

DS is now 12mo and he is UNBEARABLE some days from about 430 until dinner time, then he is whingy from 630pm untill bedtime at 7pm. It is hard. There is no other way to describe it.

I just have strategies to deal with it. For example bath is now at 5pm to get through the half hour before dinner, dinner is generally always pre-prepared so on the table quickly. When DS was younger (the same age as yours) I fed him his puree at about 5pm, I just couldnt get him to last until family dinnertime.

DD is now 3.5yo and thankfully she is easier to deal with at this time now but until near 3yo she would be hysterical too. Try having 2 of them hysterical while your trying to cook at 530pm! OMG no wonder I drink so much.

So yes, another solution, alcohol.

[Matthias' mum]

Why does he need to go to bed at 7pm exactly? I would either move bedtime earlier, or let him have a nap, and put him to bed later. DS went to bed for the night at about 5.30 - 6pm at that age. He used to get up for the day at about 6. We tried later bedtimes so that he would sleep later, but it never worked. He woke at 6 anyway, but was really cranky!

DD is nearly 6 months. She has a later nap if she needs it, and still happily goes to bed by about 7.30 - 8pm, without any issues.

They are all different, and I've never understood why 7pm is the magic bedtime that everyone is supposed to follow. I've always found it to be a really inconvenient, as it's right in the middle of dinner/post dinner cleanup for most people.

[marnie27]

My DS used to have an hours nap every day 5-6pm. We didn't follow any strict routine but he was always shattered at this time. It worked out perfectly though - we'd cook dinner, tidy up a bit and chat about our day and then get him up for dinner and a bath. He'd be back down by 8pm.

Maybe a later bedtime might help him avoid being tired and miserable all evening?

[lady lady]

i've been told to ensure he goes down at his bedtime of 7pm he shouldnt sleep past 4.30pm

Do what works for you and your family. You know your child and his needs better than you realise go with your instinct. There is no magical time that all children should be in bed. If you feel your child needs to sleep or have a 3rd nap and go to bed later - let them.... sleep breeds sleep.

We don't really have a witching hour ...but from 4:30pm onwards through until bedtime it is very methodical. It works for us and there are no tears which is my main priority at that time of the day.... to be one step ahead of the 2 year old and 6 week old.

[Bluenomi]

They are all different, and I've never understood why 7pm is the magic bedtime that everyone is supposed to follow. I've always found it to be a really inconvenient, as it's right in the middle of dinner/post dinner cleanup for most people.

7pm is the magic time because Tizzie said so

[knowsnotmuch]

My 7mo old has just given up his 4-5pm nap so now does

6-6:30am wake
8-10ish nap
12-2ish nap

And then awake till bedtime. He only lasts till 6pm and is exhausted and goes to bed.

Far preferred when he napped 4-5 pm and I could just deal with my toddler but unfortunately that is no longer so

I figure as he grows and his sleep requirements drop he will be less tired at that time.

[blithely2]

It starts at dawn and goes through until 8pm. There are a few respite breaks throughout the day but they aren't nearly long enough.

[flushthetoilet]

At that age, I found the more they slept, the more they slept. Mine would often wake at 5.30 and be yawning again by 6.30.