How do I change my 1 year old's bedtime

Question

We have just recently adopted a 11 month old who's bedtime is anywhere between 9:15-9:45 which I feel is late. He currently naps around 10:30 and 2:45ish for 30 min each (approx)... We're finding the stretch between 3:15-3:30 to bedtime is hard to keep him from getting fussy towards the end of the day.

THe nice thing about the late bedtime is that he sleeps through until 6:30 in the morning. We're afraid if he goes to bed at 8 he'll be up at 5:30 am etc...

Anyone have any advice how to change this without altering the wake-up time too much?

Answer 1

make the transition slowly. start putting him to bed just 15 minutes earlier for a few days and then 15 minutes earlier after that and see what happens.

Answer 2

we are having a tough time with bedtimes currently. its been so long i dont remember what screwed up my 2 y/o bedtime in the first place

the trick is to wake him up at the time you want him up and start a going to sleep routine, slightly altered for naps. if you dont fix it soon he'll be more independent when you do.

good filling food helps a lot. mashed potatoes knock my kid out like theres no tomorrow.

Answer 3

Sleep begets sleep...meaning, I wouldn't worry about him waking up earlier if you put him to bed earlier.

The naps are too short.  Naptime should be for 2 hours and at this age, maybe only one nap a day.  I would do this schedule:

6:30am   wake up

12pm      lunch

12:30pm nap (right after lunch)

2:30pm   wake up from nap

6:30pm   dinner

8:30pm   bed

In between are all the snacks, play time, etc.  He will be getting 12 hours of sleep a day...2 at nap and 10 overnight.  Dial back the bedtime 10 minutes at a time over the course of a week or so so it's not a big change all at once.  Good luck to you!!!

Answer 4

make sure he is worn out from a day of good exercise. he will fall asleep quickly if he is tired. also, no meals before bedtime and no sweets. hope that helped. =]