Is a late bedtime unhealthy??

[AndreaMMS]

I know, I know, I know - all the books are saying between 7-8PM.

My daughter is 9 1/2 months old and I've been on here a ton trying to figure out how to get her to sleep through the night without an hour+ waking at
3AM.

Well, last night due to extenuating circumstances we didn't get her to bed until 10PM...she got up for a few minutes at 1AM and a few minutes at 6AM but basically slept through until 8AM!!!:eek: :eek: :eek: :D It was like a beautiful freakin' miracle!

If this is truely a schedule that would work for her and not a fluke, would it be a bad thing? Can having her go to bed at 10PM be detrimental in the long run??? Worse than none of us sleeping through the night?

Edited to add: I was a horrible sleeper as a baby (and not so great now) as well...when I told my Mom about her STTN she laughed and said that she used to keep ME up until 11PM! :eek:

[NYN]

i'm not sure if it's "unhealthy" but i just wanted to let you know that i know a LOT of people (mostly in the AP community -- not sure why exactly) who don't put their kids to bed until 9 or 10pm (and they all sleep in in the mornings too) and their kids are normal and healthy toddlers now. my own DD didn't start going to bed early (at 7pm) until she was 6 months old and she is not a problem sleeper at all.

[Franni]

I also don't know about it being "unhealthy". That really depends on which book you are reading and who you believe. There are so many different schools of thought.

IMHO, it's more important to look at the length of the sleep rather than the exact time. If she is getting enough sleep, then I don't think it really matters what time she falls asleep. Even then, sleep length is just a guide. Usually DD sleeps for 11 hours. Last time she was a little nuts and only slept 10. Sometimes she would only sleep 8 if we put her to sleep any later than her 8:00 PM bedtime. Her body is tuned for waking up at around 7-8 AM.

Here's a link for how much sleep a baby needs. HTH!

http://www.babycenter.com/topic/7645.html

[malala]

I think you should do whatever works for you guys. If going to bed late is what she needs to STTN, I say go for it.

As far as it being unhealthy, I wouldn't think so. I'm from Argentina, and back home, people eat dinner and go to bed later than here. Therefore babies go to bed later too.
What I'm trying to say is that I think the going to bed early thing is cultural.

The bottom line IMO is that both you, and her get plenty rest, no matter what the clock says.

By the way, I've seen your posts about your lack of sleep before, so I wanted to say: Congratulations on finally getting some rest!:)

[emschwar]

I think it's more important that she's getting the right amount of sleep at night, not when she goes to bed. I think at that age, kids need 12-13 hours a night, but you might want to look it up to be sure.

[LeslieR]

I agree with everyone else, it's the amount of sleep that they get that matters. Whenever I keep Luke up at least 3 hours past his normal bedtime, he will sleep in late. Otherwise, he wakes up at the same time every day-regardless of what time he goes to bed. I read something the other day that said the time they go to bed should correlate with the time they wake up, so:

wake up at 6:30, go to bed at 6:30-7
wake up at 7, go to bed at 7-7:30
etc.

[EJH]

Do whatever works for you and your DD.

My DD goes to bed between 8 & 9pm. She set her own schedule, we never programmed her to do that. She sleeps from 8 or 9 to between 6 and 7. We just followed her lead with all of this...

If your DD's lead says, hey, put me to bed at 10pm and I'll sleep great for you...then by all means! :)



Glad you got some sleep finally!

Erin

[DisneyGirl]

My DS is now 2.5 yrs old and from pretty much day one he has been going to bad later than most kids his age. To this day he goes to bed at 10Pm ever night. Most people tell me thats to late for a 2.5 yr old to be up but he gets the proper number of sleep each night and takes his afternoon naps and everything checks out ok at WBV. I really would like for him to get to bed earlier, but he just won't. He lays in bed and play toys, sings/talks whatever. I guess he takes after his dad because my DH lives on like 5 hrs a sleep a night and he's fine.

[Traciann]

My dd has always gone to bed "late" and I don't think there is a thing wrong with it. She goes to bed between 8-9:30 just depending on her day and her nap schedule. Another thing is my dh works later and if she were to go to bed at 6 or 7 she would never see him. She does get 12 hrs a sleep at night. I think this schedule works great for our family, biut if at anytime, it wasn't working for her I would change it.

[Littlelamb11]

that young, i don't think it matters as long as they're getting enough sleep. the only issue i see is if it rolls over into late toddlerhood if they're going to bed late and sleeping in is that it could be very difficult to break when it's time for school. Having been a preschool teacher and seeing this problem all the time, i've always stuck to the earlier bed times (7pm as babies, gradually to 8pm by 1 year old)) to avoid this problem in the future.

[AlisonCO]

I agree with the others. This could be what works for you all OR it could be a phase. So she got about 10 hours of sleep last night which IMO is pretty darn good especially if she takes a couple good naps (that might be a whole nother problem:)). If this time continues to work for you, maybe in a couple of months you could try to push a back a bit - 15 minutes a night. I am so glad that you got some sleep! 10 fairly uninterrupted hours of sleep has to be better in the long run than 12 hours of broken sleep where she is up for hours in the middle!

[AndreaMMS]

Thank you all so much - the support makes me feel much better about considering making 10PM her bedtime.

Oh, I hope hope hope that it actually works and isn't a fluke- it's NICE not to feel exhausted!

Littlelamb the only issue i see is if it rolls over into late toddlerhood if they're going to bed late and sleeping in is that it could be very difficult to break when it's time for school. Having been a preschool teacher and seeing this problem all the time, i've always stuck to the earlier bed times (7pm as babies, 8pm from 1yr old on) to avoid this problem in the future.
Thank you - very good point, and one that I would keep in mind if this becomes a habit.


Alison So she got about 10 hours of sleep last night which IMO is pretty darn good especially if she takes a couple good naps (that might be a whole nother problem). If this time continues to work for you, maybe in a couple of months you could try to push a back a bit - 15 minutes a night. I am so glad that you got some sleep! 10 fairly uninterrupted hours of sleep has to be better in the long run than 12 hours of broken sleep where she is up for hours in the middle!
Ohmygoodness - AMEN!:p

[Marisa]

My son was always going to bed late when he was younger, >1 year. 10 PM was a pretty standard bedtime for us, and he'd wake sometime around 9-10 AM. Then when he started dropping naps in the day (down to 1 nap by 13 months!) we pushed his bedtime earlier so that he was still getting around 13-14 hours of sleep a day.

I think that this is one issue where watching your child can be more helpful than sticking to a strict schedule or going exactly 'by the book'. Some babies do need a full 15 hours of sleep, some need a little less. My son was always good-tempered and thriving, even with a consistent routine of a little less-than-recommended sleep.

[catmom]

At that age, it probably doesn't really matter as long as they are getting enough sleep, but I don't think 10 hours at night (10pm-8am) is enough... sounds like at least 1-2 hours short of what they should be getting at that age.

I read somewhere that babies who go to bed later wake up later and may even take longer naps, but it isn't enough extra sleep to make up for what they are missing. I also think a lot of parents drastically underestimate how much sleep their children need. I think this is part of the reason there are so many kids diagnosed with ADD nowadays... sleep deprivation is so rampant because parents work late and then keep their kids up late so they can spend time together.

There was one woman in my playgroup who didn't put her 5 or 6 month old DD to bed until 8 or 9 pm, and said "she just doesn't need a lot of sleep." But then she told us that she got cranky (and started "teething") every night at exactly 5 o'clock. I tried telling her that she sounded tired and probably needed an earlier bedtime (my DD went to bed at 4:30 or 5 at that age), but she wouldn't listen.

[gizzyntaz]

Personally, I don't read the books because they always tend to make people feel inadequate/wrong. I think if it works for you and your daughter, then you should do it.

My son has always been a "later" to bed. Just now at 18 months we are starting to "schedule" him, but still bedtime is 9PM with the hope he's asleep by 9:30. We do this because it gives my husband a big chunk of time with him after work. Also, because I would rather be awakened at 8AM than 6AM!

[kimthebride]

I'd say the only "unhealthy" thing is when mom & baby aren't getting their rest.

Soooo...whenever she'll go, let her go. :)

At 9 months Thomas was taking 3 naps a day and not going to bed until 10pm or so (and it was a battle) but still not STTN, and when I dropped to 2 naps and an 8pm bedtime he began STTN. Something clicked, and it worked for him. So for him, 10pm wasn't working. But it sounds like Naomi is just the opposite. If 10pm-8am gets you both a good night's sleep, that sounds healthy to me! It's the same amount of time T sleeps, just 2 hours later. (Ahhh...an 8am wakeup would be so lovely)

If you are concerned about it being late, then maybe you can get her into a routine of going to sleep at 10pm for a while. Then sloooowly move it to 9:45...then 9:30....and so on.

[psusna]

I agree with others. It's the quantity of sleep, not necess. when it starts or ends.

DS is in bed by 7:30 because we have to get up so stinking early due to traffic around here (Atlanta). During the school year we need to be out the door, on the road by 6:15 to get him to school by 7 and me to work by 7:15. Lately, though, he has been pushing bedtime back to 8 but only some nights and that seems to be related to the length of nap during the day.

The only thing that I would be concerned about is LittleLamb's comment about letting it go too long and becoming an issue when an earlier wakeup is required for school.

I was always told to follow your child's cues. Perhaps you have a future night owl on your hands :)

[Cr8nme]

Andrea~ I have to say that my DD goes to sleep at whatever time she needs to... I understand that sometime she doewn't always get a long nap during the day or wake up at the same time everyday...my DD wakes up at 5 am to eat and then usually wakes up anywhere from 8-10am...

I have to say goes with your baby's cues!

[Sophia]

My older son & daughter slept in late and had a late bedtime. This was mainly due to their father working a job where the hours were from 1PM to 10PM. If we hadn't modified their schedules accordingly, they'd never have seen their dad. Once their father and I separated/divorced, they were put on a regular schedule with no problems.

[Koala_Gurl]

At 10 months, my DD still wasn't sleeping thru the night, but was going down around 6pm, waking at 10, sometimes at 4am, then up at 6 or 7. I didn't mind the 10pm feeding, since I was still awake, but the 4 am was a pain (esp. when she would be up for the day at 6am.)

Right around 11 or 12 months, she stopped the 10pm and 4am wakings and now goes from 6 to 6 (give or take of course.)

With later bedtimes, she doesn't get up any later, so this is what works for us.

[AndreaMMS]

Thanks!

Last night for the second night in a row we put her to bed at 10PM. She got up at 5:30, I took her into bed with me, and she slept until 7:30!! HEAVEN!!!:D

Of course...we're flying across the country tomorrow which will mess this all up, :rolleyes: , but I'm hoping we're really onto somehting.

Thank you all so much!

[kimthebride]

Lol! I was thinking of your trip yesterday. Maybe you can put her to bed at 7pm every night CA time, so when you get back she'll be on the 10pm routine NYC time?? Of course, that means eaaaarly mornings while away, but it's something, ya know? :)

Have fun!

[wildcat]

hey andrea! I hope the trip is going well! I know the time difference messes me up, I can only imagine what it does to our babies!

Lauren goes to bed between 8:30 and 9:30...we watch for her queues, she doesn't have a set bed time. She gets up between 6:30 and 7am on the weekdays (we wake her up) and usually sleeps until 7:30am-8:30am on the weekends. I don't require much sleep (when I was younger, I was good on about 4 hours a night, now I need about 5 to be ok), and I think Lauren is a lot like me...she's fine with 10 hours and then maybe 2 hours in naps during the day. My personal philosophy is do what works for you, you can always find some expert to agree or disagree with you.;) Congrats on finding something that works (and did I mention what a doll Naomi is?:))

[Kanga]

Sounds like your on to something here! Soooooo excited for you!! I really hope this is something that sticks with you. FWIW, I think the whole later bed time = not healthy thing is for those who keep their kids awake for longer stretches rather than just simply moving back their day. If 10pm = 14 hrs total sleep, and 8pm = a lot less, well I think you have your answer.:D

Please update us when you get back from your vacation. I'm also going to try this tonight. Dd's naptimes got screwed up today and I thought about fixing it to keep her on her 7:30 bedtime, but instead we'll try 9 or 10pm tonight. Hope it works as well for us as it did for you. We've seen 6 am less than a handful of times since dd was born and never 8, so I really hope it does work for us.

Good Luck!