minti, powered by parents Powered by Parents
First Visit?     Register     Login
 

This site gets better with user participation. Please participate... Some of the main things you can do is rate this advice, add comments to this advice, add links to and from this advice, and/or write your own advice.

  email  print
  report   
Like this topic?
Write Advice
Add to Favorites
Advice that links to this one
ADVICE RATING
 (Worth a try) (Worth a try) (Worth a try) (Worth a try) (Worth a try) 4.13 (Worth a try) from 14 votes (336 Visits)

Let your child develop her own schedule

ivan by ivan Speaking(June 2006) (rank 301st)
My baby is already 1y4m old and he has already established a sleep schedule - goes to bed at 9:30-10pm, wakes up at 6am. He also takes two one and a half hour naps during the day. He's had this schedule since he was 6mo and he only wakes up
if he's thirsty. I don't think there is anything you can do to instill the sleep schedule you want on your baby. You can try to keep her busy during the day, going out, seeing new things, learning new things and generally being active. In this way she'll tire a bit more and will need her sleep during the night. By the way, my son's evening routine has been a bit different from yours. Play, bath, massage, supper, TV , and then go to bed. Recently I've changed the TV part with play but now he does not go to bed easily, because he gets over-excited when he plays in the evening. Generally, since he was 6 mo I've let him devolop his own schedule for eating and sleeping and this has worked quite well.

(Excuse my English - it's not my native language)
Any contributed content above is the subjective opinion of that member or external author, and not of Minti.com Pty Ltd. If you are searching for health related advice we strongly suggest you seek professional medical support. View our Terms of Service for more details.
ADVICE RATING
 (Worth a try) (Worth a try) (Worth a try) (Worth a try) (Worth a try) 4.13 (Worth a try) from 14 votes
Report
ExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellent
GoodGoodGoodGoodGood
AverageAverageAverageAverageAverage
PoorPoorPoorPoorPoor
Very PoorVery PoorVery PoorVery PoorVery Poor

Voting help


 
Add a comment on this article.

 

FremantleDocker
January 2008 | FremantleDocker
Re: Let your child develop her own schedule
Great article. I've done similar with my children, and it's worked out good. Well done on the great article


Reply Reply Report
mummy2girls
5.00 (Excellent) | December 2007 | mummy2girls
Re: Let your child develop her own schedule

i have sort of done this with both my girls..

and now they go to bed and are aslep between 8 and 9pm, which works for me....

my eldest asks to go to bed she sometimes watches a dvd for a while or sings to herself which is very sweet to hear!!!

my youngest hasn't quite got the sleeping through the whole night thing yet though!!!!

but there's time yet, here's hoping it won't take much longer!!!

great advice, i totally agree with this principle!

thanks....



Reply Reply Report
exquisite-flower
January 2007 | exquisite-flower
She chooses
...and I enforce it.  This means that she will not chop and change all the time, it also means that when I try to change it for her and allow her to stay up to watch ice-skating or something she will usually be snoring within 30-45 mins of her usual bedtime.  It is magic and i love it
Peace
EF.x 


Reply Reply Report
kryztyna
4.00 (Good) | June 2006 | kryztyna
i agree
My daughter has had her own schedule for ever. It sounds alot like your son actually. She goes to bed at about 10 but she has one nap during the day that is like two hours long. I think its healthier for her to sleep when she needs it. And she sleeps through the night in her own room and wakes us up at about 7 am every morning ( by jumping  on our bed   ) But the playing right before bed i dont think is a good idea we sit and read stories or watch movies.


Reply Reply Report
Marlena
1.14 (Very Poor) | June 2006 | Marlena
Disagree
I have let my son have his own schedule and now he stays up way to late.  Wont go to sleep in his own bed.  His sleeping is always differnet bependong on him and now he has decided he doesn't want to nap.  I know he gets enough sleep though. 


Reply Reply Report
Izzy
4.43 (Good) | June 2006 | Izzy
Getting enough sleep.

I totally agree with the little ones developing their own schedule. Though, it sounds like your little one may not be getting enough sleep. Young ones should be getting about 10 hours of sleep a night at the very least.

My son's bed time used to be 8pm, but then he started waking up earlier and earlier (now waking up at 6:30). For him this wasn't enough, so he was getting cranky throughout the day. So I moved up his bedtime and now everything is good. For now anyway.

Just a thought.



Reply Reply Report
allyp
3.14 (Average) | June 2006 | allyp
Good advice
That sound's pretty good.


Reply Reply Report
      allyp
5.00 (Excellent) | August 2006 | allyp
Good advice, I strongly agree
I do agree also. I let my daughter go to sleep whenever she want's. I let her set her own schedule, I don't set it for her. Everyone in my family is like, you have to set her on a schedule, i'm like she's 5 months old comon. If she's hungry, she's hungry i'm not going to put her to bed without being fed first. I don't think that's right.


Reply Reply Report

Related Content

Add

Related Tags

Addnaps, sleep, sleeping

Bookmarks

No bookmarks found

Know someone who would like this site? Refer a friend