Awake from 6pm - 10pm....is this normal?

Hi there,

My 4 week bub is awake from 6pm - 10pm in the evening and it looks like a bit of a habit is setting in. I can't seem to settle him in between his feeds. Is this normal?

He seems to be hungrier for his next feed and very alert. It just makes it hard to do anything at this time of day with it being dinner time etc.

Very Very normal!

My bubs from newborn to 6 weeks used to be awake from 1pm to 12am (sometimes even 3am)...
now she sleeps beautifully during the night, always asleep before 10.30, but most likely 9 (just depends on her last feed).

Babies seem to know that that is an active time of the day/night when things are happening. When they were in the womb you moved about. I know my DD in utero was most active herself fro 7 to 10! They want to be part of the action. That is why you need to make sure you have support (I dont know how single mums do it!!!). Get DH to cook, or look after bubs while you cook and do all that stuff.

Try havng a bed time...what time do you want her in bed by? Mine is 10.30. I don't care what time she goes to bed but it must be before then. I will shower with her and DH dries and dresses her, gets her ready for bed then we both put her in bed. It works for us.

But it is normal...and while bubs get into habits, they are pretty quick to get out of them as well!!!

This is why they call it "arsenic hour".

It's so perfectly normal that I think I would be worried if I heard about a baby who DIDN"t stay awake in those early evening hours ... just when everyone else needs a bath and tea and dad comes home and does his "where's my beer Geez love, I can't hear the TV" routine.

It's just a phase they go through, but your'e right, don't pander to the habit.

good luck!

Well that is reassuring guys, thanks.

My partner works away on the mines and I am staying with my parents until our house is built which should be in about 6 weeks time. God help me when I move into the house and I have to do it alone. I think I will need to make sure there is an abundance of lean cuisine meals stored in the freezer. I've managed to prepare a couple of meals for my parents for when they arrive home from work, but most of the time they've done the cooking for me.

What time do your bubs wake after they go down at 10.30pm? Charlie wakes at 2.30 / 3.00 which is pretty good except I have trouble falling asleep and only end up with a couple of hours a night. I guess it will improve over time, my mind needs to learn how to switch off. I have horrible yellowish marks forming around my eyes. I don't know how I manage to function during the day, but I do.

Bernie smile

My DD will be down anytime before 10.30, depending on her last feed (if she feeds at 7.30, in bed by 8.30 kinda thing). We are incredibly lucky in that from age 6weeks, she has slept through. Sleeping through is supposed to be 6hours in one hit. We wont hear from her until at least 7.30, but most days she wakes up at about 8.30. Yes very lucky, and very unusual.
But, she doesn't sleep much during the day...only 30 min catnaps (normally only 2). She saves her sleep for the night (how lucky!!!) and she eats lots during the day , storing her food for the long night ahead!

Prior to 6weeks was when she wouldn't sleep at all, and I was always up until 3ish. She literally changed overnight!

HIya
When she was around the same age as your Charlie, she would wake around the 2.30 3am time, have a feed and go straight back to sleep.

Then one day, she just slept through till 7am. Funny how they do that, don't extend gradually, just WHAM. FOr a couple of weeks, it was not guaranteed, so I took every "whole" night as a gift... but now it is set in stone. (She is 3 months).
Once she woke up and thought she was hungry but I said"I don't believe you" and strung her out (in my bed, sucking my finger) until I felt I'd won.

DO some real slow deep breathing once you are back in bed to help put you back to sleep.
good luck
jj

Hi there Bernie 7

I was told that this is normal. I have had the same problem since my 7 week old was 3 weeks old! I now eat dinner at 5pm while she is asleep and when she is awake (6pm-9/10pm) I try to do things that help wind her down so she settles more easily - bath, pram ride or carrying her in a hug-a-bub while I do things. A few times I have managed to get her to sleep from 6-7pm using a dummy. Someone in my mother's group said that she thought her baby was hungry at this time and so was giving her a breast feed and then top up with expressed milk (apparently the supply at this time can be low -so she uses milk from the morning when the supply is higher). She said her baby settles well now (but is 10 weeks old). I have not tried this.

The timing is a real pain - my partner and I have not had dinner together for a while (breakfast together is the new dinner time) and I try not to do anything other than dedicate this time to my baby - I am even taping tv shows I really want to watch. Are you getting any help - my partner helps out when he is home at that time? Can you parents take her for a pram ride while you put your feet up for an hour?

I have been told that it settles by 3-4 months so I just keep trying to put her to bed and see how it goes?????

Hi Bernie,

How's that active mind of yours? Any better?

My man sounds much like yours. I went through a very similar stage and I thought that if I kept him awake he would sleep at night but the maternal child health nurse told me that more sleep you give babies the more they want!?! (Hasn't quite happened for my bub...) Anyway, I do find that an hour wake time (including feed) is enough for him or else he gets really cranky.

I do however have the same problem at night where often times he just won't settle even though I wrap him up and attempt to put him back to bed within an hour or so (according to his cranky signs). Like you, I end up with him awake for hours! Last night it took over 5 hours before he eventually went to sleep at 12.30pm! Having said that he slept for 5.5 hours so I didn't mind so much but it is frustrating and tiring.

I just go with the flow. I've tried routines but they don't seem to work for my bub who is incredibly alert which doesn't help!

I'm not sure that any of this helps except that I can sympathise with you!

All the best, Louise

Hi there!
My bubs at that age used to go to bed at 11pm. She would wake at around 1ish for a feed (bf). Just so you know - I have never put her in a set routine, I have always just followed her lead. This only lasted for a few weeks and she naturally started to fall asleep earlier and earlier and the feed became later and later. Please don't think she is getting into a bad habit. Babies sleeping habits change frequently and they shouldn't be fought. It is just something their body needs at the time for whatever reason. If you just set yourself up to accomodate it, it makes it so much easier on you, whereas if you try and fight it and try and train her to sleep at her certain times it is usually much more stressful on the parents!!

A good mantra at the hard times is "this too shall pass"

All the best!

Hi,
My DD is 8 weeks old tomorrow and for the past week has only just stopped screaming (and I mean screaming!) between the hours of 5pm til midnight. She was alwasy unsettled and kept acting like she was hungry. It was very stressful for my husband and I.
I can finally say that she has settled and for the past 48 hours has been sleeping a lot better. Unfortunately all babies go through this in the early weeks, I promise it will get better. Just keep comforting them and holding them.