Bedtime Struggles

Please understand that bedtime battles can happen for many parents. You aren't alone if this is your struggle.

If you haven't yet checked out our courses and resources, please know they will all help you with bedtime. You can learn more on the Taking Cara Babies website. Just select your baby's age.

If you have taken one of our courses and you still feel you are struggling, let's dive in a bit deeper:

Evaluating how long your little one is awake before bedtime really does help. Keeping a baby awake too long can make him overtired, leading to bedtime battles. On the flip side, not having enough awake time before bed can mean that your baby simply isn't tired enough to fall asleep. For help in nailing your wake time before bed, please check out this post:

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Let's talk about: Wake Time Before Bedtime! - An overtired baby at bedtime can cause huge bedtime battles (and early morning wakings). Likewise, not being tired enough can make falling asleep difficult. Finding that perfect balance between tired enough to fall asleep, but not overly tired is our goal. - When the timing of bedtime is on point, it makes falling asleep and STAYING asleep the easiest. - So how do you know how much awake time your baby needs prior to bedtime? First, understand that the wake window before bed is typically the longest wake window of the day (until your baby is consistently down to one nap/day). - Next, factor in your baby's age. This is simply a guideline for how long is "typical": 4-10 weeks: 60-90 minutes 10-12 weeks: 75-95 minutes 3-4 months: 95-120 minutes 5-7 months: 2.5-3 hours 8-14 months-3-4 hours 14+ months- 4-5 hours - Finally evaluate the length of naps, quality of naps, and disposition of your baby. If naps were short or on the go, bedtime may need to be 30 minutes earlier. If baby is cranky- maybe calling it a day is the answer. - Now, if your little one fell asleep in the car for an extra 20 minute catnap shortly before bedtime... you’ll need to adjust a bit too. Shifting bedtime just a bit later will give enough time for the “tired tank” to refill. - Stay tuned all week for even more about helping your little one with a smooth bedtime. This is the building block to a great night's sleep. - How old is your baby and how long is he/she awake before falling asleep at night? - ❤️❤️❤️❤️EDITED TO ADD: please know these are just guidelines. This is meant to make life easier for you. Never harder. Check the blog for more. “Nap Schedules 5-25 Months” is helpful. Know all of my courses/resources will help too! I may not be able to answer every question on this post! Keep following this week for more info on this! Know that if you have purchased a course/resource, one on one help is available via a phone consult.❤️❤️❤️❤️

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Other times, the nap schedule needs to be evaluated to make bedtime a bit easier. Please closely examine your daytime routine by looking at your ABC's of Sleep booklet (pages 26-33), in your Navigating Months 3 & 4 ebook (pages 29-35), or in our blog on Nap Schedules: 5 Months to 25 Months. Perhaps wake windows need to be expanded or naps need to be limited or increased.

A feeding before bedtime is essential, but sometimes babies will get a little rest during the feeding and this can make bedtime a huge battle. Check out this video for more on that: 

If your little one is less than 5 months old, listen to Cara talk about bedtime battles in this highlighted story.

If your little one is 5 months or older, please know that bedtime battles can be a thing of the past in 14 nights or less with our ABC's of Sleep online sleep training class.

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