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:
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.