settling in the evening
Your baby’s bedtime routine must be calming and consistent because it acts as a cue for his brain to start shifting down into the drowsy state for bedtime. In the early evening your baby is very susceptible to sensory overload and melt downs. Be sure to be home, in a calming space, not socialising and keep exciting activities to a minimum. Start to introduce a predictable routine leading up to bedtime. Aim for a bedtime of between 6pm and 7pm. The time for bed should be related to the time he woke from his afternoon sleep.
the late afternoon sleep
This sleep can be tricky and you may need to adjust his awake and sleep times:
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- For sleeps before 4.30pm, let your baby sleep for one sleep cycle of 45 minutes. If he sleeps for longer, wake him by 5.15pm so that he will settle easily at bedtime.
- If the sleep is due after 4.30pm, let your baby only have a catnap - in other words wake him at 5.15pm, so that he does not have difficulty falling asleep in the evening.
- If the last daytime sleep is due any time after 5.30pm, just put him down for the night with an early bedtime if he is exhausted. An appropriate bedtime for babies of this age is any time from 5.30pm to 7pm.