How to Get Your Baby to Sleep Later

It's hard to enjoy that plump, gurgling bundle of joy when she insists on waking before the crack of dawn every morning. It takes every ounce of effort--and caffeine--to make it through the day when your baby is an extremely early riser. Putting her to bed later at night usually backfires. Yet through trial and error and some tried and true methods, you can get your baby to sleep later.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Put your baby on a schedule, if he isn't on one already. Babies of different ages need different schedules, but generally, the "EASY" method coined by "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" by author Tracy Hogg, is good to follow. "E"at, "A"ctivity, "S"leep, "Y"ou time--a chance to catch a nap while your baby is sleeping.
2. Examine your baby's schedule, if she already has one in place. Look at when she goes to sleep, then when she wakes, eats and takes her first nap. Move the bedtime to between 6 to 7 p.m. even if your baby is waking up very early. Try to make the morning nap at around 9 a.m.
3. Gradually change your baby's current schedule by a half hour a day until you're at the desired times. So if your baby's usual bedtime is 8:30 p.m., switch it to 8 p.m. tonight, 7:30 p.m. tomorrow and by the next day you will be at the more desired 7 p.m. bedtime. Do the same with the first nap. This in itself may fix the problem.
4. Aim for a 6 to 7 a.m. wake time, which may occur naturally after you tweak nap and bedtimes. Delay your response to your baby's wake up call if it falls before 6 a.m. If he is older than six months, it's okay to let him cry for a few minutes to see if he'll fall back asleep. Within a few days of delayed response, you may see improvement.
5. Buy nightshades and a sound machine for the baby's room, if the previous steps don't work. It could be that the morning light or certain noises signal your baby to awaken.
6. Try making the bedtime later--only if all previous steps failed, and you've tried them consistently for more than a week. If this doesn't work, ask your pediatrician for a referral to a pediatric sleep specialist--or get used to going to bed very early so you'll be more rested during the day.

Tips & Warnings

• Be consistent with delayed response in the morning. It might be upsetting to hear your baby cry, but if you rush into the room, all of your previous sleep-training efforts will have been in vain.
• If you are breastfeeding, you might become uncomfortable or engorged once your baby sleeps beyond her usual wake time. Pump to relieve fullness, but don't fully empty the breast, so that your breasts can adapt to your baby's new schedule.