Babies' bedtime
This page is part of a collection of short articles called Brief & simple, which together make up a quick summary of The Possums Sleep Program in plain language. For comprehensive information and support, please go to The essentials section of The Possums Sleep Program, and begin to work your way through the program's online text and videos.
In most countries around the world, babies don't go to sleep in the evening until close to parents' bedtime. The problem with an early bedtime is that after a few weeks it might result in excessive night waking.
Early bedtimes might also result in your baby's body clock being ready to start the day early in the morning when it's still dark. This results in a lot of groaning, grunting and wriggling, even if baby's eyes are closed, because they no longer need more deep sleep!
Acknowledgements
I'm grateful to Professor Sophie Havighurst, Ros June, and Caroline Ma at Mindful, The University of Melbourne, for their feedback on the articles in the Brief & simple section of The Possums Sleep Program. They helped to keep the language plain and the concepts as accessible as possible. For comprehensive information and support, please go to The essentials section of The Possums Sleep Program, and begin to work your way through the program's online text and videos.
Recommended resources
Baby bedtimes are closer to parent bedtimes in cultures of the global majority
