Does your baby take good naps???

[ncmommy]

DS is four months old now, and I'd love to get him into a more regular nap schedule. He does fairly well at night, but during the day his sleep patterns are really unpredictable. I'm home with him full-time, and I really feel the need to start planning my days so I can get some things accomplished and feel more productive! Sometimes he'll take a 2 hour nap in the morning, but other times he'll just doze for 10 minutes before waking up. He wouldn't sleep at all today until now - 3:30. Perhaps this is completely normal, but I'd love to know if others have any advice for me!

[kfcboston]

I wish I had some wisdom to share. My DS turned 4 months yesterday, and we're dealing with sleep issues as well. He naps every 2 hours at least, but only for about 40-45 minutes. We just try to read the cues, like eye rubbing and yawning and fussiness, and get him to the crib before it's too late! At night he's still waking up every 3 hours, but we're beginning to let him cry a little more on the suspicion that he is waking more out of habit vs. hunger. Last night it seemed to be true, as he fell back asleep at 3am after crying for a bit. We left him alone, as much as I wanted to feed him! :-) Hope it helps him sleep better.

HTH!

[nathansmom]

No advice as Nathan does not take naps. I don't know if I should complain or not as we do get about 9 hours of sleep a night.

[mharling]

We are readers of Weissbluth's 'Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child' and put ds down after he has been awake for 2 hours. Usually he falls asleep within 10-15 minutes. During that 10-15 minutes, he rarely cries and usually entertains himself before dozing off. He will normally sleep for 30-45 minutes, sometimes an hour.

So far, we really like the Weissbluth book. Worth checking out.....

Mary & Lane 4/6/03
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b3237413c427 - New 6/18

[skygoddess]

I second the recommendation for Weissbluth's sleep book in helping to establish a regular nap schedule. My 12-month old DD has been an excellent night sleeper ever since we Ferberized her; the naps, however, have been more difficult to achieve. Weissbluth really helped me understand infant sleep cycles and the importance of putting her down BEFORE she gets tired, and we've been able to get a reasonably regular daytime schedule going this way. Night sleep and day sleep are two different things, which I hadn't understood until I read his book. I give his book to every parent I know with a new baby; it's technical and a bit "heavy" to read at times, but I've found it extremely helpful.

Nancy

[jubilee]

My little guy is just 3 months old and we are getting into a nap pattern that seems to work well. He wakes at 6 am, gets fed, goes back to sleep until 8 am, is up and we "play" until 10 am, gets fed, then naps for about 1-1.5 hours. Then another feeding and bath, etc until 1-2 pm then he'll nap for about an hour again. He will nod off in the swing during our dinnertime for a short time. Bedtime is about 9pm-10. I like the schedule a lot... only he will only go to sleep if I lay next to him! (Darn, another nap for me!) I read Weissbluth and really liked it, I just have to work out the kinks.

[etwahl]

I have a couple of these sleep books, but haven't read them (who has the time?!) however, Lauren goes to bed anytime between 7:30 and 8:30. It can take her a while to fall asleep (and I have to be beside her cuddling her). She typically nurses every 2 - 2.5 hours, but she doesn't really wake up for that, just starts fussing and then I feed her, she falls asleep.

She wakes up at around 7am usually, and within about 1 hour, she's usually ready for her first nap. Sleeps about 30-40 minutes, then up again for about 2 hours, usually ready for another nap. She usually needs a nap when she's been up for 2 hours and usually sleeps about 30-40 minutes. She always needs me there to help her fall asleep, reinsert the binky, etc. I sometimes wonder "Am I spoiling her by always being there for her to fall asleep and nap?" but then I realize that even if some people would think I am, who cares. She is a baby after all, and if she needs me, I'm going to be there. I know that eventually she will grow out of it.

My question is at what point will her naps start becoming less frequent and more lenghty? I think I remember a friend of mine telling me her daughter had one long nap in the morning, one long nap in the afternoon, and that's it.

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[egoldber]

Tammy, Lauren's naps will probably lengthen as she gets a little older. I wouldn't say that Sarah had a regular nap "routine" until she went to 3 naps a day (around 5-6 months). She did 3 naps until 9-10 months and then went to 2 naps a day. She still occasionally takes 2 naps a day, but usually only one afternoon nap now.

But my point is that her sleep schedule will evolve as she gets older and more mature.

HTH,

[Andrea S]

Andrew did not take good naps until he started getting more active. He dropped from 3 naps to 2 around 9 months and still sometimes he sleeps 1hour 20-40 minutes and then other days he is asleep 45 minutes.

Andrea
mom to Andrew 8/14/02

[mam615]

I bought Pantley's "No Cry Sleep Solution" when Dorothy was about your son's age because I thought I was going to start crying in frustration. But it was right around that age that things started falling into place. Babies thrive on routine, so it's great to start setting up a schedule around this time. Once she started eating solid foods (5.5 months), the schedule really started making sense (and working). You will both be a lot happier and better rested when your days are more planned. Good luck!