For those who followed the 2 hours awake time schedule...

[deborah_r]

when did your babies start making it beyond 2 hours between naps? DS seems to be going longer, but I can't tell if he's not tired or if I'm missing his cues. We are so off-track because of traveling and family doting on him 24/7, so I can't just lay him down in his crib for naps anymore, he won't go for it. But if I was sure he was tired maybe I would let him cry it out a bit, since I know he knows how to put himself down for naps....ugh, I'm so confused, can you tell? I've resorted to nursing him for most naps lately just because I am so confused about what to do.

[lisams]

It was about 7 months when DD started going more than 2 hours between naps. Maybe you could try going a little longer before putting him down to see if he's ready to go longer between naps.

God Luck!
Lisa

[bluej]

I'm right there w/ you! Being gone for close to two weeks over the holidays has completely and totally wrecked what ever schedule Ryden had! We've only been back for three days so we are still working out a lot of kinks. However, our mornings seem to be back to normal...up for an hour and a half and back to bed for 1-2 hours. The second nap we are still working on. Prior to leaving, that nap happened about 2 1/2 hours after waking from the first nap. Then he'd be up for about 3 hours and then down for the night. All w/ no problems. Now we don't seem to have that third nap and he's up for what I consider to be too long, but I can't get him to shut down. I'm hoping that we will get it all worked out when we really return to our routines tomorrow when the older two go back to school. I'm thinking it's probably a combination of too much stimulation over the holidays and him being ready to stay up a bit longer b/w naps but honestly, w/ my own sleep-deprived state and chaos I really have no clue what's going on in his little mind.

[lizamann]

Nora still gets sleepy close to the 2 hour mark and she's 4 days older. She was doing great in her crib, too, but now I have been nursing her to sleep every time (and 3 times at night - bleh.) I'm not sure exactly how that happened, but I'll blame it on the holidays too.

[justlearning]

I also had DS on a routine in which he'd go down for a nap after being up for 2 hours. A couple of weeks ago, though, he started crying hard when being put down for naps--which he never was doing previously--so I would give in and pick him up but then the whole day seemed messed up. I was frustrated and emailed a friend who had great success with her children on routines. She said that around the 6-month mark, they are at a stage that it's good to go to just one nap in the morning and one nap in the afteroon. The way it works out is that he's up for around 3 hours before being put down for his nap. I switched to that with DS and it's been working great! He just cries right when he's put down in his crib (part of the separation anxiety stage, I think) and then stops almost before I've walked down the stairs. So, we've been happy with the new routine, although of course we're flexible with it and sometimes put him down after 2 1/2 hours or so if he seems tired or let him stay up a little past the 3 hours in the evening if it works best that way.

Edited to say that he usually naps for around 2 hours for each nap and on some days, he essentially still takes 3 naps because he'll wake up around 10pm or 11pm to eat then goes back to sleep for the night. Depending on the way the day's gone, he oftentimes will not have the third nap and will go to bed for good around 8:30pm. For example, DS woke up at 7am this morning, so his next nap will likely be between 10-12, then his next nap will be between 3-5, then he'll probably go down for the night around 8:30.

Good luck in finding what works best for your son! I know how frustrating it can be.

[flagger]

Well you know I am a huge Weissbluth follower and believer. Cocoa is a week older and we are having sleep and nap issues as well. I attribute it to several factors, the least of which is a cold and teething. I am also sure she is picking up on our stress from the impending move.

We are pretty much sticking to the routine even though the time of wakefulness has now stretched out beyond two hours. However what works for us is doing the routine over and over day in and day out. She is getting to the point where I believe what Weissbluth says is right on. She knows that we equal play time and part of it is really protesting not being able to continue to play.

Also what has worked for us on some days is to get back to swaddling her. We leave her left hand out so she can self comfort by sucking her thumb, but we think that closeness also helps her get to sleep. I still watch for her cues like rubbing her eyes, yawning, disinterest in interaction for signs that it is time to lay down for a nap.

We still now have three crib times between wake-up and bedtime.

First is right after she gets up with Ms. Flagger to nurse and then goes back in her crib while I shower and Ms. Flagger has left. She usually does not fall asleep during this time, but it is a safe area for her and I get my shower everyday which was my personal goal.

Then she goes in the crib between 10:30-11. That nap is usually 45 minutes to 90 minutes.

Up until between 1400-1530 and then she is down until about 1700-1730 and then up until sometime between 1900-2000.

[Sarah1]

Around 9 mos Audrey started going longer btwn naps (more than 2 hours). Every day was a little different, though...you just have to do your best to watch their cues.

She also started protesting her naps more around this time, too, but I could tell when she was truly tired, and would put her down and just let her cry for a while. She almost ALWAYS went to sleep. I think being as consistent as possible is the key.

[McQ]

It's been a few months now so I'm guessing he was 6 months. He's usually up at 7am, naps from 10-11am and again from 2-4pm then down at 7pm. But that's on a good day. Some times he only sleeps a 1/2 hour in the morning then a good nap in the afternoon. And some days it's only 1 nap from 11am-1pm. Those days are the worst. He still gets up once during the night and he's starting to sleep in later so it's been mucking up the routine.

Follow Kai's cues and you'll do okay.

Allison
~ mommy to Declan 3.24.03

[amp]

Jacob is 7 mths old and we still seem to be sticking to the 2 hr. rule most of the time. Funny thing is, I was about to come on here and ask if there was something wrong with DS that I should be concerned about because I thought most babies at this point only took 2 naps per day and he usually takes 3 (sometimes 2 and sometimes 4 short ones). It just seems like he's tired all the time! So, reading these replies, I guess I see that I'm not the only one with a 7 mth old kid who still can't make it past about 1.5-3 hrs without napping. Since he seems to have no other issues that concern me, I was just kind of watching his sleep patterns, but was starting to wonder if it was unusual at this age. I guess not. What a relief!