My 6 1/2 month old daughter is a great night sleeper - has slept 10-11 hours straight since she was 7 weeks old and still does. My problem is napping. I have tried schedules (strict and loose), I have tried go with reading sleepy signals, keeping her up longer/shorter times, I have tried semi-waking her to start another sleep cycle, and I have even tried skipping naps but nothing gets her to nap more than 45 at a time. I tied each of these methods for 2 weeks before moving on to the next so it isn't a matter of not giving it time to work. I have her taking a morning nap at 9-10 am (she wakes at 7), then one at 1-2 pm, and then her late afternoon nap - the only one where she sleeps longer than 45 minutes (about 1-1 1/2 hours) at 5 pm. I don't like this later afternoon nap to be so long - wish I could get her to do that for one of the other two naps but it isn't affecting her nighttime sleep. Any hints, tips - Help. I know I should just be grateful that she sleeps so well at night but the naps would help her during the day so we didn't have to fight it out. Final note - she is the easiest baby to get to sleep - just lay her down and off to dreamland - problem is she doesn't stay there long duriing the day.
My son did that for a while, we called them power naps. In a few months, when he moved to two naps a day, his naps got longer. Also, if she is sleeping well over night, don't change her 5PM nap, many babies sleep best over night with better naps.
My son did this too. He went through a stage where he would only sleep 20-40 minutes per nap. I think it's just a phase and my cousins baby did the same thing too. So don't worry too much, she will eventually learn how to sleep longer. good Luck!
Most babies go to one big/long nap around 7m. Trying different thigns for only 2 weeks isn't long enough for them to establish a pattern. Try to not give stroller/carseat naps in the a.m. Have her go down for a long (2-4 hours) nap after lunch. Avoid the mini naps in the a.m. and she should do fine. She may need to cry a COUPLE min. before going down, but she's fine.
Hi J.: I have to agree with the other mother. Consider yourself (blessed) At six months, both my boys were beginning to tapper off.The older they get and more active they become, the fewer naps they will want to take.Kids will sleep as long as their little bodies need it. Your daughter is sleeping alot during the day for being almost 7 months. An hour is nothing to bawk at, when she sleeps so well at night. I wish you and your darlin daughter the best.
My 4 1/2 month old son is exactly the same way! His day time naps (about 4 of them total) are about 45 minutes on average, except his 3pm nap can be anywhere from 1 1/2 hours -2 hours (or longer if I didn't wake him!) and he sleeps 10-11 hours at night. I find sometimes if he is rocked for 5-10 minutes before being put in his bed he has a better nap (usually an hour). I guess I have just come to the conclusion that this is his current cycle, and I have heard that 45 minutes is enough for a baby to get a good rest and restore energy. But let me know if you come up with any other great solutions!
No advice to give you cause this is totally normal!
Some babies sleep long naps and some babies take 45 minute naps. Consider yourslef blessed, I have a friend whose baby has never taken more then a 30 minute nap. (even when the baby was young!) She kept waiting for the naps to get longer, but they never have.
Whatever you are doing is perfect! You are a good mom! Your baby is sleeping enough! Now you just have to sit back and enjoy those 45 minutes!! :)
She has her own natural rhythm. My mother never lets me forget that I NEVER NAPPED as an infant and how it drove her nuts. But she did insist that I spend one hour in my crib as "quiet time" when she would not come to get me and I had to find things to do. My daughter would wake a 7, nap from 9:30-1:00 and go to bed at 10pm, I tried to change it because we missed all of the fun story times, playgroups, etc. because most kids nap in the afternoon, but she would not have it. That was her rhythm. Now both my kids have outgrown naps and I love it because I was chained to the nap schedule. Now we can go out any time of day and not worry about cranky kids in the afternoon. Just try to go with it, She will change as she becomes more mobile. You are blessed that she is easy to fall asleep!!
at that age my son dropped to 2 naps and i used to have to push him in the stroller on my porch back and forth for like 20 minutes sometimes longer til he fell asleep..i'd face him towards the wall so he had nothing interesting to look at..then i would wheel him into his bedroom after he konked out..also i have blackout curtains and 2 sound machines going..one makes white noise and the other rain.
you have to get her to sleep every day at the same time so her body learns to be tired at this time. do u have a routine?
man those days were tough..but it's all paid off..he's still napping one big long nap and he's a very active boy...28 months..and goes to bed ..rarely w/ any trouble at 8:30pm
Sounds like your daughter is a great sleeper who gives you very clear info about what she wants during the day: several short naps on her own schedule. She's sleeping perfectly; each child has her own rhythm and this one has come up with one that makes perfect sense. I wouldn't mess with it at all!
I have four kids and one granddaughter. Some were nappers, some were not. Each child is an individual. My firstborn was not a napper, and, poor kid, since he had a rookie mom who assumed all babies napped, it was a bit rough. Your daughter has the same problem, a first time mom. :0) It sounds to me like your baby is doing a lot of napping, especially for a 6 1/2 month old! Accept your daughter for who she is, accept that she takes short naps, and life will be much easier. For both of you. This is a matter of accepting reality, not something that should be fought out.
It sounds normal. You may want more free time, but babies never seem to quite care what Mom wants. In a few months your baby will take less spaced out naps and start taking one or two long naps. It sounds like you have a good thing going on with your baby sleeping through the night, what a blessing!
wow, 3 naps at 6 months?! I'd say you're pretty lucky. while each child is different, mine usually only took 2 naps a day and slept 12 hours at night (never straight through until older).
even though this link talks about a family bed, it does explain a little about sleeping and eating patterns. not sure if it's something helpful to you, but worth a read.
and personally, it sounds like she's getting enough total hours of sleep for her age.
Hey J.! The one thing I thought of is that you should try putting your daughter down for a nap later. I mean, she slept all night and is only up for 2 hours before she goes back down. Then she may only need 2 naps. Try extending her first nap until 10:30 or 11:00 and then do a nap at say 3:00 and see what happens. Good luck!
Every baby has different sleep needs, just like adults... Your baby's sleep pattern sounds just like my 7 month old girl, except your 5pm nap is as long as my 1pm nap, and my girl's 5pm nap is as long as your 1pm nap. I don't "make" my girl take naps, I just try to go with the flow. She is a very happy baby, only cranky if teething is an issue. I think we actually have it good. My friend had a baby that slept no longer than 30 minutes at a time - around the clock! That is the kind of schedule to be worried about... I know I wish my girl would rest a bit longer stretches, but it just isn't what she needs. And right now it is pretty much all about her :)
Oh girlfriend, I hear you! My son (who is now 21 mo.) was and still is the same way. 45 minute naps was about it 2x a day. And now, he sleeps once a day for about 45 minutes and if we're lucky for about an hour and fifteen. He sleeps about 11 to 12 hours a night. I did talk to my doctor about it when he was about 6 months, lamenting that everything I tried, (which, by the way, was everything you tried) didn't work. She just laughed and said he just might be getting enough sleep already and may not need to sleep any more. She said that the important part was keeping a routine consistent.
I noticed that your baby is still taking 3 naps a day and might be in transition and ready to eliminate one of them. Maybe move the first nap (at 9am) up to say, 11am? And then move her afternoon nap to around 3? And no third nap...Just a suggestion.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
