Locking in a Nap Schedule

I would say definitley find a routine that works for you and your baby will give you ques on his/her routine. An EASY routine is very simple (Eat, Activity, Sleep, Your time). For example if he/she wakes up at 7 he/she should be ready for a nap by around 9:30-10.

To get my girls to sleep I sing a rock them for a bit to settle them in for a nap and put them in their crib when they are still awake so they learn how to fall asleep on their own.

This is a good article for the basics, http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/baby/babysleep/babynaps/.... The Dr. Sears series of books are wonderful resources as well.

I read Babywise and it was a little rigid and harsh for my liking (so I follow its ideas, but loosely), but it really gave me some great ideas for routines and how to get my baby to sleep which made such a difference for us once we started implementing them. I would recommend reading it because of the great ideas it offers, and I've also heard the "No Cry Sleep Solution" is terrific. Babywise gives you an idea of when they'll eat/wake/sleep for the different stages of the first year.

Bedtime routines are great. We change diaper, read a book, and sing a song before laying our baby down as our routine. As my son got older I added cleaning up toys at the very beginning of the routine. Getting my 2-month old to fall asleep has been a little bit of a struggle, but it is getting much easier as we follow the same routine every time and just pat her and talk/sing to her when she's fussy instead of picking her up. She's learning to soothe herself and fall asleep on her own, so it's worth all the effort and energy.

Feeding/sleeping schedules also are nice because I know when I can run errands or make appointments because I have a rough idea of what time she'll need to eat.

Hi K.,
I remember that struggle of trying to get a nap schedule in place. Because it's good for them, and because it's good for mommy too to have a time each day that you know can be for you to have time to yourself! :) I used a book called "Babywise", and it worked amazingly for us. My kids were both sleeping through the night and taking two 2 hour naps a day (and when they were really little, maybe until about 5 months, 3 naps)...it's all about getting them into a routine that they can count on. The book is a little bit of a dry read, and it does seem a bit strict at first. We just followed it as much as we could and made it fit us. So I would really recommend getting the book and trying that out. And if you have ANY questions about it, please let me know and I will do my best to answer you! Hang in there- nap time can be so hard sometimes! But you'll get it, and she'll do great!

From my what I have learned as a mother, or at least with both of my kids is a naping schedule kinda just lands into place. Try to stick with one rutine so it is less confusing for the both of you.

With my son who is 6 months He takes a "long" nap at 10, what we do to get ready for his nap is he eats breakfast, plays for about 30 minutes then I get the girls (my daughter and the one I babysit) to lay down for their nap. After everything is clam I rock him to sleep and put him in his crib. This nap is about 2 1/2 - 3 hours

Seems how the girls only take one nap his second nap is short lived. After he nurses at just about 3 I rock him to sleep and put him in his crib, and he normally sleeps for about half an hour sometimes an hour.

Everyone has something different that works for them. Our schedule kind of just happened that way, seems how everyday the girls take a nap at the same time. I am sure that your little one will find a habit that is right for them. About 3 months is when everything STARTS to get in a routine, at least for both of mine.

Take your time and don't get frusterated when it doesn't happen as fast as you would like it to.

Check out the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby. Gives you great advise on getting your baby to sleep well. I found the best thing to do with nap time is just put the baby down at a scheduled time each day sometimes he would cry at first but eventually got use to it. They say that at that age there should be about 2 hours between each nap so at about that time, watch for cues that show your baby is getting tired....whiny, rubbing eyes, etc. and put her down. And you are right, it does effect night sleep. What I have read is the more they sleep, the more they sleep. Sounds funny but seems to be true. Good luck!!!

Check out the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth. I found that to be very helpful! The gist of it is that babies can't stay awake longer than 2 hours. So, when baby wakes up, start your soothing pre-nap routine about 1 and a half hours later. Then put baby down. So, if you just keep in mind that 2 hours after baby wakes up, baby will be ready for a nap, you should be good to go. My first son thanked me! I had no idea what I was doing, then I read this and followed the 2-hour advice and it worked!

K.
www.babybootcamp.com

I have a almost 5 month old and she naps pretty good for me.. the trick for me is to keep her busy. the more busy she is and the longer she is away the more she will sleep. i also have been feeding her cereal and baby food mixed in it since she was almost 2 months old. i feed it to her 2 times a day. once in the morning around 8 or 9 and at bedtime. (cereal, bath, then bottle) and it helps her sleep longer.. she sleeps at night anywhere from 8-12 hrs.. and has since 2 months or so.

Dear, K. don't worry about how many naps she takes. Just see how long she sleeps in 24 hours. If she had 15 + hours all together that is fine. My baby was cat napping at that age. U can lay down with her it can help her take longer nap. Make sure she is full and dry before going to sleep. Put her down at a same time every day. Good luck.

I wouldn't go by the books. Babies tend to put themselves on their own schedule. Routine is very important when it comes to their sleep. Try putting them in their room for a half hour of alone time prior to putting them down to sleep. They need time to transition. Also it might be too quiet for them to sleep so put on a nature cd or something that could drown out anything that could wake them up. I have the same problem with my son(first time mom) and that seems to work for him. If you establish a routine for the night sleeping too they will tend to get on a schedule and sleep longer through the night. She may cry but just let her cry. It's self-soothing and you won't go nuts trying to get her to sleep.