My 3 1/2 month old son was never on any daytime schedule. Any time he seemed to be on one it only lasted a few days then changed again. I should say that, at night,he goes to bed every night at 7 wakes up at 1 eats, goes back to sleep, wakes to eat again at around 4 then again at around 7. BUT during the day, he seems to just want to eat and sleep like an infant. he naps every 1 1/2 hours.But he only sleeps for a half an hour!!! He eats and seems to want to go right back to sleep.I think if he slept longer he wouldn't be so tired. This has been going on about two weeks. I thought at around 4 months he would start being on some sort of schedule. Is this just a transition? Has anyone gone through this. He is alert and happy and curious when he is awake. He is developing fine, eating well, gaining weight etc.
Babies go through a growth spurt around 3 months and all they want to do is eat and sleep. Give it a few more days and see if he begins to transition himself. Just when you start to get used to baby's new "pattern" they always switch it up on you! Good luck!
Don't keep your son 'awake'. If he's tired, let him nap. They grow when they nap and sleep promotes more sleep (contrary to what most people think). Learn to see 'signs' of drowsiness and have him nap before he becomes overly tired. Being up for every 1 1/2 hours is exactly what Dr. Weissbluth's book recommends "Healthy sleep habits, happy Child".
Good luck! You are doing a GREAT job. Your baby will tell you what he needs - and sounds like he is. ;)
It sounds like he's a normal 3 1/2 month old baby!
don't worry about it. as long as he's sleeping at night with a schedule, you're fine (i only say that so you get your rest). with the naps during the day...my daughter was all wacky like that too. she would go down every 1 1/2-3 hrs, and POWER NAP for about 15 min-45 min (usually the lesser). sometimes (every couple of months,) she would get a 1-2 hr nap in here and there...but i noticed that the more she did, whether it was sitting up on her own, or rolling over more, and ESPECIALLY during her little growth spurts, she would sleep more during the day..whether it was more often with her power naps, or just longer naps in general. this is fine, normal, and i would assume happens with MOST children (if not all). i don't think my daughter was set on a schedule for day and/or night until she was about 1, but it still changes from time to time.
hi S.!
You said that during the day your son acts like an infant? He is an infant :) And you're lucky he naps at all!! My daughter at that age didnt nap during the day except for maybe 1 or 2 15 min naps a day. You could try keeping him up a little longer between naps but im sure eventually as he gets a little older and starts being more aware of everything going on around him he'll stay awake longer and nap longer less often. For now be gratefull that you get those times during the day to accomplish things around the house or even just to sit and watch him sleep. Someday you'll wish he was taking naps at all. But if you are concerned that maybe there is a health issue causing him to be so tired dont hesitate to talk to his doctor about it.Im not a doctor but you said that he is alert when he is awake so thats probably a good sign. When my son was an infant i couldnt keep him awake even for feedings, it turned out to be a problem with his heart but i dont think that what you are describing sounds much like a problem at all but again dont hesitate to ask the doctor there are no stupid questions about parenting and you should never feel silly for being concerned,ever. good luck! R. R.
My son was the same way at that age and it was weird for me because I had a daughter who had always taken long naps (one to three hours) at that age. I know how you feel. You finally get them to sleep and it seems like they're up again right away. However, if your son is anything like mine (now 16 months) he will probably start taking longer naps soon. My sone started taking longer ones around four months. My rule was to keep him up for two hours and then put him down. He usually slept for an hour in the morning, two in the afternoon, and sometimes one in the evening (around four or five). He has an eight o'clock bedtime and usually wakes around seven in the morning. I know how frusturating it can be to get such a short break and how hard it is to get anything done in such a small time period, but it will get better. Good luck!
My dd, now 11 months didn't really have any set daytime routine until around 6 months. I did have to work at it and it wasn't perfect everyday. There is two ways to go with this...let him let you know when he is tired and help him sleep by putting him in his crib and making it dark and quiet or impose times that you think are best and do the same for his environment. Whatever you think is best. Just know that it is not unusual at this age, my dd did the same thing and it changed often. I had the luxury of allowing her to work it out on her own for the most part.
although it may sound cruel you can try to keep him awake if he starts to nod off maybe he will sleep more than a half hour. if he is napping every hour and a half maybe try to skip one nap to keep him up for 3 hours instead of 1 1/2 if that works than eventually keep him up longer. my son is 2 and naps for 1 1/2 hours a day. i wake him up cause he will sleep longer and not sleep at night. he is cranky at first but after 20 mins or so he is fine. hope this helps.
