Napping Too Long?

I agree with the suggestions of taking her naps down to 2 per day. As for the food I have two girls and neither one of them have ever eaten that much food per day! My youngest (7 months) is a very healthy eater. She eats 18 - 20 oz per day with 2 times that I feed her baby food. My other daughter (now 2) drank that much formula but never ate as much baby food.

Hi A.!

You've already received several responses with advice that is very helpful. I did want to let you know that alot of the good advice, and the things I will say, come from the book "Healthy Sleep, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. He is a pediatrician who has specialized in sleep research for infants through to adolescents for the past 25 years or so. His book has been incredibly helpful to me with my 5 month old daughter.

He recommends a couple of things in his book that may be helpful to you in your specific situation. I would recommend reading it, but since it's long I'll give you some short answers because we moms need that!

First of all, your daughter is sleeping right in the average of babies her age. The range of sleep in a 24 hour period for infants 0-11 months is 12-18 hours. Your daughter is right in the middle!

Second, Dr. W. says that the 3rd nap (if your baby takes it because not all do) should be dropped by 9 months at the latest because it begins interfering with bedtime. It may be time to drop the 3rd nap since she is going to bed later than before. One thing he says in his book that I've experienced first hand is that "sleep begets sleep" and "sleeplessness begets sleeplessness." She is going to bed later, but that does not mean she will sleep later. It actually has the opposite affect, which could be what is happening with your daughter. Dr. W. says that babies your daughter's age should be going to bed between 6 pm and 8 pm. The timing depends on how her naps were during the day, and when she woke from her last nap. My daughter goes to bed between 6 pm and 7 pm every night, and the variability is dependent on her nap schedule and tiredness level. You may find that putting your daughter down earlier will cause her to sleep longer.

Third, Dr. W. addresses sleep rhythms which means times when biologically it is better for them to sleep and when they should be awake. The first nap of the day should begin between 9 am and 10 am (depending on what time they wake up). The second nap should begin between 12 pm and 2 pm. (again variable based on the first nap). The third nap is variable, but it sounds like it may be time for your daughter to drop it.

Last, food is probably not what is making her wake up later. Someone else said that milk (breast or formula) is usually their primary source of nutrition until about 1 year of age. This is true. Do not worry about getting "enough" solid food in your daughter until your pediatrician tells you (i.e. either she is dropping in the growth charts or she is low in iron). Also, she will begin showing interest in eating more solids when she is ready. The milk they drink has significantly more calories in it than the solid foods they eat.

I hope this is helpful to you, and I hope I didn't give too much information! ;) Please let me know if you have any other clarifying questions. I am happy to help if I can!

God's Grace to you,

Lisa :)

Wow A. that sounds exactly like my daughter when she was that age too...she is now almost 15 yrs old but let me just tell you to be prepared for what's to come. I also was concerned, I would ask anyone and everyone for advice (the doctors as well) and they would just tell me that every child is different and some need more sleep than others. So, I kind of put it in the back of my head. At the age of 2 yrs old....there was no stopping her......she was like a crazy person on Speed!!! Doctors wanted to medicate her!!! I said NO!!! Not to say this will happen to your daughter but I wish I would have gone back to my doctor and did more research or at least got some kind of medical explaination from someone! I knew deep down inside that somehow her sleeping so much as a baby may have been a factor. She has just recently in the past two years calmed down!!!
I would advise you to ask more questions ....I wish I had the time to do it but I was going through a divorce at the time and being a single mom and full time work I just let it slip by!

Yes, it sounds like your on the right track. Just cut out 1 of her naps and everything should go back to normal.
Lonie

I have a preemie in my home day care and he sleeps a lot. One week he slept from 5:45 until almost 11-11:30 and then slept another nap in the afternoon. At times he does not get to bed early at home but the doctor told the parents to let him sleep. I think he is just so smart and thinks a lot and is very active and need his rest. Other times he wakes up at 7 and plays for about three hours before he gets tired. He is a great kid and now weighs 30 pounds and is 20 tall and long arms and legs. Growing like a weed and pretty healthy. Some times had trouble with breathing and asthma but very busy and I believe exhausts himself with mental thinking and physical activity. Enjoy the quiet time and get some stuff done. It will change and evenually you will be fighting her to sleep. Depends on them growing and it takes years to know our own bodies and how much sleep we need and when we are hungry. So enjoy G. W

infants should average 17 hours a day in sleep !!! the reason for her getting up earlier might be because you are letting her go to sleep later. I know that might sound backwards but it seem true with my children. As for eating just let her eat when she's hungry don't worry about it, she will let you know. Good Luck

Hi A.,

I have an 11 month old and here is her everyday pattern. She goes to bed at about 9 then wakes up between 8:30-10:00. I give her an 8oz bottle then she plays for a while. She eats some baby food or whatever I have. After that she then takes a nap for around 2 hours. Once up we play and she eats lunch. Then plays more and has another 8oz bottle. Then she also takes an afternoon nap or early evening nap for around another 1 1/2- 2 hrs. She loves to sleep. I think she sleeps alot because one she is teething and two she uses alot of energy walking. She walks everyway and play with every toy. I'm sure you daughter is fine. Hope this helps.
Kiki

No it's not too long. I have a four year and the recommended time of sleep for him is ten to twelve hours.It gets more and more the younger they are. I wouldn't worry unless it interfears with her normal activity.

I also couldn't get my now one year ols his 24 oz. and feedings. My pediatrician just said to make sure he gets the formula more than anything, it has all the neccessary viatimins for a growing baby. She'll get to where she eats more and if she doesn't, maybe she will just be a lite eater.

A.,
I am sorry, but I don't think you should cut out any naps. I would make sure she is up by 7 and napping at 9 until around 10:30 and the another nap around 1.....not lasting past 3. Kids know when they are hungry, adults eat because the clock says so....:), I am sure she is doing fine. I have an 8 month old that I keep and he has 4 ounces when he wakes in the morning then I feed cereal when he gets here usually around 8:30. He naps from 9-11, has a bottle between 11 & 11:30, then a jar of food around 12:30 and then another nap from 1-3, then another bottle between 3 & 3:30. I fix 6 ounce bottles and sometimes he drinks it all and sometimes not.
That's what I do...it may work for you and it may not.
L.

It is possible that she's having a growth spurt and that's why she's wanting to sleep so much. Both my boys would go thru that off and on when they were smaller. If you think she's not sleeping long enough at night then try not to give her a late afternoon nap and maybe that'll help. Good luck.

A few things:

-At this age most babies are down to just two naps a day. Since your baby is going to bed later this probably means that you need to cut one nap out and put her to bed earlier.
-Also set a wake up time for your daughter and don't get her up any earlier. Let her play in her crib until its time to start the day. For my 8-month-old she goes to bed at 7pm and lately has been waking up around 5:30am, but I don't go to her until 6am. She started doing this a month ago and after a week or so, she got the message and started sleeping until six. Now she's doing it again.
-It might be too light in her room in the morning so you might put black-out curtains up to trick her body into thinking it's still nighttime.
-Lastly I wouldn't worry too much about the quantity she consumes (my daughter takes between 22-25oz a day), as long as she seems satisfied in between meals, is peeing enough, is gaining at a consistent rate, and meeting her milestones. Like you, I was stressed to the max about the fact that she wasn't getting the "recommended" daily amount, but I talk with her pediatrician and we decided that she just doesn't have a big appetite. Other then that she's a perfectly healthy baby!

Sounds like you have a little lazy bug :). My son is the exactly the same. He now is 19 months old and usually sleeps for 12 hours at night and takes a 3 hour nap during the day. I will wake him up at 9:30 in the morning because he would probably until 10ish if I let him. He has always been this way so don't worry. He was also the same with milk when I talked to the doctor they said try to get at least 18 ounces a day which I tried. He was just never much of a milk drinker, but loved table food. I did make sure to give him at least 6 ounces of yogart a day. You might try putting her down just twice a day no naps after 4:30 or 5 and maybe she will sleep a little longer in the mornings.

There's probably nothing to worry about. Your child may simply need a little more sleep than others. As for going to bed later and getting up earlier, maybe you should try to limit to 2 naps per day, so she can go to sleep on time and sleep longer. Also, at 1-year-old, both my children had low-iron (I don't know what you call that) and needed an iron supplement. At her next checkup, see if that could be the cause of sleepiness.

My doctor said that formula is their main source of nutrition until 1 year, so if you're having trouble getting the recommended amount in her, try cutting back on the solids just a little, so she get's all she needs. Offer the formula first and often.

Hi A.,

I have a nine month old and we were having terrible sleeping problems. His Dr. recommended us read the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child By Dr Weissbluth. It helped us create a regular sleep pattern. But I can assure according to the book your child is not sleeping too much.

Nope, it's healthy. Kids this age need a MINIMUM of 12 hours (until at least 2 years old) and up to 16 hours a day (some kids need a little more than others). If she isn't losing weight then I wouldn't worry at all. Consider yourself VERY lucky and keep in mind that the sleeping streak might not last. Her appetite will likely kick back up.