sleeping habits

Nicole - posted on 05/31/2009

My son also takes 3-4 30 minute naps during the day, then goes down for the night about 7:30-8 and usually sleeps for 12 hours. He has no problem going down at night, but has some trouble taking daytime naps. I usually put him in his swing to nap, usually about 2 hours after he wakes up, and every 2-3 hours after that. I try to put him down before he gets overtired and then can't sleep. I don't know if it will help him take longer naps during the day, but what I do for my son when he's really fussy at naptime is put his blankie over his head, then he falls asleep almost instantly. Nothing else seems to work as well when he's reached that overtired point. But don't leave the blankie on his head, take it off as soon as he's asleep! I used to work at a daycare with 14-24 month olds and they only took one nap a day, but the younger ones that just transitioned from the baby room would take a few weeks to get used to the new schedule, so your son may not be ready to take longer naps.

Ariane - posted on 05/28/2009

maybe your bub is overtired/over stimulated. my son goes to bed quite soon after waking - 1 1/2 hours after. and this is after an 11 hour sleep! brush up on recognising tired signs and get bub down as soon as possible. for us nights work best because there is a routine indicating it's bed time soon and allowing for wind down time.



with day time naps i close the blinds, play some music, quick hug and put into bed. kiss him and let him know to call out when he is awake. Not that he understands but reassuring? sometimes he does 40 mins sometimes he does up to two hours. he only naps two times a day. for us it seems good sleep promotes good sleep.



i know what you mean about getting bored these days Bronwyn. Going out is a good fix for that whether it's visiting a friend, doing shopping, swimming lesson or walk in the park.

Heather - posted on 05/28/2009

I get 2 30 minute naps from Callum a day, and he's ready for bed at 6 sharp! We have bottle and rock and he's down until usuaully around 7am. Would love for a longer nap but it's almost as if he thinks he's missing something - .he gets very fussy, to the point of having to fuss/cry himself into a nap. The books that I've read mention that any milestone they reach (rolling, crawling,etc) makes them almost compulsive about the act and they will wake from sleep to practice the skill. I've found callum more than once, wide awake stuck after rolling over for the hundreth time that day, and completely frustrated because he's not sure about his next move. I understand as their physical activity increases during he day, so will nap time.

Bronwyn - posted on 05/28/2009

I have almost the exact same problem, my daughter has 20minute powernaps and is ready for action again. She is almost 5 months and gets bored quite easy these days and needs alot of interaction so i get no time to do housework, and race around like crazy as soon as she goes down during the day. If i keep her in my arms she will sleep for almost 2 hours but as soon as she is put in her cot during the day its a 20min nap. At night she goes in and puts herself to sleep and sleeps through till morning (most nights) I have been trying some controlled crying with her day time sleeps of late but she ends up restless until her next feed so i have to pick her up anyway. Im at a loss as to how to get a better sleep pattern during the day but i will persist.