4 Naps in a Day?

As frustrating as it might be 3 1/2 is a little young to try to any kind of consistent schedule. You should not "sleep train" at this age and you should try to learn what her schedule is so you can help her settle into a schedule over the next few months. No parent can really dictate when their baby is going to want to nap expecially at that age.

She is too little to cry it out. As for the naps, she needs her sleep to grow. So let her sleep and comfort her when she cries doesn't necessarily mean you have to pick her up perhaps just a tummy or back rub will work. Maybe she just needs to know you are there for her. Hope this helps and enjoy as much of her while you can, they don't stay little for long.

4 naps a day? Why not? If I may recommend, do not look at the clock but look at your baby. If she is tired just put her to sleep. After few months there will be more consequense in her rhytm. My third child is now 2 1/2 months and if he wants to take his last nap around 6pm we just let him. Sometimes he sleeps till 9am then I feed him and put him in the bed for night. During the day is he ussually he up in between feeding for about 45min - 1 1/2 hour and then I see that he is getting tired, do I just let him have his sleep, sometimes it's 45 minutes, sometimes 2 hours in a row. If your baby is growing and is happy with 4 naps a day, there is really nothing to worry about. Enjoy your wonderful girl !!! :-)

Whoa, 3.5 months is way too young to start your baby on a schedule. I would wait at least 2 more months until she is mature enough. Then you can try the nap schedule.

As for the pattern, instead of watching the clock, watch her cues. Generally speaking the first nap should be about 2 hours after waking for the day, then 3 hours from 1st nap wakeup to the next nap, then 4 hours to the next nap or bedtime. For example, at 9 mos, DS would wake up between 6 and 6:30, so I would start getting him down for the first nap around 8:15, but only if he showed signs of being tired then. Sometimes it would be earlier, sometimes later. The 2-3-4 rule is a general guideline.

As for the 3rd and 4th nap, by the time your DD is old enough to be on a schedule, that 4th nap will most likely be better served as her bedtime.

And if she is breastfed, please don't let her CIO at this age. She needs you now, for more than just nourishment.

She's still pretty little let her have that 4th nap at 5 and just shoot for a later bed time. Good luck!

i don't think you need to mess with anything right now. it sounds pretty regular to me. newborns sleep lighter, and most do need that 4th nap. i personally wouldn't start making adjustments until around 5.5/6 months. (which goes quickly) the 4th nap should disappear by then on it's own. you can also then try to have a regular bedtime routine/ scheduale.

the only reason i would mess with anything at this age is if they were flip flopped between day and night. you are going to be tired out a bit longer...but it does balance out.

good luck!

I know exactly what you're going through! My daughter just turned 8 months old and recently grew out of the 5pm nap. She's my second child, so I now know that naps (length and times) constantly change as the baby gets older. she has gone from falling asleep every hour, to now staying awake for 3 hours at a time. So basically what I'm saying, the 5:30 nap will eventually end and by the time she's a year old, she could be down to only 1 morning nap and 1 afternoon nap.

The biggest thing I learned (and I made the mistake with my first), it's good to let them cry it out. You'll know when you should step in, but try not to, as they will learn at a very young age how to get you to come running.

Best of luck with your little love!

Lots of good advice already given--the only thing I would add is my youngest actually did have a bedtime of about 5:30 when he was little. I know it sounds crazy, but he, too, only took about 45 minute naps and by 5:30, I'd put him down (thinking he'd be up again soon) but this started to turn into his "bedtime" because this would be his longest sleep stretch (till midnight or 1am initiallly, but gradually this increased). If you put her down at 5:30, when does she wake up on her own? Your "blueprint" for sleep sounds excellent and it sounds like you are trying to follow her cues--it's a constant balancing act between meeting her needs and everyone else's (including your own). Hang in there and keep doing what you're doing!!

Read the book Good Night Sleep Tight by Kim West. It was a lifesaver for me when my twins were sleep training. I knew nothing about it and the book gave very clear,concise details and a schedule to follow. It will teach you the importance of sleep and help you understand your child's needs and how much sleep they need. Check her out www.sleeplady.com

Many babies, if not most, prefer to be up for no longer than 2 hours at a time. My 6 month old gets tired around 1.5 hours after waking up and is fast asleep by 2 hours. I only stretch out the time in between naps if it is getting close to his bed-time. Rarely do I keep him awake if he's really sleepy - close to bedtime or not. I use to wake him up from his evening naps 2 hours before bed-time or limit his evening nap to 1/2 hour, but I don't do that anymore because I have taken to letting things happen a little more naturally. I can usually count on a 2 hour window between naps to run around and catch up on my errands.

Both my boys (now 4 1/2 and 7) needed that 5 or 5:30 PM nap to get through til 7:30. That lasted well into 6 months (4 months adjusted) for my younger son; I don't really recall when my older son stopped needing that nap. On those occasions when they DIDN'T nap, getting them down at 7:30 was usually harder (counterintuitive, I know...); by the same token, if someone was there and we were up until 8 (social butterflies that my boys are...), it wasn't a crisis, either.

HTH

Hi E.,
Are you setting this schedule to your convenience or to your baby's needs? I never did scheduling and never did any cry it out. Even if you do believe in it, please note that the creators of these methods say it's not for under 5-6 months old. Your baby knows when she is tired and when she is hungry, she doesn't need you to schedule these activities for her. Some babies don't take long naps. When my first was born, she probably took 4 or 5 catnaps a day, the longest being 45 minutes, never those 2 hour naps you heard other parents talk about! I think a baby who naps at 3:00 and then at 5:00 is not going to be ready for bed at 7:00. I think at her age, she would be up for a couple of hours at a time, rather than just over an hour, as she is not a newborn any longer.
I would let your baby's cues set the "schedule." She is still young and having so many growth spurts that her need for sleep and food can change from week to week.
Good luck

Hi E.,

If you are nursing, you should follow HER schedule. She needs to be fed on demand, and sleep when she is tired. Routines fall into place as she gets older.

I nursed my daughter as well, and she was fed on demand for the first 4-6 months. It is exhausting, but it is worth it to have a secure, happy child!

Good luck,
L.

Banish Cry it Out from your life until she is much older maybe not even then. Why so important to have have a schedule? Just go with what your baby wants.

E.,

A schedule is not a good idea. Your baby knows when she is tired, hungry and needs what she needs. Crying it out does not help her meet her needs - it simply tells her they are not being met. It is far to early for a bedtime.

Be thankful and feel blessed that she takes 4 naps!

If you need further ideas, try Attachment Parenting International. They have many ideas for helping you with your baby.

Good luck,
M.

Hi There,
Both of my kids starting taking fewer, more consistant naps around 4 months (on there own, with a little help from us for scheduling). I gradually started to stretch the times between naps, just a few minutes each day, so they were taking 3 naps (then 2 around 6-7 months). Gradually they will sleep longer for each nap. Also, I did let my kids cry it out at various times to get them to be able to fall asleep on their own/get them on a better schedule, and they are perfectly fine, well ajusted, loving children whom I have a great bond with- incidently, they are great sleepers and soothe themselves to sleep and have since they were infants! (I probably didn't let them really CIO until 6-7 months). Babies cry... they will not be scarred for life if you let them cry a bit!
Good luck! Just go with your babies basic schedule, but then gradually try to ajust it!!

Hi E.
you are on the right track but i think 3months is still a little early to have a SET nap schedule. though i think it is great to aim for the 7:30-8bedtime and they can do it at 3months. Mine started making it through the nite at 2 months. But you know it is not perfect. I let her nap as much as she wanted and at 3 months she still could sleep like three hours sometimes. Sleep is so good for them. See if you can get her up for a feeding around 6 then put her back to bed right after and start from there.
the set nap thing for me started at 4-5months. Good luck

I am wondering-how does she fall asleep? If she depends on you to fall asleep she may count on you to soothe her back to sleep if she startles herself awake. 45 minutes is a short nap even for a 3 1/2 month old. If she was closer to hour or hour and half I'd say she was doing fine. Does she cry when she wakes up or do you think maybe you are picking her up too soon and not letting her fall back asleep on her own. My daughter has different noises she makes when she wakes up. If she makes a unt unt kind of noise I know she wants to sleep more. I will give her 5 or 10 minutes to fall back asleep (whatever works for you but for me 10 is probably the longest I'd let her go). If she has slept longer and wakes up I do pick her up right away. If she falls asleep on her own she may find it easier to put her self back to sleep. I wouldn't worry too much about the schedule for a couple more months -it will eventually work itself out. I always wake my baby up at the same time every day and hope that this helps make a schedule later. Seems to have worked to some degree. Good luck. HTH