Nap Time? - Dublin,OH

At six months he's only going to be responding favorably to his own internal clock. While you can get him to "approximate" timeframes, you won't be able to fully get him scheduled for a few more months.

Things you can try are to expose him to sunlight. Let him play in a sunny spot in the playpen, with you, or whatever. For some reason, kids adjust their clocks easier if they have some sunlight time. When it's time to sleep, move him to a darkened room.

You could also try more frequent bouts of interaction. At six months, getting him used to his muscles will provide mental and physical stimulation as well as tire him out a little bit. Rub his legs, bounce him gently, tickle his toes, blow on the belly--- these things provide a lot of exercise to a small tot.

Unfortuneately, until he is on a schedule, you have to keep a sense of humor and flexibility. Have fun.

I suggest you read this book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (Paperback) by Marc Weissbluth. It is the best!

Michelle - Mother of 4

My advise is forget your schedule and adopt to your babies. When my son was that age he often when back to sleep after breakfast for an hour or so then back for a nap in the pm. Their bodies are changing so much that they need more or less sleep at different times. Try to be flexible and you will see a sort of schedule evolve.

Good luck.

Hi N.,

I know at 6 months they should be getting close to being on a schedule, but all babies are different and sometimes different things may throw them off schedule every once in a while and that is okay. Maybe he was just a little tired that morning. It's okay. Our twin boys are on a schedule somewhat, however, yesterday was an "off" day for us too. It happens. It will all work itself out. Sometimes ours take 3 naps a day . . . sometimes 4. We usually try to have them in bed at 8:30 . . . last night it was 9:30. We get off schedule too every once in a while. Don't worry. It happens and it's not a big deal. :-D Take Care!

Hi N.,

I have had 3 children and my youngest now is 9 months. I have to admit that I'm pretty proud of how my kids napped/slept! For me, it depends on when they get up in the morning. If they get up before 8am, they are usually sleepy before their "scheduled" nap time which is around 12pm. If they get up before 8am, I will let him nap for about 30-45 minutes but making sure he does NOT go over that. I then put him down around 12pm and he will sleep until about 3pm. I can't let him sleep past 3-3:30 or he won't sleep all night. I then put him to bed after a bath and a bottle around 8:30 and he sleeps all night! Schedules for napping/sleeping are very important but go hand in hand w/ eating routines, etc. This has worked for me...and they get used to it! Just try to get errands run before and after their naps so that they can get those in! Good Luck! There is also a good book (I read it 6 years ago when I had my first baby) called "Baby Wise" and its got some helpful information in it as well!

I had to have my daughter on a schedule. Her cries all sounded the same to me. I found out her time table and it helped soo much! She wasn't crabby and I knew what to expect and help to her needs. Granted she teethed from 3months to 1 yrs. so The schedule would be thrown off for a week or adjusted to her new needs. It's funny though too because I'm not miss schedule person. But I don't know what I would of done if I didn't have one for her!

Kayla was in bed by 8pm woke up at 6:30A-7A took a nap @ 9am then her second at 1pm.

N.,

I have three grown kids and none of them ever did anything on a schedule. Do you have to have a schedule? Try giving it some more time. He's still so little.

When my daughter was that age she would wake up at different times every day as well, and I had the same problem trying to plan my schedule around it. It will get better! You can either fight him and try to keep him awake, or just go with it until he is on a more regular schedule. I found it was easoer to just go with the flow whenever possible and work around her schedule. If we had something going on, I tried to do what I could to get her on a schedule that would work for that day. As she got older, she started to wake up around the same time every day, and it got easier to put her down for her naps at the same time (10 and 3). Her routine has needed frequent adjustments, but I did what another poster did- adjusted her schedule depending on when she woke up until she was a little older. She needs a nap after 3 hours (at the very most), so if she woke up at 7 am, I put her down by 9:30-10, and adjusted the rest of the day accordingly. I trialed different naptimes and watched her sleep cues every day to see what worked. He may not be ready for a scheduled naptime yet, especially since he is going right back to sleep after his morning meal. Maybe you can use that first naptime to eat your breakfast, take your shower, whatever, so you can sleep in until he wakes up. That's actually what I do, and it works out pretty well for me, as long as I don't have any early morning guests! =) In a few months he'll probably be on a schedule, and it will be easier to plan your day. One other thing I've realized is that because the time available to do errands (when she is not asleep or eating) throughout the day is limited, it actually works out better for both of us to just mess up one whole day to do errands than try to get out and get back before the next naptime or feeding several days in a row. Hope this helps! C.

I am in the same boat! Lately, my daughter has been falling asleep by 8 or 8:30PM and skipping her evening nap all together. Would be great except I don't get to work until 10am and she is now getting up at 6am :( Before she was going to bed at 9:30 and waking up at 8:30am which worked perfectly. I can't wait to hear the responses because I have tried a routine and it doesn't seem to work.

I will preface this with "The books say" That a child will want to take a nap approx. 2 hours after they get up and then again 2-3 hours after that. That has actually held true for my son. He started the pattern around 3 months and he is now 10 months. He usually wakes up around 6:30-7 and I give him a small bottle while he is laying in his crib. I don't get him out and he USUALLY goes right back to sleep until 8:30 or 9. I then wait until close to 10 for breakfast and he is USUALLY ready for a nap around 11-11:30. He will sleep until noonish , eat around 2 and nap agin by 3. It is a pattern more than a schedule as itfluctuates slightly depending on his waking time. I know all children are different but your son probably has his own pattern and they are hard to change. After my son wakes up in the morning I let him play in his crib for awhile. With him if he is fussing he is not ready to get up.
Good luck and try to "tweak" your schedule and his pattern to be closer but most likely you will have to adapt to the schedule he is giving you.

N.-
At 6 months I wouldn't worry about a schedule in which you go by the clock, as much as having a routine. I had read that babies need to nap after being awake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. So if your son wakes at 7 he might be ready for a nap around 8:30 or 9. If he wakes up later, just adjust the time. If he falls right back to sleep after eating in the morning, I think that's OK too. I know it's hard not to know exactly what time he will be sleeping/awake, but at least you can get a routine going and as he gets older it will probably get more predictable in terms of time. Good luck!

Hi N.-

Have you tried keeping him awake until 9-9:30 or atleast close to it. What I've always done with my kids is try my best to keep them awake closer to the times I needed them to sleep. Try waiting a little longer to feed him. Also babies normally fall asleep toward the end of their feedings. I would try to stimulate him during this time to keep him up longer, sing him a song, shake a rattle, tickle his feet, at six months he's able to play. When he wakes up at 7, as long as he's not screaming for a bottle wait a little wile to feed him, try getting him to wake up a little and be alert during feeding time and then it will be easier to keep him stimulated and awake so he's ready to take a nap closer to the time you need him to. Also if he's sleeping longer than you want him to in the morning maybe you should wake him up. Some mothers will tell you to leave him alone and that he has to keep his "own" schudule but I have to girls and I NEEDED them to be on a schedule, these are some things that worked for me. Good Luck!!!

N. -
I had the same questions and trouble with my son. I soon discovered that it helped to have a sort of scheduled time for naps but not time of day. If my son gets up at 6AM instead of 7AM and he is up for the morning, I know that around 8 - 8:30 he will be ready for a nap. Just watching my son and when he gives his tired cues, I know that he should nap about every 2 - 2.5 hours. It just depends upon his morning and when he eats. Once I followed that rule, he has been doing pretty well.

Of course, once you get into a routine, your son could always decide to change things on you with teething or a growth spurt. Good luck!

I had a child that at 6 months would only take little 1/2 hour power naps! I tried everything, but nothing worked until I started putting him to bed earlier. He now goes to bed by 7:00 p.m. and wakes about 6:00 a.m. He will take two naps during the day; both somewhere between an hour and two hours. However, I agree with everyone who says that a specific nap time just may not be what your son needs right now. As long as he is getting the sleep that he needs, go with it! I also agree with the person who suggested the book "Healthy sleep habits, happy child" It was the only book whose methods actually helped me to get my son to nap at all! Good Luck and God Bless!

buy the book "healthy sleep habits, happy child" It is awesome!

I'm definitely a schedule person and both my babies have generally been good with that. Obviously there is always flexibility with a schedule depending on the baby's needs, but general routine is nice if you like to be able to plan. My advice is to keep your son awake after he eats in the morning. If he eats at 7 or 7:30 then he'll probably be tired about 9 or 9:30. My son is 7 months old and eats about 7:30, naps at 9:30 and then eats lunch at noon and naps at approximately 2ish. He has a bottle at 8pm and goes straight to bed. For the most part it goes that way, but as all moms know, there is always something new with a baby trying to throw a person's schedule off. You can definitely have something to shoot for though. :) Good luck!

My son didn't get on a schedule until almost a year. Just when you think that they get on one, they change it up. I just got to the point where I just gave up. In my opinion, don't worry the time will come. Now my son eats and sleeps at the same time everyday.