Nap Time - Lakewood, CA

the child sleeps at night? so who is giving you hard time about her day-time napping? hope not you MIL (he-he). perfectly normal cycle for this age. my boy did the same thing when i was coincidentally first time working mom. just to think of the load of stuff good-meaning advisors made me go through! None worked. he was the way he was and he is perfectly fine now. don't be led into idea that what you do or don’t do is going to somehow affect sleeping habits for the rest of her life.
V

At this age, it's normal...they are still getting used to things and our world.
But, YOU can introduce regularity to her... instead of just waiting for HER to get tired.

Babies have this cycle of waking, then 2-3 hours after, getting tired again and needing to nap. At this age, even a diaper change or bath is an "activity."

Just put her down at the same times everyday. Some babies take very well to routine and regularity. This is what I did with my kids.
And now even at their ages, my kids still nap and go to bed fine.

I'm not talking sleep "training" or heavy-handed scheduling at this age... but regularity, and consistency. The baby will get used to it. It takes time.

By the time you actually see her getting tired, many times they are already OVER-tired...and over-tired babies or children actually do NOT sleep well... and they wake more. So this may be the problem.

They also need a pre-nap/bedtime "habit" so that they can unwind before napping.

Put her in the crib while she is still awake but tired... tuck her in etc., and let her sort of self-soothe and fall asleep on her own. Watch her, and see how she does. Many babies will make noise as they fall asleep and it's normal...but if she is then crying/screaming, then soothe her/help her.

Many times, swooping in right away at the every sound they make, just wakes them up and disrupts their natural falling-asleep process... so just try and wait a bit. Hang loose. And then she may fall asleep on her own. This is what I did with my son, and he is a great faller-asleeper now.

But go with what you think is appropriate.

But yes, I would put her down at regular times...
The book "Secrets of The Baby Whisperer- how to calm, connect, and communicate with your baby" is great. It offers great tips.

Yes, a baby needs to nap, even a child. Sleep aids in brain development and restoring the body.

And always feed on demand... if a baby is hungry, they can't sleep.

Good luck,
Susan

My son was the same way... his naps were exactly 30 minutes, I could use him as a kitchen timer! I felt like I spent the whole day trying to get him to take a good nap. I read every book out there, but nothing changed until he was more than a year old and I switched him to one nap a day. Now at 19 months, naps are so easy, but still only about an hour. He is happy all day and growing, so I've learned my lesson for the next child - to go with what works for them!

that is totally normal. My sons naps didnt getting longer until at least 9 months when he cold stay up for at least 3 hours and only took 2 naps. Be greatful she is sleeping through the night. I am sure she is getting plenty of sleep. The self regulate their sleep.

I think it's pretty normal. I distinctly remember having the same concern when my son was about 4 months old and did establish a schedule by the time he was about 6 months.

And my son's daycare did exactly what you are doing, just let him go on his own schedule. I say keep doing what you are doing.

You might try moving her bedtime forward to 7pm or even 6:30. According to some of the experts I read (Weissbluth and Tizzie Hall, mainly), 7:30 is later than ideal, and earlier bedtime will lead to better sleep overall.

Worked for me, btw.

Hi C., I am assuming that when she wakes up from her nap you go to her right away, pick her up and maybe even feed her. Even if you do not nurse her you are creating a problem by picking her up. This probably also occurs at night. She is old enough now to be sleeping 11-12 hours at night without eating. If you feed her in the night when she wakes she will not learn how to soothe herself back to sleep. Because she has not learned to do this, she wakes up fully everytime she cycles into a light sleep. If she naps for at least an hour than you should get her up, but anything under an hour is not sufficiant nap and you should leave her in her bed. Go in and tell her that it is still nap time and she needs to go back to sleep. Until she has learned to soothe herself without being fed or rocked to sleep, she will continue to wake too soon.
K. Smith-Sleep Consultant and Parenting Coach
www.theindependentchild.com

Just go with the flow. I thought the same thing last mo with my 5.5 mo old.
Just wait just when they start to sleep through the night they go through another phase and start napping and sleeping more in the day and waking every 5 hrs or so at night.
I too was concerned when her almost normal sleeping pattern changed and I wanted it back. She used to go down at 7 pm and wake fully at 7 am. but not any more now she naps at 11 am, 2-3 pm and again after dinner and before 10 pm bedtime. I have gotten used to it and so will you just enjoy. Although I want a more normal schedule I have stopped wishing for what its not and now I am able to more fully enjoy just holding my daughter to get the to settle for nap time and bed time.

Hi,

My 4 1/2 year-old son only naps about once a week, but we have "quiet time" every day at about the same time of day where he is in his room and must be "quiet" on his bed--reading books is okay, playing with toys is not. I wish he slept more often, since at times he gets cranky, but I think most four year-olds begin to give up naps. Regardless if he sleeps or not, I believe the "QT" is a great thing for him and for me to recharge our batteries.

You could always have your daughter go to bed earlier if you're concerned, like at 7 p.m. On school nights, our son goes to bed between 7:30 and 8 (sometimes earlier) and he wakes up about 7:15a.m.

:-) D.
P.S. Oops! I misread your question--I thought you were talking about a 4 1/2 YEAR-OLD, not a 4 1/2 MONTH old! Sorry! (Anyway--maybe my response will be helpful in the future--I started the QT when my son was 2--it's when he started not to nap every day).

Hi C.
I know many moms who have used the Guardian Sleeper.
I think this product may help you. One of the many benefits to this product is that babies sleep for longer periods at a time due to the fact that they feel they are being held. check out the site www.guardiansleeper.com it has great information.
Good luck
Austin's Mom

Hi C.,

For my firstborn, this was totally normal and remained normal for his entire nap lifetime. At 6 months, he was the "guest" baby for a childcare class at a local college, and one of the questions from a student was about naps. When I mentioned he would sleep for 20-30 minutes at a time, the instructor told me he was a "power napper." Hopefully yours will outgrow it and become a regular napper, but just know it's possible that it may not happen. He was happy, healthy, and well-adjusted, and obviously he was getting what he needed. :-) His 2 brothers both were better nappers, so sometimes it's just the way a baby is designed!

D.

C.,
this is normal behavior for a 4 month old, she will get into a rhythm. You can help her along by putting here down in her crib in a quiet room for a nap after every meal or when she exhibits signs of being tired. I usually feed my 6 month old and then let her play/crawl around for about 1 hour this tires her out and then she will sleep for about 30-90 minutes (I pray for longer). I do this after each feeding of solid food, which is 3 times a day. Good luck, I know who complicated this can be for a Mom. It will work itself out.

Hi C.,

I think this is probably normal. My son at this age would be tired exactly 1 1/2 hrs after he woke up (morning or from naps), though I could get him to take a long afternoon nap. He would take a mid-morning nap of 30 min, then sleep from about noon-3:00, then need another late afternoon nap from around 5:00-5:30. He is almost 7 months old now & can go about 2-2 1/2 hrs before getting tired, but still needs a 30 min morning & late afternoon nap. His noon nap is now about 2-2 1/2 hrs long. I've heard that some babies do just take short naps all day. I "trained" my son from the day we brought him home to take the longer afternoon nap so am not sure what most people do.

C.,

Your kiddo is doing what she needs to do...resting, eating and paying when she needs to.

Don't fuss about schedules or worry about 'normal' when it comes to sleep and/or feeding routines at this early and age. For me and my son, I threw out the expectations and just went with the flow.

I agree with many of the other posters that consistency is key, and having some kind of routine is important. Susan suggestions about the crib were great, and I would try them if I had a wee one to work with now.

You are doing a great job, and maintaining her needs. I would say that for the most part my son slept every two hours or so, and then would nap anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours...it just depended on what he needed. And, he didn't really nap until we were past introducing solids, and teething had begun and subsided for a time.

Just keep up the good work!

D..