I am a stay at home Mom and I am having trouble getting my son that is 6 1/2 months on a specific nap schedule. He definetly takes 2-3 naps a day for about 45min to 1 hour and 20 min. I cannot get him to sleep longer than an 1 hour and 20 min and he doesn't nap at the same time everyday. I try to pay attention to his sleepy signals and put him down. How do I get him on a specific nap schedule and possibly longer naps? Sleep is so important and I don't want him to be sleep deprived. He does go to bed at 7:00 every night.
not every child needs a consistent schedule for naps. I would say if he sleeps at night regularly, leave the naps for "as they come". Hope this helps!
For me, as the parent, I put my son down at specific times... He wakes in the morning about 6:30, then at about 9:00-9:30 in the morning, and in the afternoon at about 2:00-2:30, this is when he naps, and at about 8:00p.m. is when he goes to bed at night. That is his sleeping schedule....and he will nap for about 2 hours each, and still goes to bed at night and sleeps well. He is never fussy this way and rarely over-tired. It works for us. I have done this since he was a baby... he is now 19 months old, and he is very used to this routine... and there is no struggle to get him to nap. At those times I put him in the crib, and even if he is still awake, he will fall asleep on his own, and he gets tired at these times. Yes, they do have sleepy signals... but, sometimes a baby/child will "force" themselves awake and it's not always ideal to wait until "they" tell us when they are tired. Children/babies take to "schedules" and for me, doing it this way for my son is the best thing... for me and him. He knows when it is "nap" time and will even take my hand and pick up his favorite stuffed cow that he sleeps with, and will actually take me downstairs to his room, when it is "time" for his nap. He has come to intrinsically "know" when his nap time is... and he naps. But again, this is the routine I have done with him since he was a baby. And I schedule myself accordingly. He is not one to just nap anywhere.. .he will only nap in his crib. So I adjust my schedule and stay at home when it is his nap time. The consistency is important. If you notice, there is about 3 hours "wake" time between his naps and going to bed at night. This is the time span in between naps in which I notice he will get "tired" again after playing and daily activities.
At night, he goes to bed at 8:00. And again, since this is his routine, he doesn't fuss about it when it is time.
On the other hand, with my firstborn, my daughter... it was quite the opposite and as a first time Mom then, I didn't really have a specific nap "schedule" and would just put her down when she "seemed" tired... this lead to erratic sleeping times and it was hard on her and me... she'd often be fussy and overtired or didn't nap/sleep well. Bear in mind that if a baby/child is "over-tired"... they actually do NOT sleep as well and may even be more "hyper." I learned the hard way with my firstborn... now with my 2nd child, I do things much differently with my son. My son has a nap/sleep schedule.... and it makes it easier on me too because then I can actually schedule myself and my own routines/activities for the day, since I know when and how long he naps. It's more sane that way and practical. And, he's not a fussy overtired child, which is the best part too.
I know each child is different with different personalities and temperaments... but I've found, that a CONSISTENT routine and specific "nap/sleep" times definitely helps. Start now since he is young, and as he gets older he will be used to it. That has been my experience at least.
As a side note: there is a homeopathic children's sleep soother called "Calms Forte." There are no contraindications and it's all natural. For traveling and for times when a child has difficulty sleeping or upsets, this can help. BUT, I do not know at what age or at how young this can be given to a baby. You might want to research this. Just Google it and type in "calms forte".
Good luck and I hope this helps.
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo
I think you're doing a great job! As long as your baby is happy and doesn't seem overtired, sometimes a 45 minute nap might be all he needs, especially if he's still getting three naps a day. My son rarely naps for more than an hour to an hour and a half. I do agree though that sometimes babies don't elicit the tired signals we expect to see until it's "too late" and they're overtired, especially as they get older. My husband and in-laws all think I'm crazy when I put my son down for his nap within two hours of waking and he doesn't appear tired to them. But his eyes get a little red around the lids and he gets more quiet and I know he's tired. In any case, I agree that it mostly depends on your style and the baby and a strict schedule sometimes works and waiting for the tired signals can work as well.
yeah it can be difficult when they are like that. what i do with my daughter is about 2 hours after she wakes up in the morning she is down for a nap. then about 2-3 hours after waking from that nap she is down for another. she also is in bed by 7pm... just keep trying ok GOOD LUCK!!!
