Naps - McHenry,IL

With my first we were just happy anytime she would take a nap. About 4 months, the colic stopped and she started taking two naps a day. She would be up at about 7am, nap from 10-11:30, nap again at 2-4, and then down for bed 7:30.

With my baby now we are doing more of an attachment parenting, and kind of letting her make her own schedule. She has been sleeping through the night since basically day one and she is still on 3 naps a day naturally at almost 5 months. She has put herself on this schedule. Bed about 8, I wake her between 10-11 for a diaper change and to eat, she wakes between 5-7 to eat, sleeps til about 9, nap around 11, nap around 2, nap around 5. Bed again at 8. That's what she is telling us she needs for now. It's nice because my two year old naps from 1-about 4 so I do get about an hour with just the baby and then an hour or two where they are both sleeping and things can get done around the house. Or a day like today where the baby I babysit is sleeping on me so I get to play on the computer. :)

It is working out much easier on us now letting baby kind of make their own schedule, it doesn't work for everyone but I have decided to "let the baby drive" and see how it works, so far it's been amazing for our family!

every child is different.. but my daughter was a sleeper girl.. took 4 naps until 6 or 7 months.. my son gave up the 3rd nap by 3 months.. he was too busy to sleep. when they give up the 3rd nap.. bedtime moves earlier.. so it is not unusual to put the baby to bed at 630 at night.

by the way -- my sleeper girl took 2 naps a day till she was 18 months.. my son gave up his morning nap at 9 months..

life is easier when they get to 1 long nap in the afternoon.

my son was transitioned at about 4.5-5 months. Every so often during this time he would still get sleepy in the late afternoon so we would do a third one that was usually short (like an 1-1.5 hours). At six months he's usually 100% with two naps as long as they are at least 4-5 hours total. He's had a few days where his afternoon nap only lasts an hour and he can't get back to sleep. On those days that he would want a "third" nap, I actually just do his bed time routine an hour or two earlier.

I will say it's dependent on how long they are sleeping at night. My son sleeps 10-12 hours at night so the 4-5 during the day put him right at the amount of sleep he needs each day.

My son had transitioned to 2 naps at about 8 months but for whatever reason he has wanted a third cat nap again for the last week. I'm thinking it's just a growth spurt.