Napping - Willoughby,OH

Updated on January 31, 2007
A.W. asks from Painesville, OH
7 answers

My son is five months old and I was curious to know how many naps he should be taking through out the day. I have read that he should take a nap every two hours. For the most part he does get in a nap every two hours (it lasts only twenty to thrity minutes) I would like him to take longer naps and maybe not so many. Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated.

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S.P.

answers from Cleveland on

Well, my daughter is now almost 11 months. At 5 months she seemed to take a nap about every 2-3 hours. Sometimes I'd get an hour or 2 other times just 1/2 hour. I think each kid is different. Some are nappers, some aren't. I feel it's important for them to get a nap in no matter if it's 10 minutes or 2-3 hours. It sounds to me like he's normal and seems to be on the right track. My daughter now takes 2 naps one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

S.

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M.P.

answers from Cincinnati on

At 8 months, my daughter still takes 3 naps a day some days. I can get her to nap longer by going in and giving her a pacifier if she seems to be waking up. Also, she will nap longer if she is in her car seat. You also might try letting your son go 2 1/2 hours between naps and see if he will nap longer. Good luck!

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H.M.

answers from Cincinnati on

When my girls were that age they usually took 2 two hour naps. I would watch for signs of sleepiness about 2 hours after they woke up in the morning and after their first nap. As they grew up that space got a little longer. The morning nap will probably be closer to wake-up time, and then a bigger space between the am nap and the pm nap. Eventually the first nap kind of disappears and the pm nap moves up to around lunch time. They are turning two and now take one nap (usually 2-3 hrs) around 1-1:30 pm. I hope this helps.

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M.D.

answers from Cincinnati on

I know not everyone likes to have their kids on a schedule, but I found that worked best for me with both of my kids. My 7 month old takes two naps a day. He gets up around 7:30 in the morning and is ready for his morning nap between 10 and 11. He normally sleeps for an hour to an hour and half. Then he gets up eats lunch, plays for a while and any time between 2 and 3 I pus him down for his afternoon nap and he normally sleeps between 2-3 hours. It took me longer to get him on a schedule then my first son. Now at almost 3 my first son still takes a 2 hour afternoon nap every day and never fights me on it because it's something we've always done. Hope this helps. At first I did have to let my 7 month old cry a little bit when I put him down on a schedule, but after a few days he would go right to sleep!!
Good Luck!
M.

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T.P.

answers from Cleveland on

I would try keeping him busy and only allow him two naps at the most. I would also make sure that his first nap was his longest, and the second nap only being maybe 30 minutes to an hour, so that he still sleeps well at night.

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K.E.

answers from Steubenville on

i have the same problem. my daughter usually only sleep a half hour then wakes. This even happens at bed time and then she is up later than she should be. She usually sleeps pretty good at night, but I know she could sleep more than what she does. Good luck.

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C.F.

answers from Rochester on

Try watching him to see when he is telling you that he is tired. Watch for fussiness, rubbing his eyes, and yawning. As soon as he is showing you that he is tired, change him, feed him if you have to, and put him down for a nap. If he is actually tired when he lays down he'll be more likely to sleep longer. Also, if he has eaten within an hour or so of laying down that might help. Your best bet is to watch when he is sleepy and adjust his schedule around that. After a few days of watching him, you should be able to figure out what schedule works for him. Some days he may not stick to it, but at least you will know what to expect most of the time. Some babies just aren't big sleepers, unfortunately. To increase your chances of him having a decently long nap, try these suggestions. Try white noise or lullabye music during naps and at bedtime, make sure he is dry when you put him down and isn't going to wake up early because he is hungry, put him down for a nap in his crib-same place everytime, and try to get him in a routine so he knows what to expect. I also use a pacifier for my daughter only at naps/bedtime and rock her for a couple minutes before I put her in the crib. That is enough to settle her down and help her know that it is naptime. If you try all of this and it still doesn't help, you may want to try to keep him awake a little longer so he is worn out enough to take a longer nap. It may not work if your kid is just not a big sleeper, but it would be worth a try. I hope this helps. Hopefully he'll be sleeping better soon!

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