Naps - Sterling Heights,MI

youre funny. if babies followed a perfect schedule, we wouldnt have these blogs. my baby takes about 5 power naps (5-10 mins each) a day, but she sleeps through the night. am i going to disrupt her schedule? not at this point. do i get anything done? try half of a shaved leg and 20 unfinished projects. im not gonna go crazy over it. you can try to sway your children toward a certain nap time, but they will do what their bodies require. as they get older, their "nap" time will become more regular, but they wont necessarily sleep during it. as long as the kids get regular down time (relaxing, or napping) they will be alright.

Hi S.,
I don't have twins but both of my boys at that age only took "catnaps". They would nap for about an hour. At about the age of one they started taking longer naps. It might be different for because they are twins so good luck.
Chris

Maybe it's time to put them in separate cribs? I have twin brothers that are younger than me. They were in the same crib when they were small, but had to be put in separate cribs sometime before 1yr old, not sure exactly how old though. THey might form differnt sleeping patterns and one might be keeping the other from getting the sleep that they need.???

I think this seems normal for a 6 month old. My daughter didn't switch over to 1 nap a day until closer to a year and we're still working on getting it to be 2 hours...she's up to 1.5 hours and occasionally I get 2...although occasionally I get less. Anyway, each child has their own sleep pattern and if your children still need 2 or 3 naps a day then take it for all it's worth...I love the days Lucy still sleeps for a 1/2 hour or so in the morning, I get so much more done! Anyway, if you are concerned you can talk to your pediatrician about normal sleeping habits. Good luck and happy napping!

Hi S. -

I have a 7 mo. old son who did the same thing for a while, but he was a 30 min. napper to the minute! He was always tired and cranky, but I couldn't "make" him sleep longer. I made sure that he was able to fall asleep on his own (putting him down drowsy, but awake) and kept him to a napping schedule. Now, most days, he naps for an hour b/t 9-9:30 and 2 hours b/t 1-1:30.

I don't know about the issue of one waking the other, but I know when I went through it with my son it was tough, because he clearly needed more sleep - he was so fussy all the time. SOme kids just have different needs, but in my sons case, I think teaching him to fall asleep on his own, not letting him get overtired and keeping him to schedule really helped. One thing you can try, try putting them down about 20 minutes earlier than you usually would. Sometimes they won't nap long b/c they are overtired. Also, if they don't already, try an earlier bedtime. I know it sounds crazy, but I read sleep begets sleep and with my son, it proved true! If they seem well rested though, 2 hours may be enough for them!

Good luck.

S.,
I have 2 year old twin boys, they sound like your girls. I actually had to seperate them early, because one does not like to sleep in his bed. So he would cry and scream. I put one the travel crib and one in the regular crib and since then, the one that went into the travel crib sleeps through the night and takes his nap like a champ. His twin however, still does not sleep at night unless with me and wont take a nap unless I lie down with him.
They also are the same with playtime, one plays great and by himself or with the older sibling. The other is constantly looking for something else to do, or is wanting me.
Good Luck,
K.

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JT

I don't think your twins' naps are that unusual. When my two kids began taking 2 naps (one in the morning, one in the afternoon), their naps were approx 45 min long--sometimes shorter, sometimes longer...My kids were good night sleepers, though, and they got a lot of their sleep at night (11-12 hours.)

Both of my kids started napping for longer periods when they went down to one nap--my daughter would sleep for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, and my son still sleeps 2-3 hours. Hopefully, when your twins start taking one nap, their naps will lengthen!!!