Naps - Huntington Beach,CA

Both my kids at that age took 2 or 3 naps a day.

I liked reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child".

I think the other books mentioned here are good too. I just take what I can from each book and do what works best for me.

WOW, my son is almost 3 and it's amazing I cant even remember how many times he napped at 5mos... I do remember starting a "flexible" schedule early on and that helped me tremendously. I was given the book ON BECOMING BABYWISE by Gary Ezzo & Robert Bucknam - you can find it on Amazon. It is great and teaches you the eat,play,nap routine so that baby doesn't depend on food/milk to fall asleep rather learns how to sleep on their own, but also allows for parental discretion. I loved it and feel it has been the reason my son was sleeping through the night by 7mos as well as taking 2 good naps until almost age 2 and now continues to take 1 good nap in the afternoon (at 34 monthss). Consistency is the key.

Best wishes,
C.~

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You did not mention how he sleeps at night... If he sleeps at night, don't mess around with the nap thing!!!! You might mess up his nights, and NOBODY wants that!!! Everyone has their own natural rhythms, As a child, I did not nap, I just took "zombie naps" where I would glaze over for 10 minutes and then snap out of it and join the party. As a mom, I would insist, however, on some form of "quiet time" where he has to amuse himself for a certain amount of time while you get a break. Put him in a playpen or someplace safe for 1/2 hour and gradually increase the time up to an hour. He will cry, but set the timer and don't go to him until it beeps. He will learn to find something to do with himself. Maybe keep some very interesting toys in the playpen just for quiet time. Good luck!!

Do you have him on a feeding schedule? I have ALWAYS put my babies on a feeding schedule right from the hospital. At 5 months my baby would eat every 2 to 3 hours. Not only does it help them to sleep better it also helps me to know when they are hungry or just being fussy. My advice is to start a feeding schedule and the sleeping schedule seems to come naturally. Signs I watch for are rubbing of the eyes, a yawn, and crankiness. Time for bed. I just observe their own natural patterns and then set their feeding/sleeping times accordingly. I understand about having other children (I have 5, my youngest is 14 months and I'm prego again). This is why putting your son on a feeding and sleeping schedule is so essential. It is SO NICE to have baby sleeping for 2 hours twice a day, which is what he really can do. A morning nap (9:30/10:00) and an afternoon nap (about 3:00/3:30). Your baby will be happier, you'll have more time for your 2 year old, for cleaning, and if you're really lucky for yourself! :P Good luck!

My son will be 5 months next week and we are trying to work out a schedule too. I pretty much let him set it (wrote down the times he would fall asleep for about a week and went with those).

I have heard different stories about how much to nap, but the general is 2-4 naps a day of 40mins to 2 hrs each. My son naps twice in the morning for 45 mins each and then a couple times in the afternoon for about the same amount, sometimes even 5 naps of 45 mins. Bedtime is 8pm and rises at 6-ish. If he doesn't fall asleep by me rocking him for 2 minutes, I put him in his crib with his blanket, put on a lullaby cd by baby Einstien and let him play til he falls asleep--it works most of the time, but not always!

Good luck!

First of all, I'm assuming that your two year old takes a mid-day nap. I would plan one nap at the same time as your two year old's nap. To get your baby on a napping schedule, keep track of when he gets tired every day. Put him down sleepy, but still awake at the same time every day. Make sure to start some kind of routine so that he knows it's almost time for a nap. (Ours is lunch, diaper change, into bed.) After about a week, he should be napping on a regular schedule. Five month old babies should still be taking three naps a day. One about two hours after he wakes up (for about 1 1/2 hours), one in the middle of the day (for about 2 1/2 hours) and one about two to three hours before bedtime (for about one hour.) Around 8 months, he should go to two naps a day, dropping the early morning one first. At around 18 months, he should be taking about a three hour nap in the middle of the day. Good luck! :)

Below is an approximate example of my 5 month old's schedule which we came into organically by following his cues and have been practicing for a couple months. I do not follow Babywise, I follow my child's lead and always allow room for change and practice feeding on demand. I call it the "up for 2, down for 1" schedule.

6am- up with my husband for a diaper change and time with dad.
7ish- back to bed with me, where I nurse him and we sleep till around 9am.
9 to 11- activity such as playing in the excersaucer, going outside, playing with toys, then down for tummy time (I do this last because it seems to tire him out)
11 to noon- nurse then put him down for a nap
Noon to 2- activity again... a walk, practicing sitting up, playing, tummy time again
2-3 nurse/nap (if he's not hungry at 2 then he'll nurse some time between 3 and 5)
3-5 activity
5-6 nurse/nap (if he didn't eat until between 3-5 he won't eat again until bedtime)
6-8 dad comes home/activity
8 bedtime
11pm- I nurse him, change his diaper then put him back to sleep.

I realize you have a 2 year old and can't solely focus on your youngest. If you don't already have a swing, get one! I was worried about letting my son have the occasional nap in it but my pediatrician told us it's fine! I also recommend getting a Moby Wrap, you can wear your child so he feels safe and warm and can nap while you do things with your 2 year old. Good luck, I'm sure you're doing a great job!

Hello C., I have a two year old son and my son would take one long four hour nap at 5 months old. I would just lay him down when he was tired but not asleep and he would put himself to sleep. Does your 2 year old still take naps? That most be hard for you, Right now my son is getting his two year molers in and sometimes it's hard for him to get him to sleep and I know that it is hard for me when my son misses a nap. I hope this has help and good luck with everything! God Bless you and your family.

there are good tips in both Babywise & Baby Wisperer, as others have mentioned -- one thing that sticks with me from Secrets of The Baby Wisperer is to watch for the early signs of sleepiness and encourage a nap at that time: "by the third yawn it's already too late".

Hi C. - I had success using the book "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer". Both my girls slept two to three times a day for about one and a half hours when they were 5 months old. I found they would stay awake for about three hours at a time. At 5 months was when they started waking a lot at night, too, so don't be surprized if that starts happening. If you need help, you can email me. Hope this helps!

Hi C.!
Like Petra, "Secrets of the Baby Whisperer" really helps me too with my 3 1/2 month old. Because I am headed back to work in a few days I really needed to form some type of 'pattern', not schedule but pattern of naps for him. I have yet to be able to just put him down in his crib to let him fall asleep on his own but I hope that will come soon. What we have done with him since Day One is bounce him on a pilates ball. it's magic! I keep a track of time and when it starts getting close to two hours that he's been awake, I head for the pilates ball which I keep near his crib. And either over my shoulder or cradled with his pacifier, I bounce lightly and sshhsshh lightly and within minutes he's out.
Hope this helps!

C.,
Does he sleep through the night? Maybe he will set his own nap time. When he seems the crankiest, that could be when he should have a nap. You can get in the car and drive them both around the block a few times. Sometimes that works with tired babies. Or notice his cranky time and start rocking him then. Put a DVD or good child's program on for your two year old at this time. You can sit where you can see your two year old. The few minutes of rocking could be a good time for you to relax with the baby in your arms. Does your two year old take regular naps?

Hope this helps some.

E.:)

3 day sleep solution!! Get the video and you will see how well your baby will start napping and sleeping better in 3 days - but consistency is key. Go to www.3daysleep.com Or you can consult with Davis Erhler. She is AMAZING!!! In the video she also goes over how to 'teach' your baby to sleep on their own (no sleep crutches- swings, rocking, car rides, etc.....)
My son took 3 naps at this age....consistency and a schedule you stick to 'everyday' is what is going to get him on a good routine. Pay the $39.95 - you will throw out all your other books and be amazed!! The only book I kept was Gary Ezzo - "On Becoming Babywise" - great book.

You might want to just try leaving him in the crib after he is changed and fed. Look for the tired Qs first like rubbing the eyes, cranky whimpers, yawning, etc. He may cry a little, but he should get the point soon after he gets bored. My son is a little older, but I found at that age, when he didn't want to nap, that he slept better at night when naps were a regular occurrence.
My son's schedule now is: wakes up at 6:45am, nap at 9:45ish, nap again between 2 and 4, he is asleep for the night at 8pm. Even if he naps for 1/2 an hour there is a huge energy and attitude difference. It is also REALLY nice to have a little time to yourself to make phone calls or clean up.

About that age, my son went from 3 naps to one big one. For a while he did about 20-30 min morning, then 1-2 hours after lunch, then another short one in the later afternoon. Around 6m he started doing 2-3 hours after lunch. You need to decide what works for you. Mom decides when nap starts and stops, even if they cry for a couple min. at first. Baby Wise helped me. Really a set schedule, whatever it is, works best. Also, take note of how many stroller/car seat naps they get. Sometimes after those they think they're "done" with napping for the day because they've had mini naps and aren't as tired.

my daughter at that age was taking 2 naps a day one mid morning and the last mid afternoon. she was usually up, bathed, fed and playing at 8am and was down for a nap about 10-11a. then she would wake up and have lunch around 12-1p and was back down for another nap at 3p i also didnt ever allow her to sleep past 5p so she can eat dinner and be in bed by 7p. that really worked for me but if your baby still refuses to take 2 naps then what i would do (and did with my daughter time to time) was put them down for 1 good nap in between the 2 times you would normally put them down. some parents dont feel its neccisary to schedual a baby at that age (or ever sometimes) for naps but i think its helpful that your baby starts to learn when they are tired so they can learn how to relax themselves to goto sleep. good luck i hope this was helpful to you!!!

I have a 2.5 yr old and a 3 month old. Although my hubby has been very involved with our older son so I can get the baby down for her 4 naps a day, I use a baby carrier a lot to get her down and bounce on a ball with a blanket over her head (yes she can still breathe) so she can't see. It works well and I've even done it while reading my son a book. The recent book I've read talks about at her age babies shouldn't be up longer than 2 hrs and I can see she's thriving on this. Your son is older and may need less naps and have more wake stamina. I would try to find something that gets him down and do that every time he's tired. Make the sleeping environment "sleep oriented" and even if he has to cry a bit while you're with the 2 yr old, it's OK. I've heard a lot of mom's say it's hard to get the 2nd to sleep because of the first waking them up. I know mom's are in your same boat. Will he take a pacifier? Mine won't but I know it can work wonders. Good luck finding what works. I encourage you to do just that to get him to nap.
blessings!

Hi C.:
Your 5 month old,should pretty much be taking naps himself.Babies that age, begin getting fussy,and tired,and will fall asleep on their own.Are you saying, that your baby never falls asleep or tires during the day? I could understand A toddler fighting nap-time, because they are far more active. My sons would have been a radical mess, if they stayed awake all day!A recomendation for another CIO program isn't appropriate at 5 mos. You can tell, hes ready for a nap when he begins to get cranky and fussy.When it starts,make sure hes dry and has a full tummy and lay him down.Best of luck to you.