Nighttime/Naps

Updated on August 23, 2007
M.K. asks from Lake Orion, MI
6 answers

Hi Moms!!

I have a 7 1/2 month old son who has never been a good napper, but always a good nightime sleeper. We follow the same routine everyday for naps and nightime...goes down for naps b/t 8:45 - 9, 1 -1:30 and 4:30 or 5 and betime is 7pm. He puts himself to sleep at each nap and bedtime. He got sick about 3 weeks ago and hasn't slept the same since. He will wake at 10 almost every night...he does put himself back to sleep. Then some nights, like last night, he will wake a few more times...again putting himself back to sleep. But he has been waking at 4 or 5 am for a bottle and won't go back to sleep without it. I have tried waiting it out if he isn't crying and this morning he was awake from 4 - 5:15! I know sleep begets sleep and sometimes I think his poor napping affects his nighttime sleep, but I don't know how to change it! He goes to sleep fine, but some days he'll only sleep for an hour, or worse 1/2 hour! I know he needs more b/c he is crabby. He is so inconsistent that regular schedules are hard to keep. Naps can range anywhere from 45 min - 2 hours!

2 things I would like to try and do....eliminate the am feeding and increase nap length. I have tried everything I can think of in both arenas...or is this something that he will just grow out of in time and should I just roll with it??

Thank you!

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So What Happened?

Thanks ladies! All great advice. I was putting him down at 9:30 and 1:30 only, but the probem I ran into was that sometimes he would only sleep until 2:30. When we tried to keep him up until 7 it was a nightmare. If he would sleep 2 hours at a time, 2 naps is the ideal situation. But there are so many days he will only sleep for an hour and on those days he needs a 3rd nap, otherwise he would need to go to bed at 5:30 and I am not brave enough to do that! The other big issue is that he is so inconsistent, that a shcedule is hard to keep. Today he went down for a nap at 9:30 (after waking at 7:30) and slept until 11:30! On these days, a second nap at 2 is no problem, but on days he sleeps until 10, there is no way he will make it until 2! LOL, that is my drama for the moment. We'll see how it goes!

More Answers

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A.H.

answers from Grand Rapids on

M.-
My almost 6 month old is also not a good napper. We, too, are on a strict schedule, but sometimes he will wake after only 30 minutes in his bed. I have discovered that if he hasn't slept for at least 60 minutes, he is not rested, so I will not go get him from his bed. He will whine and cry for a few minutes, but then go back to sleep. Usually, he will fall back asleep for up to another 45 minutes and then he is such a happy baby! Since I've been doing this, he has stopped the numerous wake-ups in the middle of the night (although I have ALWAYS let him put himself back to sleep). He, too, gets up in the morning anywhere between 5-6:30am for a bottle. I do feed him, which takes 10-15 minutes and then he goes back to bed for a good hour or two. Hope that you find your solution!
-A.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.S.

answers from Detroit on

Maybe his night time sleeping problem is from to many naps during the day? My kids were on one nap, sometimes 2 depending on the day, at your sons age. Now that he's getting older maybe you should adjust the schedule so he's awake more during the day. I'll just tell you what my kids schedule was and you can figure out if it might help you.
up around 7am
first nap around 11am for 1-2hours. sometimes I'd skip this and put them down at 1.
second nap if needed was short and around 3pm.
bed at 8pm
They all slept through the night on this schedule. This is normally what I did after solids were introduced. As babies grow they don't need as much down time. Good luck and I hope you get him sleeping at night again soon!

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A.T.

answers from Detroit on

I would try to eliminate one of the naps. I see 3 naps scheduled and maybe thats too much. With my 2 kids, at this age they would nap from 10-12p and then again from 2-4pm and to bed for the night at 8pm, awake in the morning aroun 7:30-8pm.
When they were cutting teeth or sick, they would definatley go off their routines and you do kind have to just roll witht he punches but they alwyas went back.
I also dont think that eliminating the AM feeding is a good idea...all though, I dont know what time AM is or if mayne he is eating too much.
My kids ate at 8am, 12pm, 4pm, 8pm...hope some of this helps!
Good luck

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C.S.

answers from Kalamazoo on

Hi,
I agree with Rachelle, I think maybe he is getting too many naps. I would maybe try gradually moving his morning nap a little later...maybe 9:30 or 10 and then another nap around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. He may sleep longer during his naps if you try this. It's hard to remember but I'm pretty sure this was the schedule my son was on at that age and he then gave up his morning nap around 1 year. Good luck!

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C.M.

answers from Detroit on

Try eliminating one of his naps during the day. At 7 months old, he doesn't require as much sleep as he did when he was an infant. This is probably what is causing him to wake up so much at night. Instead of letting him nap at 4:30 or 5:00, keep him up. That way by 7:00 bedtime he will be tired enough to stay asleep longer. Good luck!!

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L.N.

answers from Benton Harbor on

Hi again M.~
Well, Im going to go down in flames here, but here goes; BabyWise. (Ladies, please dont send me a million messages about how dangerous it is, etc...I know what people claim already...haha!) I have used it for both of my youngest and everytime I recommend it, moms come back thanking me. Just a quick disclaimer here, I am not saying read it cover to cover and do exactly what it says! For example, we do not let our babies 'cry it out', I think its horrible. Anyway, the chapters on sleep are life-changing. The DO have sleep figured out and explain it clearly. Every sleep problem I have encountered, I have looked to BabWise to solve and it has been right on! As with any method, you have to take the advice that works for you and leave what doesn't. The napping problems you are having are so specifically targeted, I highly recommend reading it, if only for information purposes. I have found that in my research, most of the people criticizing BabyWise are going on what others' have told them and not actually reading and dissecting the method itself. Anyway, that's my answer and my opinion...Im sure there will be arguments but give it a shot! As long as you are doing what you believe is best for your baby, you'll get through this sleep stuff!! :)
Good luck, M.!
~L.

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