My daughter just turned 7 months and I am wanting to know from other mom's out there what is normal in terms of sleep. She sleeps through the night from 7 pm to 6 am...but seems really tired still in the morning. If I put her back down in her crib after her morning feeding, she will fall back asleep for another 1- 2 hours. Would this be considered a nap, or just waking up to eat and needs more sleep. She also naps a good solid nap in the morning for 1-2 hours around 10 and then another short nap around 2:30 for 45 minutes. Would you keep her up in the morning and hope that her two naps throughout the day get longer? Or let her sleep in? Thank you for all of your advice in advanced.
I wouldn't tell another person how she is sleeping for fear that you will jinx it!! LOL
No advice here, sounds like you have a good thing going!
Enjoy!!
M.
Here is our schedule for my 9 month old son- and it hasn't changed since he was about 7 months old.
6:30ISH Wake
8:00 Breast then breakfast
9:00-10:30ish Morning Nap
10:30ish Breast
12:00 Lunch
1:00ish-2:30ish Afternoon Nap
3:00 Breast
4:15- 5:00 SOMETIMES 3rd Nap- doesn't happen everyday
5:15ish Dinner
6:30-7:00 Breast and Bed
Hi B., sounds similar to what my son (nearly 8 mos) is doing now. He has slept 12 hours a night since he was very young, but the daytime naps have been a struggle, although now they are getting longer, and he is starting to go down on his own without too much fuss. His schedule is:
6:30-ish: wake, feed, change, play
8:30 or 9:00: 1st nap -- usually 45 minutes, longer if I'm lucky
9:30 or 10:00: wake, feed, change, activity
12:30 or 1:00: 2nd nap, again usually 45 minutes. Sometimes this takes place in the car if I have to go somewhere in the morning. Third feed somewhere in mid-afternoon.
3:00: maybe a third nap -- this one is a bit hit-or-miss.
Sometimes he can make it til 5:00 without a third nap, but he is usually pretty wiped out by then.
5:00 pm: bath time. Dress for bed + final feed.
6:00 pm: dead asleep!
I'd say if your daughter is otherwise happy and healthy, you are doing the right thing. Remember, every baby is different, so if this schedule is working for the two of you, you probably shouldn't change it.
it seems to be that shes just waking up to eat. maybe try to keep her up in the morning and put her down in between the 2 morning nap times or only let her sleep for about 45 minutes for that first nap. my daughter is 16 months and only takes one mid morning afternoon nap so heres what i did with my her at that age.
6-7a - she would wake up and i would give her her cup in bed (sometimes she would goto sleep again but usually she drinks her cup and plays)
8-8:30a - i get her up bathe and feed her breakfast
10-10:30a - she goes down for her morning nap
1p - she gets up has lunch
2:30-3p (depending on when she wakes up)- she goes down for a second nap and i do not let her sleep passed 5p because shes in bed for the night at 7-7:30p
This sounds fine to me. A baby needs 12-14 hours of sleep. Including naps. Typically, a baby naps in the morning, and afternoon... the length of time varies for each baby.
You are lucky she is a good night time sleeper and napper. She already seems to have a natural sleep pattern... which is good. I would not mess with that, since she is sleeping well and getting the adequate sleep SHE needs.
Typically, a baby has a cycle of: wake in morning, feed, awake time, nap. A baby will usually get tired again after having about 2 hours of "awake time." Or 3 hours, but by then they are usually tired again. At this age, even a diaper change and bath is an "activity"... and this is part of their awake time activities.
For my son, since he was a baby (he's now almost 24 months old), he naps twice a day still. His "schedule" would be: go to bed at night by 8:00p.m., he sleeps pretty well but wakes about once a night, he wakes up in the morning about 6:30a.m., I feed him, he has his play and awake time... then his morning nap is about 9:30. He naps for about 2 hours. Then he wakes up, play, awake time. By 2:30 in the afternoon, he is tired again... and when my daughter comes home from school, he has his afternoon nap & sleeps about 2 hours & my daughter naps too at this time (she's now almost 6 years old). Yes, believe it or not, they BOTH nap... even given their ages. AND, they both still go to bed at night perfectly fine and it does not interrupt their ability to sleep at night.
If you sustain a sleep/nap "schedule" for your baby... they WILL then sustain a good sleep pattern and a good "habit" of sleeping and napping. THIS is what you want. Then as the baby gets older (like my son & daughter), they will STILL retain a good sleep/nap pattern....and be less prone to "protesting" about it. I have learned this with both my children.
Sure, as they get older and go through developmental phases... their may be bumps in the road and hiccups in their sleep patterns.. BUT if you keep consistent... it will be fine. I am not rigid about my kids nap/sleep routine...but I do keep it the same everyday, and do make allowances for their occasional changes in patterns, or as they get older, the intervals between naps can lengthen. This has worked for me. And, it gives consistency for the kids, they get needed sleep, are less fussy or over-tired, and for me it is easier to manage my day/schedule that way...since their nap/sleep times are predictable and a routine. My son is napping now in fact.
Your baby seems fine. Yes, some babies do take 3 naps, or 2 per day. If this is what your baby is doing, then I think that's fine. As she gets older, it will change... she may continue to need 2 naps, or just one, or the nap length may change too. But, it's good she will nap and sleep well. Sleep is important for babies/children... it is important for brain development as well. You are very lucky!
Remember, each baby has their own "pattern."
All the best,
Susan
Hi B.!
I think your schedule is perfect actually. This is the same schedule I have for my son. He's 10 months old now but we've been on the same schedule for several months now. Are you nursing your daughter? What happens at 6am if you don't feed her? I'm just thinking maybe you can wean her of that feeding so that she will keep sleeping and you can keep sleeping. Our son will sometimes wake up a little bit because his big sister is a little noisy and she's always up by 6:30am. He might cry for a minute, then he babbles, and he falls back to sleep eventually or he stays there quietly until we get him. Typically we get him up by 8am and between 10 and 11am he goes down for his first nap, then another nap between 2 and 3pm. And he goes to bed by 7pm.
I wouldn't keep her up longer in the morning. I think what you're doing is just perfect.
-Char
B.,
My son would sleep 12 hours and get up around 7am, go back down for a nap at 9, and then again at 1. This is very normal for this age. He is one now and still takes 2 naps at those same times. They are busy little bees and tire easily. Good luck!
Hi B., as long as she is sleeping good through the night, I wouldn't worry to much about her day time naps, usually when they sleep more than usuall. it means they are going through a growth spurt. Sounds to me like you have a very easy baby, that sleeps good, i would use that time for you, get things done in the morning sense she is going back to sleep, then you have the rest of the day, free cause you got stuff sone in the morning. J.
you are very lucky,wait unil you have another,most babies wake in the am and go back down anywhere from 1/2-2 hours later.don't woory enjoy she must be a big baby you have a great sleeper
B.,
My son is the same age and what you described is exactly his sleep pattern. Really, I follow what he seems to need. Since he's sleeping throughout the night, I'm not concerned with whether or not he's taken 2 or 3 naps; and, I let him take them when he seems to need it. I wouldn't be concerned with it. They need a lot of sleep through growth spurts, especially in the first two years.
