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afternoon naps

  1. #1
    kellyst is offline Registered User
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    afternoon naps

    We've been having quite a bit of trouble getting the afternoon naps in. My baby sleeps reasonable well at night and we have a night time routine of bath, book, bottle starting at 8:30pm. But during the day (i'm at work during these hours), she gets tired and cranky but would just refuse to sleep. We have to admit that every afternoon, it takes a bit of holding and rocking (by helper or grandma). but we'd be rocking for 30 minutes for her to sleep another 15. or her eyes would open wide up once she's put down in her crib.

    i'm thinking that the night time routine works because of the steps and expectations set, but does anyone has any idea of a similar thing for the afternoon? any ideas for routines for the afternoon? at what times does your child nap in the afternoon?

    mine takes about 11-12hours of sleep at night, and i'm guessing that she needs a bit more that 2 hours of sleep during the day?

    thanks,
    kellyst


  2. #2
    mammalicious is offline Registered User
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    im glad that i'm not the only one having problems like that!!

    i tried to do a routine with my baby during the day for naps, but it just doesn't work for me. is the room your baby sleeps in dark enough? how old is your baby?

    i have started bringing my baby into our bed in the morning for a nap, and i can nap with her. it's darker in there then her room which is really bright. we'll look to change to dark curtains when my husband has time. she seems to be able to catch some sleep then. in the afternoons, she sleeps in the baby bjorn while i'm shopping around, or out running errands. this is quite stressful for me. so i'd also love to hear advice anyone would have .


  3. #3
    kashismum is offline Registered User
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    I started my baby on routine daytime naps at 2 months 'cos she basically didn't sleep at all during the day!
    At set times every day, I put her in her grobag, close the curtains and leave her. The first few days, she cried a lot. So, for the morning nap which is 45 minutes, if she cried for 30 of them, she just got 15 mins sleep. She stayed in her cot for the 45 minutes - how many of those minutes she slept was irrelevant. We also used a dummy to settle her.
    After a few days, she didn't grumble at all. Even if she was wide awake when I put her down, she'd soon fall asleep.
    Now, she sleeps for 45 mins in the morning, 2 1/2 hrs at lunchtime, 15 mins in the afternoon and 12 hours at night (not straight).
    I think she's happier since she's been having her daytime sleep - the time's she's awake, she's really alert and interested in playing (she's 4 months now). Even when I take her out in the buggy, she can stay awake if it's not her nap time and she can nap if it is!


  4. #4
    joannek is offline Registered User
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    i had the same problem when my baby was 6-12 mths. she'd scream when we draw the curtain & play the "sleeping songs". she only napped when i nursed her, and she napped in my bed next to me (or covered in my nightgown). one time nanny put on the play music & pretend to dance with her (holding her like a rocking position), she was so tired & relaxed she finally slept. but then she'd also sleep for 15mins & then wake up screaming. everyone told me she knows how much sleep she needs & not to worry (but she used to sleep from 6pm-6am). for your baby, maybe you can try a nap routine of tv time (maybe 15mins on a baby einstein), a bottle of milk (or nurse of bf), some soothing songs, and slowly draw the curtains. if all else fails, & you're worried that she's not getting enough sleep, you probably have to move her bedtime to earlier.

    good luck!


  5. #5
    joannek is offline Registered User
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    Red face

    oh, maybe you can also try covering her with your nightgown when she's asleep, which REALLY helps.

    fyi, my baby is now 13 mths. she runs around all day & is so tired she knows she needs to nap. so now when nanny draws the curtains, she complains "wooo-wooo-ooo, boo-ooo", but she still sleeps for 25 mins to an hour. but i agree that different babies need different amt of sleep. mine has never slept for more than 15hrs a day, even when she was before 3 mths. now she sleeps 11hrs at night & maybe 1.5 hr during the day.

    as long as baby is thriving well, eating & pooing well, gaining good weight, happy & healthy, don't worry too much.


  6. #6
    msmslau is offline Registered User
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    You can try reading the book " On becoming Baby Wise" and its sequel for todldlers by Gary Ezzo, Robert Bucknam. My 1 year old daughter takes 2 naps. One in late morning and one late afternoon (each about 2 hours). My trick is to give her a blanket so she feels secured. I also close her door and let her cry to sleep if necessary.


  7. #7
    BLC
    BLC is offline Registered User
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    My little girl is 15mths. She would normally have her longer nap in the morning, about 1.5-2hrs. Then in the afternoon she would have a shorter nap approx 1-1.5hrs or less. She has her bath, bottle and is asleep by 7.15pm.

    If we are going to be doing something in the morning, she seems to know this and will only sleep 30min-1hr and have her longer nap early afternoon. I try not to let her nap after 4.30pm, so she is ready for bed.

    Her night time sleep is from 7.15 approx (no later than 7.30pm unless a special occasion) and she is awake from 6.30am.

    She seems happy with her routine and lets us know if she isn't. One time I put her down in the afternoon after a cuddle and she wouldn't sleep. So I walked out (to go to the toilet) and she had fallen asleep by the time I had finished.

    But I agree with JoanneK if your baby is feeding well and is healthy and happy, your are doing great.


  8. #8
    nanzbier is offline Registered User
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    We used to rock my daughter to sleep...but now that she's one years old she's getting heavy! I finally told my nanny to just draw the curtains, play a bit of music from the music box and play with her quietly. Then when she gets a bit more tired after about 10 minutes, just to lie her down on her bed and stroke her hair or pat her back. The first day we tried this, she screamed....for an hour to be exact. But I told the nanny to continue to just pat her and stroke her as she was screaming. She eventually fell asleep. The second day, it only took 10 minutes. Now, we just lay her down on her bed, she plays with a few cot toys and we pat her a bit and she just falls asleep on her own. I thought this would never be possible! OF course there are days that she doesn't want to go down, but I realize being consistent is the key. The only problem is I cannot put her down for naps....she will NOT go to bed. It always has to be my helper or my husband putting her down for daytime naps. She is absolutely fine with me putting her down for the night. Does anyone else experience that?
    After we started sleep training her in the day, her night time sleep was much easier. She just started sleeping 11 hrs straight thru the nite.
    My problem is she is waking up every morning at 5-530am!! She goes to sleep at 630p. She has two naps in the day which total about 2-2.5 hrs. Does anyone else's baby wake up this early? Some people say not to go into the room until 6am. I've tried this for 3 days now, and I'm now able to get her to sleep a bit later....today was 5:50am! Any other suggestions?


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