How can I establish a good healthy schedule for my 8mo grandson?

Question

My Grandson is 8 months old and we want to put him on a schedule that will give him enough sleep, food, playtime. he usually wakes up about 7:30 am and is ready to sleep at by 9:00pm.
How many naps should he have and how late should his last nap be. He is also a restless sleeper and has to have someone next to him (bad habit I know). My daughter doesnt get much sleep because he wakes up fequently but falls back to sleep. I'm a out of practice grandma, please help.

Answer 1

At that age they should be having 2 naps a day a morning nap just a couple of hours after they wake up and the afternoon nap at least 3 hours or so after the morning nap. Now is a good time to start w/ the schedules have set nap times and his 3 set meals. but also babys cant go from one meal to the next so they need there snacks and formula or breastmilk throughout the day (gerber has an excelent selection of baby snacks..fruit puffs and veggie puffs, veggie crackers and cheese crackers, biter bisquits, zieback toast, fruitsnacks...just to name a few) as far as night time that is dificult. Now is a good time to try and transition him into his own crib. At this age they can cry it out for a while and it isn't as painful to the mom, and it usually doesn't last all that long before they get the picture. don't get me wrong the first few days are bad, but after 3 or 4 days they usually give up. With mine I let her cry for about 5 min to start, then I went in and tryed to calm her w/o picking her up (to be honest never worked) then I would jsut pick her upand hold her for a little bit until she calmed down then I would put her back in her crib, then I let her cry 10 min then 15 and 15 is as long as I could take and I would just go calm her and put her back down every 15 minutes until she finally went to sleep. The first day took about 2 hours all together, the second was about an hour and the third was about a 1/2 hour and she gave up on day 4 and havent had a problem since. as far as waking up at night I did the same routine as I did getting her into her own bed. Like I said it is hard the first couple of days but its so worth it a week later. Hope I was able to help.

Answer 2

I think that there are quite a few of us in the exact same situation. My little one is 9 months and she's up in the morning around 7 or 7:30. Her first nap in around 9 or 9:30 am she sleeps for about an hour and her second nap is just before 2 and again sleeps for an hour. Then she's out for the night at about 8.

He should be tought some self soothing techniques so that he wakes less often during the night. Try and introduce a transition object. Something that will help him sooth himself to sleep without the help of a loved one. Try a soft stuffed animal or a blanket. A book that really helped me was this one.

Best of luck and make sure to spoil him!

Answer 3

My son is 9mths right now and we are going though the same thing restless sleeper and he has to sleep next to me...some nights I think it is getting better and others well..... :-) Our best days, I think, is when my son gets 2 naps a day. The 1st one is about 2-2 1/2 hours after he wakes up (around 10 for the nap) and the other usually happens between 3 & 4pm. I also try to feed him around the same times (or same part of the day...like soon after his first nap he will have lunch) I let him sleep as long as he needs to so the eating time differ from day to day. I got a lot of good info from a book call "the no cry sleep solution" by elizabeth pantly. I am not sure what your daughter does in her house hold no cry or cry it out but either way this book can give everyone good advice I think. I also found very good info comming from dr sears. I would take any advice that dr sears would give me on my child I love the way that family "doctors" things! Good luck and I know how she feels! :-)

Answer 4

Well, you can guide a baby's schedule somewhat, but being naive of what other people want of them, babies are often best at knowing what they need. Sounds like he gets up when he's rested and goes to bed when he's ready. So during the day watch for cues that he's getting tired, or overstimulated. Most babies that age still nap twice a day. As for the restless sleeper part, there is nOTHING wrong with him needing the comfort and security of someone resting next to him! So far, he's spent over half his life resting inside someone else, hearing their heart beat and feeling their warmth and their breaths, it's only natural he prefers to snuggle to sleep. Rest assured, he won't become a 30-year-old man who needs grandma/mom to lay next to him to get to sleep. :) Let him guide his own schedule, and as for the waking at night, keep the lights dim and put him back to sleep, eventually he'll stop. Some pediatricians also advise using Benadryll to help them sleep better, but definitely ask pediatrician first! My son didn't sleep through the night until...well, he still doesn't quite make it when he sleeps in his own bed. He's 2 1/2. I would tell her to enjoy the cuddling, the sleeplessness will pass, but, so will that late night cuddling. Enjoy it while it lasts. Also, if she's still breastfeeding hopefully she's learned the lovely art of rolling over to your side so baby can nurse and you can both fall back asleep! (As long as she's not a heavy sleeper or a drinker, in which case cosleeping is ill-advised.)