My 6-month old takes 2 naps, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I am trying to get her onto a regular schedule but her naps are often different lengths every day. Yesterday her morning nap was 1.5 hrs and afternoon was only half hour. Today both morning and afternoon were only half hour long. Some days she takes a 2 hr nap either morning or afternoon or both. It really throws off the bedtime schedule and I never know what to expect so it's hard to plan my day.
My question is should I wake her up if she starts to take a long nap so that I can make the schedule work or should I just let her sleep as long as she likes and be more flexible with her bedtime? If you think I should wake her, how long should the time limit be - 1 hr, 1.5 hrs, 2 hrs? What is the best way to wake a sleeping baby so that she doesn't get upset?
2007-08-21 13:31:34 · 7 answers · asked by devoted2denny 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
I think some people are getting the wrong idea about my question - I'm not saying that I want to limit my baby's overall amount of sleep - I know that she needs a lot of sleep to grow. But when she takes long naps she sleeps less at night (only 9 hours), when she takes short naps she sleeps more at night (almost 11 hours). Overall she will still sleep the same amount during a 24-hr period. I'm just wondering if I should limit the daytime napping so that she can get more sleep at night?
2007-08-21 23:29:29 · update #1
Let her set the schedule. I'm going through the exact same thing with my 6 month old (born Feb 1). He's become all wishy-washy when it comes to his naps and sleep schedule when he had always been very routine. His bedtime was ALWAYS 8:30 and now he will go to bed anytime between 8 and 11 pm. If you try to interfere with her natural sleep cyle (however crazy it is), you could end up making it worse. Just try to be as consistant as you can with her other activites and keep your fingers crossed that it will get better :)
2007-08-21 13:48:48 · answer #1 · answered by keejay21 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a 2 hr nap twice a day should be fine. 6 month olds really need sleep to grow and develop. They don't over sleep. Is your little one getting enough sleep at night or is she waking up and having a hard time going back to sleep. Babies do sleep a lot and some take longer to get on a schedule. Do a bedtime routine with bath and story and put her to bed at the same time every night. She may scream but you can check on her every 20 minutes (but don't let her know you are there). You have to find what works for you but they do need their sleep and being tired during the day can be horrible for a baby or child.
2007-08-21 13:39:33 · answer #2 · answered by momof3boys 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Dont wake her up, let her sleep. If she is tired and needs to sleep then let her. Why would you want to wake her and have a grizzly grumpy baby?
She doesnt need a schedule she is a baby. She will eat when she is hungry, sleep when she is tired and cry when she wants something. Just follow her lead and she'll be happy and so will you because you'll have a happy and content baby.
Just do what you have to do and so will she. My girls never had a problem sleeping when we were out and about. If they were hungry I feed them if they fell asleep I let them sleep.
No problems.
2007-08-21 13:55:54 · answer #3 · answered by Monkey Magic 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Pls do not disturb her and try not to change her sleeping time. Babies need to sleep as much as they can sleep.
In a chinese saying, babies will grow faster if they have enough sleep.
I really believe this saying.
My friend also have this problem so she restrict her girl from sleeping. In the end she look like a 7 mth old baby where she is actually 13 mths old.
2007-08-21 21:10:08 · answer #4 · answered by ckhcyp 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that you should set her on a schedule. Maybe an hour for a nap. That way she will learn how to nap and when bedtime is. To wake her up I would pick her up and rock her awake. Go to where the light is more and talk nicely to her.
I wake my son up from his naps by rocking and cuddling. I do not want him to sleep to long. He is 3 months old.
2007-08-21 14:25:46 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
A sleeping baby does not have to change your whole day. I used my son's carseat in the stroller and I went about my daily errands. When he was tired he would sleep. If you HAVE to wake them up so it slowly and cuddle them until they are wide awake.
2007-08-21 13:35:30 · answer #6 · answered by Ryan's mom 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I agree with the other posts. Let her sleep, her body knows what she needs.
2007-08-21 14:00:38 · answer #7 · answered by aeidensmommy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋