do I need to have a nap schedule?

Ever since my twins were born, we have put them on a relatively strict feeding schedule (of course, with some flexibility, but we really tried to stick with it) and it has worked out great for us. They eat approx every 3 hours during the day and typically sleep 10-11 hours through at night. However, they are on absolutely NO set nap schedule. If I had one baby, I would probably just watch when he/she slept naturally each day, then try to put him/her down around that time. But with 2, they are all over the place. Basically, we just let them nap whenever they want - for however long, any time in between feeds.

My question is - is this a problem? Should I try to get them onto a nap schedule? Part of my feels like - who cares when they sleep, I mean it's not like they have pressing social engagements that would keep them from getting a nap when they feel like it, really they can sleep whenever they want so I assume they are getting enough. But, I feel like on here most other people's babies have some type of schedule. What are the benefits of this?

Also, I worry about DD because it seems like some days, she hardly naps at all during the day. I wonder if we had a schedule, would this help her take regular naps and therefore, sleep better at night?

TIA for any advice!

 

I don't have my girls on a strict nap schedule because it didn't work for us when we tried it. I do however have a strict bedtime/bedtime routine. Normally they sleep until 7am, take a nap at 830, and then nap as they please throughout the day. It would be easier somedays if they were on a strict schedule, but its really not difficult for us. They go down to sleep on their own and generally wake within 15 minutes of each other. I enjoy the one on one time I get with them. If you are okay with not going on a nap schedule, then I wouldn't do it yet. Once they are taking less naps, I will try to adapt the 2-3-4 schedule.

 

Like the pp a strict nap schedule did not work for us. I am a very laid back person by nature, so it was much less stressful for all of us if i just followed their lead. It worked out well, and by 6-7 months my girls put themselves on their own simultaneous nap schedule. I would always just watch for signs of them being tired, and put them down. It worked like a charm, and there were very little nap time battles because of it.

I think you should do with what you are comfortable with. Some people need a set daily structure and routine. I am not one of them. As long as you and the babies are happy and healthy, that is all that matters. :good:

 

We never had a nap schedule either and that works fine for us! We watched for the tired signals and that is when we would put them down. Sometimes I actually like it when one twin is sleeping and the other isn't. It allows me to give them some individual attention and lovin'. Bedtime is around 7:30 and they sleep for about 11 hours straight.

 

we didn't have a nap schedule and that worked for us before. However recently because the boys napped a lot during the day, we had trouble getting them sleep at night. That's why we try not to let them nap during the afternoon anymore. It's getting better that way fortunately. Good luck.

 

I don't think it is a problem unless you need it to be more rigid. My LOs have naturally fallen into a roughly 9 am and 1 pm nap schedule, which, now that they are older, makes it really easy to get out. I think the approx. schedule has helped lengthen their naps. If my LOs don't nap well during the day it affects their sleep at night. The better they nap, the better they sleep overnight, so in our case the schedule has helped them fall into a nice rhythm. I try to "honor" the morning nap every day, but I don't always stay at home from something to preserve the 1 pm nap...I let them take it in the car, or in a stroller. It isn't as long that way but I compensate by letting them go to bed 1/2 hour earlier. At 6 mos it wasn't this easy and I was still taking the naps day by day. Where we are now is heavenly, I will admit. They don't fight to sleep, they welcome it. Yay!

 

It isn't a necessity, but for me, it made planning of my day much easier because I knew when they needed to go down for a nap. If I needed to go somewhere, I could plan my day around their naptimes. At your babies' age, I was packing them with me everywhere, so I needed to know exactly how much time I had before meltdown. I, personally, loved knowing when they were ready for a nap, and once the schedule is established, they would fall asleep right on que. Of course, there were days that it didn't work for them, so I never did freak out if it just didn't work out for them on a particular day, but probably 85% of the time it was great.