How do I get them on a nap schedule?

I've tried and tried, but my guys insist on catnaps all day long. I am extremely blessed that they sleep through the night (usually 9 or 10 til 6:30) and I don't want to get too greedy re. sleep issues, but I figure the sooner they're on a schedule the better. If anyone has advice I'd appreciate it!

Meighan (formerly irish37)

 

How do you get them on a nap schedule? Pray.

I know a lot of babies catnap during the day. Mine aren't on a nap schedule yet either, they take 3 or 4 naps a day and the only consistent time is the morning one - around 8-8:30 AM, depending on if they wake up at 630 or 7. But how long varies day to day - usually that morning nap is about an hour. Then they get up and the rest of the day ... they usually go down for a nap 2-2.5 hours after waking up, but they can nap anywhere from a half hour to 2 hours. I have no idea how to schedule them but I just figure everything will fall into place soon enough. They aren't sleeping through the night yet (one or both still gets up for 1 feeding most nights), and they are starting to teethe, and they have colds ... ack, frankly, I figure this whole first year is going to be rough.

I'm in the process of transitioning them to nap from swing to crib, maybe that will make a difference. Where do yours nap?

Oh, just saw that they go down around 9-10pm, what if you started trying to move their bedtime back a bit? THat might help with longer naps during the day instead of short catnaps. Mine are in bed usually by 7, and sleep typically until about 2 or 3 if they need to nurse. Do you do a nighttime bedtime routine with them? Mine would catnap around 5 or 530 pm, only nap for like 20-25 minutes or so ... on the advice of those wiser here, they napped one day until 430 and then I kept them up with constant playing, then we started tubtime and they were in bed by 7 instead of 8-830, it was great! And they've been going down earlier ever since!

 

You know honestly, mine were never on the same nap schedule day to day it always differed by about 30 minutes. It always went by when they took their last nap, they would usually nap 2 hours after they woke from the last.

Around 15 months was when they began to nap at the same time each day.

 

around your kids age is when we started to actually hit a schedule, roughly speaking! they get up around 7, and are ready for a nap around 8:30 or 9am. as per pp, length varies though. it's been 30 mins., and it's been 2 hours. doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to it! anyhoo.... then they take a pm nap around 1ish, also with the time as above. they also catnap around 5 for 30-40 mins. and then we start bedtime routine around 7 and usually down by 8 at the latest.
i agree with pp that maybe moving the bedtime up a bit would help. HSHHC suggests i htink kids that age have around 15 mins. total sleep a day? so if you can get them to sleep more at night, the naps "should" decrease and hopefully start to turn into a pattern. he says that naps of less than 30 mins. "dont count" as restorative sleep. so need to encourage longer naps. other books suggest if you have a light sleeper (who wakes and can't get back on their own) to get in there RIGHT when they wake and get them back to sleep (paci, caress, etc.), others wll tell you to CIO. we did a comboination for naptime. what has worked the best for us is actually seperating them for naps. they sleep fine int he same room at night, but one inevitably wakes the other during the day and then it all goes to &#$^!!!
ok, so to sum it up
-slowly move bedtime up, probably in 15-20 min. increments until you reach your "goal" time
l-ook for sleepy signs, get them to sleep and try to get them to stay asleep at least 40 mins.
-seperate if necessary
-try to keep a similar routine for naps. some will suggest differentiating naptime and nighttime though (don't want to mess with that good thing at night!!!)
-don't let them get overtired. that will just worsen things.
good luck. naps i think have been THE toughest thing so far (i am sure there are MANY more challenges to come!), and we still don't have it down pat, but it is getting better (2 months later! :lol: )
de

PS_ are you in one of the twin clubs? i hear there is one in the lakewood area?? im wiht evmom

 

Mine cat napped all day, too, then all of a sudden around 6 months, they started taking longer naps. Now at almost 8 months, they take a nap in the am, after being awake for about 2 hours and another nap in the afternoon, again after they've been awake about 2 hours. And the naps are about 2 hours long. They also have a catnap after dinner, for about 30 mins. I guess you just have to wait it out. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get them on a schedule before 6 months. Now they are like clock work! It does get easier after 6 months. (I can't tell you how many times I heard it and now I'm repeating it!) Thank God. Now I can actually take a shower, put on makeup and blow dry my hair! I think I am becoming human again. Good luck!

 

Mine are on a pretty good nap schedule.

They wake in the am and go down for their nap after 2 hours. When they wake from their nap they are awake for 3 hours. Then there are 4 hours between their last nap and bedtime. They usually wake at 7, nap at 9, nap at 2, and bedtime 7:30. Yours may still need a third nap. I would just try to figure out a schedule that you would like to work towards and try to push them a little each day.

Good luck.

 

Mine still catnap if I put them down too early. If I hold them off until they are REALLY sleepy, they sleep longer.

 

I really recommend the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child". It says that a young baby needs to go down for a nap after one to two hours of wakefulness - usually 90 minutes. It works like a charm for my guys. I am just trying to get them to nap for longer stretches.

 

I also recommend putting them in their crib for naps. We started it at 4 months and it worked very well to solidify a nap schedule. And we also put them "down for bed" at 8:30pm when they were 6 weeks old. (of course I got up to feed them in the night) By 7 months, they moved their bedtime to 7:30pm which is where it is now.

 

Thank you so much, ladies, for taking the time to give me this great advice!!! It's funny, I joined a local twin mom club but it's nothing compared to the advice and fellowship I've always gotten on these boards. Thanks again!

 

Oh this post makes me feel so better! I am trying (wanting) so hard to get on a nap schedule right now, and it is so frustrating! Didn't my four month olds get the memo?!?!? I haven't even left the house in two days hoping to working on a schedule (and also my DD's nursing refusal), and it's been pointless as nothing has been working in either category. I shoulda just left and did my thing....they probably would have slept in their stroller! I guess it's only because we care so much (OK and maybe want some free time!) that we try and worry over all this stuff. I guess they're still the boss. Wouldn't ya know I was finally ready to call it quits and leave the house, and they're asleep! I live a good 20-30 minutes from most stores, so I can't run anywhere.... Sorry to turn this into all about me...but I can def relate!