Napping

Right now my peanuts take 2-3 short naps a day. By bed time it's a melt down and both are exhausted. I would really like to transition to 2 longer naps (one morning, one afternoon) but am having a really hard time doing so. Addi is a bear after being awake 2 hours and that's where our problem lies. Any advice on how to go about doing so?

 

What we did when they were ready to go to two naps is when two hours passed and they started getting sleepy we would go out if possible, or move to a new room in the house where they would get a second wind of energy. Or have a snack. We kept the morning nap at the same time {9} and they stretched out their sleeping to 2 hours and then went back down at 2pm and slept for another 2 hours. Bedtime was at 7. You may have to move up bedtime at first until they get used to it. And it may take them a couple of weeks before they sleep a bit longer {though I don't know how long yours are sleeping now.} Good Luck! You can do it, I was scared too!!

 

What is your schedule now? Have you looked at the First Year handbook under schedules (it is either under feeding or sleep schedules, I can't remember, but it is by month age). I have always checked other people's schedules there and found out that many are on almost exactly the same as mine, just had to tweak it.

We went from 3 naps a day (2-2.5 hours awake time, then sleep) to two naps at 8 months. But mine have always been sleepy heads.
5/6 month schedule was:

3 naps

6/630 wake up & bottle, right back to bed in dark room for a quick nap
8 am breakfast (cereal & fruit)
9:30-11:30 nap
noon bottle, then lunch
2:30-4 nap
6-7 bath, bottle, bed

Eventually, Sarah no longer fell asleep for the first nap, so I let her play in her crib until her sister woke up around 8.
Then neither went back to sleep, so they basically eliminated their own nap.

Now we do: (2 naps)

6/6:30 wake & bottle
back in crib to play with toys in fully lit room
8 breakfast (cereal and fruit)
play until
9 am nap
10:30 wake up and play
11:30 bottle, then lunch
2:00- 3:30 nap
3:30 bottle
4:45 dinner
5:00 stroller walk
6 bath, bottle, bed, asleep by 7 at the latest.

 

[Wiki]Sleep_Schedules[/Wiki]

 

Thanks for all your replies!
Right now our schedule is kind of screwy (thanks Daylight Savings) but until this weekend it was ...

7:30am wake/play in crib
8:00 bottle and then breakfast
9:30/10:00 nap (30-60 minutes)
11:30 lunch
12:00 bottle
12:30/1:00 nap (30-60 minutes)
4:00 bottle
4:30 nap (very short if at all)
5:00 dinner
6:30/7:00 bottle and bed


The problem being, between 4:00 and 7:00 is a big grump fest. I just cannot get them to skip the noonish nap and move it up to a later time. The end result, 2 very unhappy, cranky babies when daddy gets home. If I could only get them to sleep longer in the mornings. Even if the morning nap is later for some reason, they don't sleep longer. Very frustrating.

 

My friend (another mother of twins) suggested the 2/3/4 system and it's working well for my boys. The first nap is 2 hours after their morning wake up. Their second nap is 3 hours after the morning nap ends and bedtime is about 4 hours after the afternoon nap ends. Of course I have to be flexible - sometimes a have to do a third little cat nap in the stroller if the afternoon nap is very poor, but I find this system works very well for my boys. Knock on wood. And they have NOT been good nappers in the past.

 

CHJH - that sounds like a great idea! I might have to try that. I'm having the hardest time getting mine to nap - I've been trying for about an hour now. I'm on the verge of setting up a pack n play in a separate room.

 

QUOTE(Twinlillies @ Nov 6 2007, 01:12 AM) [snapback]482809[/snapback]
Thanks for all your replies!
Right now our schedule is kind of screwy (thanks Daylight Savings) but until this weekend it was ...

7:30am wake/play in crib
8:00 bottle and then breakfast
9:30/10:00 nap (30-60 minutes)
11:30 lunch
12:00 bottle
12:30/1:00 nap (30-60 minutes)
4:00 bottle
4:30 nap (very short if at all)
5:00 dinner
6:30/7:00 bottle and bed
The problem being, between 4:00 and 7:00 is a big grump fest. I just cannot get them to skip the noonish nap and move it up to a later time. The end result, 2 very unhappy, cranky babies when daddy gets home. If I could only get them to sleep longer in the mornings. Even if the morning nap is later for some reason, they don't sleep longer. Very frustrating.


If 4-7 is the grumpy time I would try and move the bedtime to earlier than 6:30. Once we dropped the third catnap in the evening mine had to go to bed at 5:30 they could just not make it any earlier. Now its more like 6:30 but they are almost a year old. And if they go to bed earlier they may sleep a bit longer but 7:30 is a really nice wake time. Mine still wake mostly between 6-6:30. Argh!

 

I separated mine a couple of months ago for naps. I set up a pack and play in the master bedroom. Best thing I ever did!