Naps and Schedule - need advice

Hi Ladies,
My twins are 4 months now (3 mo adjusted) and I have questions about their naps and their schedule. They can really only stay awake about 90min - 2 hours TOPS before a meltdown. I've started winding them down every 80 minutes (turning off TV, no jumperoo, just sitting in bouncy and reading books). They need to be bounced for their naps - they will only nap for 40-60 min in the bouncer. If I stop bouncing - they wake up after 20 minutes, very cranky. If I bounce again, they drop off for another 20-30 min. In the afternoon, they fall asleep in the stroller and will sleep for 2-2 1/2 hrs so they get a good nap in the early afternoon.

For nighttime sleep, we take a bath, have our bottle and read a night time story and they are bounced asleep. After 10 min they are transferred to their sleeping places - crib and pack & play.
There are several issues here. I am working so I have a nanny during the day who is following this routine. Is it too early age-wise to try to get them to take consolidated naps? And how can I move them from bouncy to crib for their naps. If I put them down drowsy but awake, they work themselves into a frenzy. Is it just too soon to try to do this?

I am making myself crazy over this. When it's the right time to start napping in their cribs, I will take some time off of work to be here to do it myself (with the nanny's help). But I want to be there for them during this transition. I just don't know if it's too soon or what?

I thought I'd do it during the thanksgiving break, but we're taking a short two-night trip (2 hrs away) to my in-laws so I'm hesitant to start a new routine (napping in cribs) when 4 days after we start, they'll be sleeping in pack & plays in a different environment.

What are your suggestions?

thanks!

 

Well, this is pretty hard to make a general call, but they are probably a bit young to expect consolidated naps. It was more at 4 or 5 mos that we could do a little more sleep training and even then we napped every 2 hours for cat naps until more like 7 months. Do you have swings? When you say bounce, is it a vibrating chair? Or do you physically move the bouncer? We slept in cribs at night starting around this age or a little older. For naps, they napped in the swing - on a swing setting - until about 5 months. Personally, I would not start a routine yet...I would hold out a few more weeks. That is my opinion only though from my experience as well as the countless sleep books I have been privy to read...lol.

Also, just to add. You can start practicing putting them down awake at night-time. There are lots of methods to use. We would try it in short spurts. They cried hard at first but after a week or two of just laying them down, rubbing their backs, leaving for short spurts (couple mins or so) and coming back, etc., they got used to it quickly. That was about 4.5 mos. We rocked ours until about 8 mos and put them down awake but drowsy because we just loved rocking them! But I know others who transitioned pretty easily - trick is to be consistent. Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

At that age, our boys were still sleepy every 90 minutes. That lasted until around 6 months, when I noticed the could start to go longer. At that point we were able to get on more of a schedule - at that point it was three naps. We went to two naps I think around 8 months if I remember right. I think your LO's are a bit young to expect consolidated naps, at least in my experience.

Mine napped in their bassinets and then their cribs from the get-go. They wouldn't sleep hardly in the bouncer or stroller. Sometimes they would fall asleep in the swing, and if they did, I would gradually turn in down until it stopped, then transfer them to bassinet/crib. I would think the sooner you can get them into their cribs the better, but don't drive yourself crazy over it - can you do the same thing you do during night sleep to get them into their cribs for nap?

I definitely wouldn't start ANY change before a break in routine such as a trip. I would wait until afterwards.

 

For consolidated naps they are a bit young like PPs mentioned. My guys started takeing 3 naps regularly at 6 months, then 2 naps at 8 months, and 1 nap at around 9 months. As far as moving them to their cribs, I really dont have much advice. All my kids slept in their crib from the get go for naps and overnight, and I put them to bed awake.

 

My kids never sleep on bouncers or swings. They used to nap in pnps in their play room. Around 4-4.5 months, I moved them to their bedroom for naps. You can try to put them down awake but not tired in their crib after 80-90 mins awake, then turn on crib smoothers, crib mobiles. They might fall asleep themselves. or you can rock, pat them then put them down. Its worth a try. About consolidated naps, I think they will do it on their own. naps should be longer around 5-5.5 months. Hang in there everything will work out.

 

It has been too long that I don't remember schedules very much but just one other comment. I used music to help mine go to sleep. I would turn it on when ever they were put in bed (night or naps). For a while I even set it to go the whole time. I think it made a huge difference and I still turn on music when mine fall asleep but it goes off after 30 min. In my belief music was a sign to sleep and if they woke up and the music was still going they would go back to sleep easier as they didn't think nap time was over. Once they were sleeping better we turned off the music after they were asleep. It might help yours to go to sleep and stay asleep better.

 

thanks for all of your great advice!