naps

my sweet babies are almost 5 months now and i still can't get a nap routine started!!! they both usually go back down good in the mornings after their first feeding but after that i am lost. the first nap usually lasts about an hour give or take a little but then they get off schedule somehow. i know that they are not always going to nap together but i would like for them to more than just once a day.

when they do nap the rest of the day it is usually only for about 45 minutes at a time sometimes even less. i try to take them to their cribs for quiet time at the same time but it usually never works. i don't think they are overtired but i almost always end up putting them in their swings or bouncy seat downstairs and they will fall asleep there. at bedtime they both do really good with sleeping in their cribs so i don't understand why the don't during the day.

so i want to know any tips or tricks that will help and how long should their naps last?

 

I think 45 minutes is the minimum for a nap. How long after they wake up from their first nap are you putting them down for their second nap? I think a good rule of thumb for 5 months old is about 2.5 hours.

 

I agree with Aimee, 2.5 hours awake was the most my boys could handle and sometimes it was as little as 90 mins. I have heard that b/g twins are harder to get to nap together. Do they start their mornings at the same time? I found that waking one up once the first woke up in the morning kept up more on schedule during the day. There were still many "off" days though.

 

I agree with no more than 2.5 hours awake before napping. And I, like Megan, always made sure they woke up at the same time in the mornings, so they were ready to go for a nap at the same time. I always put them down at the same time, regardless of if they both seemed tired or not.

 

Mine actually did 2 hrs awake time better, and were still taking 4 consistent naps a day at that age. All about 45 mins each, that's just the way the naps/feedings timed out. I tried to be sure they had a bottle before they went to sleep but sometimes they fell asleep during feeding.

I have b/g twins and I also wake them at the same time and put them down at the same time for naps/bedtime.

 

At that age mine could only tolerate 2 hours of wake time. They took 3 naps a day. Their naps were anywhere from 30-90 minutes. We're just now transitioning from 3 to 2 naps.

 

if you can, I would really try to get them on a good napping schedule. Yes, the first thing I'd do is to wake them up at the same time - together and at the same time every day. Its kinda like hitting the reset button for the day. Even now we still have some issues if we don't... or the day is just off schedule.

Mine probably didn't stay up more than 2 hrs at a time for a very long time. I heard on here somewhere about the 2-3-4 schedule. 2hrs after waking in the morning, go down for the first nap. Then 3 hrs after they wake from that nap down for the 2nd nap then 4 hrs after that is bedtime. Not sure when that starts... mine stay awake a little longer than 2 hrs in the morning, and never 4 hrs in the afternoon... they are melting down at 3 hrs usually.

I think I got 2 good 2hr naps at that age, and most likely a 3rd nap too.

I've heard that they have 45 min. sleep cycles... and some books call it the 45 min. intruder... I worked to help them get through that, and then they started sleeping closer to 2 hrs at a time.

We did the "EASY" routine outlined in The Baby Whisperer... Eat, then Activity, then Sleep and when they Sleep You get You time (ha!) anyway, we never fed to sleep... and they learned to go to sleep on their own. I also swaddled and put white noise on for all naps & night sleep. swaddling until a little over 6 months. those helped to be their sleep cues.

good luck.

 

they usually wake up within about 15 minutes of each other in the morning, I am not sure about how long they are awake but the are still eating about every 3-4 hours so I can't be longer than 2 hours that they are awake between naps.

 

Hi,

I have 2 month old twins and after several meltdowns, I decided to hire a baby nurse to assist with getting them on schedule and helping out with the night feeds. It's the best money I've ever spent. I'll share with you the schedule my twins are now on. Like I said they are two months old and sleeping 6 - 7 hour stretches at night and at least 1 hour naps during the day. Let me know how this works out for you. Good luck!

7:00 a.m. - Wake-up
7:30 a.m. - Bottle
8:30 a.m. - Nap
10:00 a.m. - wake-up/playtime
11:00 a.m. - bottle
12:00 - 12:30 - Naptime
2:15 - 2:30 - Wake-up
3:00 p.m - bottle
4:15 - Nap
5:00 - 5:30 - wake-up/playtime
6:30 - bath
7:00 - bottle
7:30 bedtime



quote name='2moreontheway' date='15 October 2009 - 02:11 PM' timestamp='1255630289' post='1479940']
my sweet babies are almost 5 months now and i still can't get a nap routine started!!! they both usually go back down good in the mornings after their first feeding but after that i am lost. the first nap usually lasts about an hour give or take a little but then they get off schedule somehow. i know that they are not always going to nap together but i would like for them to more than just once a day.

when they do nap the rest of the day it is usually only for about 45 minutes at a time sometimes even less. i try to take them to their cribs for quiet time at the same time but it usually never works. i don't think they are overtired but i almost always end up putting them in their swings or bouncy seat downstairs and they will fall asleep there. at bedtime they both do really good with sleeping in their cribs so i don't understand why the don't during the day.

so i want to know any tips or tricks that will help and how long should their naps last?
[/quote]

 

My babies are about the same age as yours and also do really good at night in their crib. I still put them in their swings for naps, it works for us and they usually sleep really good in them. I don't have much advice, sorry i just wanted to let you know that we are the same right now. I know that with my older two, they got into a really good nap schedule around 6 months old, so for now, i'm leaving them in their swings and around 6 months, i will transition them to cribs for naps too. Maybe you could try letting them fall asleep in the swing and transfer them to the crib?