Q about HSHHC - period of wakefulness

Hi,

I read HSHHC and I try to follow the best I can. My girls are 3.5 months (2.5 adjusted) and their periods of wakefulness are less than two hours and usually less than 1 hour. They start to show signs of sleepiness sometimes 30-45 minutes after being awake and I almost always have them back down after 1 hour. It's hard to establish a nap schedule because they just get up eat and go back down and their naps are sort of short. They have a long one in the morning (1.5 hours) and the rest are 45 minutes here and there. Does this seem normal that they are awake for such short times still? I guess I thought they'd stay awake longer by now.

If I do try to keep them up longer they are a big challenge to put down for naps. Overtired is not a good thing for my two.

 

That sounds totally normal for their age. Sounds like you are a real pro at reading their sleepy signs! FWIW, HSHHC says that regular daytime napping (whether on a BTC schedule or not) doesn't emerge until 12-16 weeks adjusted age. So your babies aren't quite there yet - but they will be soon.

Also, there is tremendous variety in babies' daytime sleep needs and patterns (something that HSHHC doesn't always take account of - it's a bit "one size fits all"). Mine are weirdos - at almost 9 mo they still need to nap 3x/day, 1.5-2 hrs after waking.

You're doing great, keep up the good work!

 

It will get longer in a few weeks. You sound like you have it managed and that's GREAT!!!! For now, enjoy!!! :hug99:

 

Sounds normal to me. My girls were the same way at that age.

 

QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Dec 22 2007, 04:09 PM) [snapback]544051[/snapback]
Also, there is tremendous variety in babies' daytime sleep needs and patterns (something that HSHHC doesn't always take account of - it's a bit "one size fits all"). Mine are weirdos - at almost 9 mo they still need to nap 3x/day, 1.5-2 hrs after waking.


Mine are only now very slowly consolidating sleep, and one is still taking up to 4 30 minute naps a day...depends on the day. 1.5 hours is usually the longest, though they can stretch to 2.5 hours if the entertainment is good enough

 

Seems normal to me...my twins did around 5 naps a day at that age...each around 45 minutes to an hour. By six months it was 4 naps a day. By 10 months they were still doing 3 naps a day!! and by 18 months they were still on 2 naps a day!! now at 2.5 we have one nice long 3 hour nap each day. Life is beautiful....and now I'm starting all over...waaaaahhhh.....

 

Mine are 2.5 months old and it seems like they can only make it about 1hr.15min awake (30 minutes eating, 45 minutes playing) before they have had it and need another nap. I feel like all I do all day is put the babies to bed! But trying to keep them up any longer just results in fussier babies, so I guess they need all the sleep now, and will be able to stay up longer soon. I'm sure things will change for us in a few weeks -- at this age, they are changing so quickly.....

 

I think that mine are *just* starting to transistion to more then 45min/1hour of awake time. (atleast that's what i'm hoping since their naps are getting all wonky) == I was getting *lazy* and going by the clock instead of sleepy signs (knowing they *never* were up for more then an hour) -- and noticed that they were having a hard time getting to sleep for naps - so I started letting them stay up longer and they have been much easier to get down (though there have been one or two times they've gone too long - and WATCH out -- grouchy babies!! They seem to need to go back to sleep quickly after gettin up in the AM - then they can go a little longer in the afternoon - and evening before bedtime seems to be their longest awake time now (their 1 -1/2 hour third nap has become a 30/45 min nap - so their up just about 2 hours before going to bed.