Here's the skinny: Nathan is not really a sleeper. Here's how an average day goes: Nathan wakes up between 6:30 and 7:00. He stays up for an hour or an hour and a half and then naps. He'll wake up long enough to play and eat and play some more, and then crash for another 30 minutes. This pattern pretty much persists all day. Around 8:00 at night, he's pretty much done for the day and just wants to snuggle. He may or may not fall asleep between 8:30 and 10:00. Or, he might fall asleep around 11:00. Regardless, he wakes up at 1:00 - LIKE CLOCKWORK - and at 4:00, ready for action! We're usually up for 30-45 minutes, then he crashes until 6:30 or 7:00.
Right now, this sleep "schedule" (BWAHAHAHAH ... did you laugh out loud too?) is fine with me, because I'm not a sleeper and also, I'm home.
So, my question: Is there a problem with me letting him sleep in this pattern? If so, how do I keep him awake for longer stretches of time?
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6 comments:
Friend, I got nothing for ya.
But honestly, if it works for you and it works for Nathan, why not?
Okay, chicky. Here's some momma advice for you...
You have to get him on a better schedule now, or he'll sleep erratically for years.
He should be at least doing a 6-8 hour stretch every night, if for no other reason than that he needs it. I didn't force the pattern with my first, and she took FOREVER to sleep through the night. I had a two month old and a 15 month old, both of whom were up half the night screaming. Ugh.
As for how....I hate to leave a ridiculously long comment (too late!), so please feel free to email me and I will shoot you some random ideas that i picked up in the years of my two babies.
jayemwright@gmail.com
I'm going to have to agree with Jess, based on experiences from friends and family.
I also read on some blog, something similar to this and the reason her guy was waking up was because he wanted to be swaddled. So maybe if you get him as snug as a bug in a rug, he'll sleep better. Worked for this blogger.
My other suggestion is that maybe he's hungry and that's why he wakes up?
Again, not a mom so I'm sure I'm completely wrong. :)
My daughter (almost 6 months) has had periods of this. Luckily, she now sleeps/eats from 9pm to 5am (that includes about 3 feedings for her - she is a little piggy). During the day it depends. Some days she takes one or two good naps. But, most of the time she is like Nathan and takes a bunch of short naps. I would work on the night time sleeping - getting him to sleep/eat for at least 8 hours. But, I wouldn't worry about the day.
If only it was so easy. I read somewhere that several short naps during the day is fine. Some babies just nap this way. Plus they outgrow the naps eventually anyway. One thing that I do swear by is a solid nighttime routine. Feedings, bath time and snuggling the same way every night. I would also try to keep it at the same time or as close as possible. Now the sleeping through the night is something I am in no way qualified to answer. I know what people think when I tell them he still isn't sleeping through the night. We have tried everything and nothing has worked. I really do think some kids are just born poor sleepers. My cousin's youngest daughter was just like Liam. But that isn't to say Nathan is. He probably is old enough to start testing some of the "methods". But trust your mama instincts. They are never wrong. Now when are you gonna call me chickadee??
When Little Miss was a babe, she woke frequently until we got her a grobag (www.grobag.com). They are FABULOUS!!! They keep them warm and snuggly and secure. She was sleeping through the night at 4 months.
I wasn't much for enforced scheduling for her, as she seemed to find her own rhythm once the grobag came into the picture.
Do what your gut says - it will never fail you! :)
PS: thanks for your comment on my blog! Yes, it's super busy, but TOTALLY exciting!!
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