My daughter’s naps are too short…
Hi Mrs. Pickle,
I have a sleep question. My daughter, Hailey, is 11 months old and takes two naps. Her naps are usually around 9am and 1pm. But, for some reason each nap is not very long. I have read that a “good” nap is at least one hour but Hailey’s are not that long. How can I figure out how to get her to take better, longer naps?
Frustrated,
Elysa
Dear Elysa,
Short naps are often a concern of many parents. First, it is great that you are putting your daughter in for her two naps at age appropriate times. Often poor timing can be the cause of a too short nap. Second, while true that a restorative nap is usually an hour or longer, some children are simply short nappers and will always have short naps no matter what you do. You should look at your child throughout the day and note whether she seems tired or not. If not, this may be all the sleep that she requires. If she does look tired, it’s possible that she may be overtired from not getting enough rest at night, thereby causing her to have difficulty taking her naps during the day. In this situation, try putting her to bed earlier so that she is better rested in the morning and can ease into her morning nap. This should then help her be better rested for her afternoon nap. In addition, another thing to keep in mind is that some children begin to give up one of their naps at a little over a year old. She may be heading towards that direction. However, be cautious not to take away one of her naps before she is ready. Good luck, and happy sleeping!
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Mrs. Pickel,
I was fortunate to come across the honest baby website and hope that you are able to provide some assistance. Our daughter is a month old today and she has her days and nights flipped. During the day, she will just about sleep all day regardless of the noise levels or how bright it is. She frequently won’t even wake up for feedings and no matter what I do, she does not stay awake. I’ve tried waking her up to feed her. (I am nursing.) At night, she wants to stay up and even after she is fed, she will not stay asleep for longer than 30 minutes to an hour. She usually wakes up 10-15 minutes after being put down in her bassinet. I usually have to feed her every hour as she does fall asleep while I am nursing her. The only way I have been able to get her to sleep through the night in between feeding her is to have her sleep on my chest.
I think she is still young and that with time, she’ll adjust. My husband is getting frustrated and feels that she can adjust now…Currently, we’ve started making sure to keep the room dark at night and have noise levels low at nighttime and to keep things bright and loud during the day.
Any advice you can provide would be much appreciated.
Thank you!
Joyce
Dear Joyce,
You are correct in saying that your one month old is young and will adjust to the differences between night and day when it comes to sleeping. It is great that you are trying to differentiate between night and day by making her room darker at night. However, although it seems strange, you should not try to limit her sleeping during the day, nor should you make things brighter or noisier in order to help with her day/night confusion. Instead, allowing her to sleep as much as she wants to during the day in a quiet, semi-dark environment will actually help her become rested enough to sleep better throughout the night. A young infant can only stay awake comfortably for up to an hour at a time. After your daughter has been awake for approximately 45 minutes or so, do your best to sooth her and provide her with a quiet, semi-dark place to rest. They key is to keep her from becoming overtired, which can cause a baby to produce a stimulating hormone as a survival instinct that can make it difficult for her to stay asleep later on.In the late afternoon, between 5 and 6 o’clock, practice a bedtime routine before this rest period. Some people give a bath, some read a book. I, myself, always changed this “bedtime” diaper in a dark room with only a small light and put my daughters in a “sleep sack” (a SAFE wearable blanket you can get from any baby store) only at night. I also made sure this feeding was done in a very quiet, semi dark, calm environment. This helped my children to understand at a very young age that nighttime was different from daytime. Also, when you go to your baby for nighttime feedings, be sure only to turn on a very dim light, if you must turn one on at all. I know it sounds harsh, but do not look at your baby or talk to her during any nighttime feedings. She must learn that this is not a playtime and is very different from daytime feedings. Simple eye-contact, believe it or not, is very stimulating for a young infant. In addition, try your very best not to change diapers during the nighttime if possible. Of course, if your baby has a poop or extremely wet diaper you will need to change it. Be sure to apply tons of diaper cream before bedtime.
Best of luck!
Mrs. Pickel
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Hi!
Question for you Mrs. Pickle:
My lovely daughter is nearly 6 months old and is a great napper. My
only complaint is that I would like her to sleep through the night.
She naps well during the day, sleeping after about every 2 hours that
she’s awake. She still wakes in the nights though for feedings. She
is exclusively breastfed so I’m thinking introducing her to cereal
may help her to stay full longer if she’s actually hungry in the
night…any ideas? Her last feeding is around 9-10 pm, but she
usually sleeps from 7 or 8pm until she starts to fuss for her
feeding. She also goes 3 or 4 hours between feedings.
Thanks!
Amber
Dear Amber,
Unfortunately, it has never been proven that introducing solids will help your baby sleep through the night. However, since your daughter is 6 months old, it is a good time to start feeding her solids anyway, so why not give it a try. As far as her sleeping goes, you may want to revise the 2 hours of awake time schedule. True, she is taking these naps but it is possible that at certain times of the day 2 hours may be too much awake time and at other times of the day not enough. In addition, I am not exactly sure where she is taking these naps, however it is extremely important that these naps are in her crib without noise and with very little light. Napping on the go or with noise or other stimulation does not produce the same quality of sleep, and oftentimes these babies are actually quite overtired by bedtime, causing them to have difficulty sleeping through the night.
By 6 months of age it is also a good idea to look not only at how long your baby has been awake, but clock time as well. There are certain age-appropriate times when children sleep well. For a baby of this age, most begin their naps between 8:00 and 9:00 in the morning, 12:00 and 1:00 in the afternoon, and then sometimes take a mini-snooze around 3:00. You may notice from this schedule that the awake time seems to gradually increase throughout the day. It is harder for babies to stay awake in the morning then it is in the afternoons, for example. This means that from the time your baby wakes up in the morning, you should expect her to nap within an hour and a half. Watch your baby and be sure to get her in to her crib before she becomes overtired. Do the same before the next nap. Most likely this awake time can be increased a little bit. Afternoons are usually the time to go out and do errands with your baby, allowing her to nap on the go only for this afternoon “snooze.” (Note: this 3rd ”snooze” should only be allowed up until your baby is about 9 months old or it may interfere with being able to fall asleep at bedtime).
In addition, be sure you have a clear bedtime routine which enables her to truly understand that nighttime sleep is different than daytime sleep. A bath, a story, pajamas/sleep sack, or a dimly-lit room for her final diaper change with a dark, quiet feeding should do the trick. I would also try to get her to bed at an earlier bedtime hour. Believe it or not, 7:00 PM is actually a late bedtime for a 6 month old. Try putting her to bed at an ultra-early hour for a week or two to catch up (5:30 or so). Then slowly move the bedtime forward to get to 6:00 or 6:30. This can be hard as often one parent may not be home in time to see the baby before bedtime, however it is really one of the best ways to ensure that your child will sleep through the night.
Best of luck!
Mrs. Pickel
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