3 months - how much?

[Lisa78]

DS2 is nearly 3 months old and, bless him, is generally sleeping thru from about 9pm to 7am without fuss. Daytime is different though, he absolutely won't sleep in his cot and screams hysterically if I put him in, he seems to know this is for nighttime (when he goes in quite happily). He will however sleep in his pram and I can sometimes get him down for half an hour but generally his daytime sleeps are v short catnaps where he screams until he drops off where ever he is; so as the day wears on he becomes more and more fractious.
As he is happily b/f every 3 - 3.5 hours, I thought I would try and incorporate a proper set of naps into his day - only I'm not sure how much. I thought I would try and get him to sleep for an hour before each feed and half an hour before his bedtime bath and feed, which would total 3.5 hours during the day and 10 - 10.5 at night. 14 hours or so. Does that seem about right?

[squirmyworm]

HI Lisa78, I'm in a similar situation except that my 3 month old DS has been a Gina Ford stepford son until recently. GF (if you like her advice) says 45 mins in the morning, about 2 hrs at lunchtime and half an hour or so if they need it at about 4.30 pm I think - plus bed time at 7 and getting up time at 7am...I think she thinks it's a bit early yet for them to drop their 10pm feed completely but it won't be long (correct me more expert GFers if I'm wrong)

soooo - that'd be 15 ish hours I think. Help, other more expert MNers

[Lisa78]

thanks squirmyworm (fabulous name BTW!!)
DS2 isn't interested in that dream feed lark, he sucks for a minute then drops off, so I gave up on it - but obviously he doesn't need it.
So you would think another hour or so? I could add that to his lunchtime nap maybe?

[squirmyworm]

well I am probably a rubbish person to ask as I am doing a combination of GF and guesswork but this worked for us until this week:

7am up and feed
9am nap until around 10 ish (I'd go in a bit before)
10am feed and then get fresh air
1230 little top up feed and then nap
1430 up again if he would sleep that long (would usually)
1430 feed again
1630 nap if he was tired and grizzly but usually not
1700 ish feed then play on mat, bath another feed and bed by 1900 ish - usually in that order
then I'd feed at around 1100

I think the gf rules are that they should last 2 hours or so awake at a time (poss longer at 3 months in the afternoon) and have about 4-5 hours of daytime sleep. I have to admit I've doctored it though as I am still trying to feed every three hours rather than leaving it four which I think you would if you were following her strictly.

HOWEVER, as I say all to pot this week, SO I've bitten the bullet and thought that as he's had hardly any sleep today I might as well make the big switch to his cot from his moses basket which was in the cot. He looks soooo TINY!! I keep having to go in to see how sweet he looks. zonked out now anyway so that's a blessing.

[Lisa78]

thanks SW

[Kika]

Hi Lisa,

Ah these early November babies... :-)
My baba has been sleeping from 9-7 in the past few days too, and during the day I find that he gets tired and sleeps from 9-10, then from 12-2pm and then for an hour at around 4-5. 14 hours seems to be enough sleep for him. Before, when he sleapt shorter during the night, he slept more during the day, but all in all it was about 14 hours then too.

[Lisa78]

oooh! Thats moreorless what I've been doing with him the last couple of days and I do seem to have a happier baby. He naps 9.30-10.30 / 1-2 / 4-5 and half an hour before the bedtime routine - 13.5 - 14 hours!