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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Day time napping patterns, 8 month old DS

16 replies

HeyBungalowBill · 04/05/2014 22:55

Hello, my DS probably has 3 half an hour naps per day and most people I know with babies say their baby naps similarly.
When my mums generation ask about naps though they tend to say their babies slept for 1-2 hours at a time twice a day!
-the things i could get done in two hours!!-

I was just wondering if the way a baby naps tends to be down to the baby or if there's a way to encourage babies to have one long nap rather than lots of little ones?
I really struggle to get anything done as by the time DS has had his nap all I've managed is to make and eat a sandwich and maybe hung a bit of washing up then he's awake!

I'm not sure if it's something I am doing?

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JiltedJohnsJulie · 05/05/2014 11:49

Some babies are just like that but you may be able to find a way to encourage him.

What are his nap times and where does he nap?

riskit4abiskit · 05/05/2014 21:54

My ds 8mths has 3 half hour naps too and only when I boob him to sleep and lie with him!

BentleyBelly · 06/05/2014 03:44

My 8mo has 2 hours twice a day on a good day. She has to have the blackout blind down, sleeping bag and in her cot just like at night time. For want of a better word she is a very lazy little lady and loves her bed. I am actually struggling to fit in meal times around all the sleeping she does and get frustrated that I am so tied to the house for her naps as she doesn't nap anywhere other than her bed! I am very lucky for all the 'me' time I get though!

Blueberrybaby · 06/05/2014 03:58

At 8 months my DD was having an hour in the morning-around 9-10. 2 hours in the afternoon about 12.30-2.30 and then maybe a 30 minute one at 4.30/5. The short late afternoon one was the first to go. Now at 12 months she's dropping the morning one. That means the afternoon one is the good long stretch of 2-3 hours. Dd has always napped in her cot, in a sleep sack, and blackout blind down, door shut.

redcaryellowcar · 06/05/2014 04:07

the reason he probably only naps for half an hour is that is one sleep cycle, if you 'teach' him to re settle himself, he will probably start to go a bit longer, with my ds i tried to get him to associate the ssshhhhh sound with going off to sleep, then knowing he would wake after 25/30 minutes i would watch the baby monitor carefully and as soon as he started to stir would sit outside his bedroom door saying ssshhhhh. you need to persevere for at least 10 minutes, although if he is wide awake and crying you would probably be better to pick him up and get him back to sleep with feeding or rocking etc.
small caveat on what i have just said, in as much @ 8 months there is a lot going on for babies, they are getting to grips with eating, probably crawling, maybe working out pulling up, trying to work out how to walk? so might be that life is too exciting to be able to nap for longer, worth a try though .
no cry sleep solution book is very good on this?

givemecaffeine21 · 06/05/2014 08:51

We taught our son to nap along the lines of what Redcar said, unlike his sister who adores her sleep he wasn't so keen - I learned that a sleep cycle is 30-40 minutes before they go into light sleep, and bang on the dot our son would stir then wake. I started by going in and doing the 'shush pat' as he woke or just before. It's hard to remember now but I think it took two weeks before he started napping properly. At 10.5 months he now has 20-30 minutes at 9.30am and up by 10, then down again at 12-12.30pm which is when DD naps for 2 hours. I've got a small age gap (11 months) so wanted them asleep at the same time to give me a break. He used to have 15 minutes at 4.30pm too but dropped that at around 6-7 months.

I also have blackout blind and in Grobag for the lunchtime nap but I don't with the morning nap as I tend to get him ready to go out, down for 20 minutes, then up and out and back for lunch for their nap and my break!

It's really about sleep training them which can be done very gently.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 06/05/2014 11:27

The No Cry Sleep Solution that redcar mentions is a good book, your library will probably have a copy.

If you want a book that just deals with naps have a read of No Cry Nap Solution.

You might find this article by Dr Sears helpful too

LittlePink · 07/05/2014 20:09

I had my LO on the 2,3,4 schedule at that age which worked a treat from 7 mths until she was 14 mths. So say she woke at 6.30am I would put her down at 8.30am and she would sleep 40 mins until she settled into the pattern and would do 1.5 hrs, then 3 hours after waking I would put her back down at 1pm and she would do an hour, then it would be bed at 6.30pm. So at that age she was having 2.5 hours nap a day over two naps. When you change routines it always takes a couple of weeks for them to settle into it but stick with it and hopefully it will work. As pps say some babies are just cat nappers though and sometimes theres not a lot you can do about that but I always had my LO on a strict nap routine and sooner or later she settled into it.

Original poster

HeyBungalowBill · 10/05/2014 09:27

Sorry that I have only just got back to you all!

DS naps usually naps at 9:30, 12:30 and around 6ish.

He's very good at self settling and has done it since he was about a month old, I've never had to rock him to sleep.
His night time sleep is spot on, I literally walk in place him in his sleeping bag give him a kiss and walk out. He sleeps 8-7:30 ish so I'm happy there

Maybe the mistake is I'm sleeping him downstairs?
I'll have to try him in his cot in the day time instead, what would you recommend if he cries over it?
To get him to sleep through I would go in every 5 minutes just to give him his dummy and that worked after 2-3 nights he slept far longer and went down without a fuss but now he's older he can get the dummy without me if it comes out

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Smartiepants79 · 10/05/2014 09:37

As far as where and how to sleep by that age my daughters were sleeping I exactly the same place for all sleep.( as far as possible) in cot, in the dark, quiet etc... Daytime sleep treated the same as nighttime.
By 8 months mine were on 2 naps a day.
9:30 ish for an hour or so. Then 1:30 for anything up to 2 hours. Sometimes more!
This was a normal pattern with the other babies in my friendship group.
In the end if he is happy on that sleep pattern. Not whining and tired then it is just fine.

Original poster

HeyBungalowBill · 10/05/2014 09:40

Smartiepants- did your DS's sleep elsewhere before that and was it ok swapping to all naps in the cot? I am imagining a big fuss haha
Although he is good as gold and rarely gets upset over things so hopefully if I catch him at the right time it might go well!

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Original poster

HeyBungalowBill · 10/05/2014 09:42

DDs sorry! Autocorrect changes it to DS's

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HolyDrinker · 10/05/2014 09:43

30 minute random catnaps here too. Regardless of whether she is in the sling, car, buggy or cot. I have a toddler at home full time too so don't have the time to spend hours shhhing, resettling etc. as I would have done first time around.

She seems happy and sleeps pretty well at night so I'm not too concerned. The odd longer nap would be nice for me, but I take the view that she's meeting her milestones, very smily and content so it's obviously working for her. On the plus side, I have a flexible baby who is happy to cat nap on the run around toddler's activities. It's quite nice not being tied to a strict routine in a way.

Smartiepants79 · 10/05/2014 09:52

They slept in the Moses basket for a few months. Only downstairs for about the first 3 months.
All I can say is it worth a try!

pjsgalore · 10/05/2014 20:14

Do you go to him immediately when he wakes after half an hour? He may just be stirring before going into a deeper sleep, as 30-45 mins is the first sleep cycle. You could try not rushing in, just leaving him for 5 or 10 mins to see if he goes back to sleep.

My 8-month-old (now 10.5 months) slept (and still sleeps) between 1.5hrs and 2 hours at 9am, then again at 12.30/1pm (two hours after waking from morning nap). No late afternoon nap after six months. But I did train her a little (she's my second and learnt with first). Ie I gave her the opportunity to go back to sleep. But babies are all different obviously.

She sleeps in her bedroom, which has quite a dark curtain, and is at the top of the house, so nice and peaceful (away from my toddler!)

Original poster

HeyBungalowBill · 12/05/2014 09:00

Thank you all for your posts it has been much appreciated

I have been worrying he would scream and cry if I tried him in his cot but I've just put him down for his first nap in the cot and it's been a success! He moaned for a while played with a toy and has now fallen asleep in such an uncomfortable position

But I am free to roam the house! Woo
Sometimes he falls asleep on my bed when I'm getting ready so I'd have to linger upstairs so he wouldn't fall off if he woke up!

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