Waking baby from naps

[Rachel1210]

Anyone had experience of waking a baby from naps? My LO is 6 mo and I’ve read a few times that the first nap of the day should be short compared to the second nap and that the final nap should be a cat nap. I therefore wake my baby after an hour in the morning, he then sleeps for 2 hours followed by a 30 min cat nap (3.5 hours total) he’s in bed by 7 and sleeps until around 6 - he usually wakes once or twice in the night. I think this is all good/normal for a 6 mo. But I hate waking him from his morning nap - it doesn’t feel right to sleep a waking baby! He’s smiley when I wake him - but after an hour he’s grizzly so then I’m just watching the clock until I can put him down for his afternoon nap. If I didn’t wake him from his morning nap I’d think that the morning nap would over power the afternoon nap or he’d end up sleeping a lot in the day which may then impact his sleep at night. Anyone been here before? Any advice?

Meant wake a sleeping baby!

How many times is he waking in the night? And for how long?
My DD is now 9 months and takes a 90 min nap in the morning...sometimes a later nap in the afternoon. Doesn't impact on night sleep at all - wakes once around midnight and the sleeps to 8am most nights.

Experiment with leaving for morning nap....

You've also got a good sleeper! You're doing a great job with those hours if sleep...

That sounds perfect. I was always in the never wake a sleeping baby but mine would happily nao for 6 hours plus during the day and then the nights were awful. That pattern sounds absolutely right and if he is smiley when you wake him that would suggest he doesnt need any more.

I’m in the camp of just letting them wake naturally. Regardless of what someone says a baby ‘should’ be doing, if they’re asleep in my eyes then they need to be asleep. DS has always, u til the last 2 months, had a two hour nap within two hours of waking in the morning. It was just his way. He’s almost two and has now dropped the nap for a longer afternoon nap.

I have never ever woken a baby and I never will.

Thanks all. He wakes usually once or twice in the night. Usually a quick feed and he’s back to sleep. I’m not aware that he’s awake at night. I just worry that too much day time sleep means less night time sleep?

Sleep begets sleep!
I only wake from naps if I have to, otherwise let them sleep! He's never read the books, he only knows what he feels he needs. Trust that.

I have 5 dc so a good routine and good night sleep is particularly important to me so I always wake them if they sleep too long.

I was nap and sleep obsessed from day 1 and we quickly got our little girl into a routine.for us it was slightly different. She’d wake around 5.30 as she’d be woken up by daddy’s alarm. Back to sleep at 7.15 when he’d go to work. She’d then sleep in until 9.30.

Her afternoon nap was 1 - 4pm. Sleep at 7.30 and she’d sleep through.

You end up finding what works for you and it sounds like what you’re doing now works. You could try leaving him to wake himself but that may impact the rest of the day and throw out your routine.

I wake my little boy from naps (and in the morning, a consistent wake time is important). I love having a reliableroutine and I think that he's much happier for it. When the routine doesn't go to plan is when he cries!

Try keeping it up for a week or two and seeing how you get on? I find my son takes a little while to get used to any change. If your LO is still cranky, then waking him from naps might not be for you or him. 3.5hours day sleep at that age sounds about right, maybe try waking him half an hour into his morning nap?