do shorter naps mean better night sleeping?

10 replies

meysey · 20/10/2004 09:44

My 8.5 month old has slept through for the first time, on a day when we were out and about and he had shorter naps than usual.

Normally he has 30-45 minutes in the morning and 1-2hours in the afternoon.

Should I cut his naps right back to get a better night's sleep? (I am so exhausted!!!!)

OP posts:

handbagaddiction · 20/10/2004 09:46

Personally I find that less sleep during the day normally means less sleep at night. dd is often more restless and stirs more often when she has not had enough daytime sleep.

Could be that on this occasion, all the fresh air made her crash out??

Easy · 20/10/2004 10:10

There are no rules about this.

Very young chldren can sleep more badly at night if they have shorter naps, cos they get over-tired, whereas some babies need less sleep over 24 hours, and can make up the shorter sleep time at night.

IMO you just have to experiment with what works for your son. He may just have slept better cos he was more stimulated during the day, had more to make up.

Easy · 20/10/2004 10:12

Just like grown-ups really, babies are all different (which is why I don't agree with regimes like Gina Ford)

Caligula · 20/10/2004 10:20

I always found that my DS slept worse if he missed his afternoon nap because he became fractious and over-tired!

throckenholt · 20/10/2004 10:21

mine tend to sleep less well if they have not had enough sleep during the day and are overtired.

katzguk · 20/10/2004 10:24

agree with everyone else here my dd is now sleeping better at night now we've reinstated her afternoon nap.

Original poster

meysey · 20/10/2004 12:12

fresh air and stimulation it is then!

OP posts:

AussieSim · 20/10/2004 12:15

For me longer after lunch nap means better night time sleep. I remember GF said though that at around 9mths some babies give up the morning nap. You might try droping the morning nap and then your bub might lengthen the afternoon nap and sleep better in the night.

prefernot · 20/10/2004 13:33

Like everyone else here my dd sleeps better at night if she's had a good nap. On the occasions she doesn't sleep in the day she has a rubbish night and it takes a few days to get her back on track. Having said that I do expect this to change now she's 2 so am watching for signs that she no longer needs a nap.

snowmoon · 20/10/2004 19:22

My DS definitely takes longer to settle for the night if he hasn't had at least a couple of good naps during the day. Not all babies are the same, but with him I make sure that he gets about 3 - 4 hours of nap time during the day.

Flip