Waking a sleeping baby?

[sleepslikeababy]

As to be expected, my almost 6 month old’a naps are all over the place atm. Sometimes 1.5hours, sometimes 45mins. We resttle back to sleep if he’s not happy to be awake after one sleep cycle. Sometimes he is, sometimes he isn’t. This is not a problem for us as we’re quite flexible and go with the flow with him atm (he’s our only child). My question is, does anyone actually wake their sleeping babies up to keep to a strict nap schedule? Sometimes his afternoon nap creeps into the early evening (6/6.30pm) if he sleeps for 1.5hours +. For example today, he went down around 4.30pm, and woke after 45 minutes. I went to get him up but he was so unhappy and obviously still tired. Fell right back asleep in my arms and I’ve just left him to finish his nap. Would others wake him? Or leave him to sleep? Do babies need waking or do they take the amount of sleep they need? I see sample nap schedules online which always end the day with a cat nap. Does anyone follow these? And if so does that mean you wake your baby up? Even if they’re unhappy and look overtired?

I don't wake my baby. I find that if my little girl doesn't get enough sleep in the day, she is a nightmare come night time. We go with the flow.

I always have and it works really well. I make a short nap in the morning (930 to 1030), now 30mins since he was about 8 months so that he is tired enough for a long nap over lunch (1230 to 230)and he's slept long enough so that he can get to 7pm bedtime without being overtired. Works for me as I love a schedule but realise its not for everyone.

I don't believe in waking your baby, but I do like to keep to a routine so if my DS is asleep on me, I'll put him down and he will wake up on his own shortly after. If he is in his cot or pram I will take the blanket off, or open the bedroom door or whatever to get him to slowly wake up by himself.
I found actually waking my DS up (picking him up, talking to him etc) was not a good call for us as he seriously lost his shit when I did it, so I've never done it since.
Find a way that works for you OP. Every baby is different so it's what suits them as well as you ❤️

Yes I did once he was 6 months. Max an hour in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, always awake by 3 (or was it 4? God I cant remember!)

Thanks for all the replies. I guess some do and some don’t and it’s what works for you and your baby.

Lockdown means we don’t have a strict schedule to follow, i.e. us getting to work, baby getting to childcare etc, so I haven’t really felt the need for a strict routine just yet as we’re all working from home and work flexible hours.

I guess things might change when we go back to the office.

@lockdownpregnancy that sounds like a good compromise. I might try turning the lights on or the white noise off if his afternoon nap starts going past 6 or 6.30pm.

@beth821 I like a routine too but he was born in lockdown so with nowhere to go and not much to do we’ve fallen into a flexible schedule that he leads. I quite like it and he seems happy. Just always wondering if I’m doing the wrong thing letting him sleep so long so late!

I didn't until it became a problem at night time, I think about 10 months, as he was napping until 5.30 sometimes then wouldn't go to sleep.

I do. Wish I was more go with the flow sometimes but I find a routine keeps me sane! My 6mo has three naps a day, with the last ending before 4:30pm for a 7pm bedtime. Bedtime is between 6-7pm, so if we've had short naps baby goes to bed earlier. I rarely have to cap naps as he tends not to sleep any longer than an hour and a half at a time during the day. But I do cap them if he sleeps longer or it will push bedtime back.

It works well for us and he sleeps through the night with no wake ups from bedtime until 6:30am.

If any of mine slept in the day past six months - which was the equivalent of a unicorn as none of them did anyway - then they wouldn’t sleep at all in the night.
Sleep didn’t breed sleep
But then they were equally shit with no nap so don’t ask me 🤪

My DS is 6.5 months and has 3 naps a day, all of which last 31 minutes! It's like he has an internal alarm that wakes him. I barely get the chance to finish my coffee between putting him down and picking him back up again. On the odd occasion he does sleep longer I don't wake him, even if his last nap is at 5/5.30pm which it often is.

We work to his needs - when he's hungry we feed him, when he's tired we let him sleep. We have a VERY loose schedule but it's flexible, not rigid.

We worked backwards from bedtime. Bedtime was firm so whenever she woke up in the morning sort of dictated that days schedule. Mostly would wake her up in time from her afternoon nap and make sure she went down in time. But she also ended up being really routine from 6-14 months. Napped 1.5 twice a day at the same time.

We do. Also a lockdown baby here. Started with a routine at 7 months and it’s helped him sleep better at night. We wake at 7am. Down for nap at 9 wake by 11 although recently he’s taken to waking naturally after an hour. Down for nap 1.30-2 awake no later than 4 but usually 3-3.30. Bed at 7

I have to admit that I wouldn’t put a baby down for a nap at half 4 (maybe 15 minutes max!) I’d make them power through until half 5 and then put them to bed at half 5!
From around 4/5 months I didn’t let any of mine nap after 3, I have the school run to do anyway so they had to be up and awake by then!
My 4th is 9 months old and she naps 9-10ish and then 1.30-3 and goes to bed at 6/6.15 and sleeps through until 7, I’ll soon have to shorten her morning nap as it will affect her lunchtime nap but it’s what’s working at the moment.

@Matilda1981 what time would your baby wake up if you put them down at 5/5.30? Mine spends around 11/12 hours in his cot (not all sleeping 😂) so I always assume he’d be up super early if I put him down before 7.30/8.

@F0M0 wow 31 minute naps! Sorry but it did make me laugh. Mine struggles to link sleep cycles during the day but is not as precise as yours 😂

We have a similar approach. We work to his needs atm. Today baby had 1.5 hours this morning, 40 mins at lunch, and then almost 2 hours in the afternoon. I can’t get home to swap his lunch time and afternoon naps so for now I am just letting him sleep. Always feels like I might be doing the wrong thing but it seems like everyone takes their own approach to find what works for their baby. Feels better reading different approaches for different babies!

@sleepslikeababy - if they went to bed early they always tended to stay in bed even later than normal 😂😂 normally up around 6.30/7 which is when we’re all up so going to bed early has never made them get up any earlier, that’s why I’ve always been happy for them to go to bed if they need to!

@sleepslikeababy sounds like you're doing a great job (and living the dream re naps 😂). My DS has always been a good sleeper at night, slept through for 11hrs from 10ish weeks so I can forgive the lack of daytime sleep.

Every baby's needs are different so just continue doing what works for you and your LO x