Anyone know about nap scheduling?

[AngelDog]

Which is better for a 6 month old - 3 x 45 minute naps - morning, lunchtime and afternoon, or 4 x 45 min naps at whatever point he first starts to get tired?

If I go for 3 naps, he can have them at the 'right' times but he is awake for a bit too long between them, so it takes more work to get him to sleep.

If I go for 4 naps, I can get him off to sleep much more easily, but he's not napping at what are (allegedly) the best times of day to sleep.

Unfortunately he doesn't sleep for more than 45 mins at a time at the moment, so 3 naps with the lunchtime one being a long one doesn't work (although that's what he needs). Attempts to get him to stay asleep for more than 45 mins at lunchtime have always failed, although sometimes he has managed to do it on his own.

TIA

I just let DS nap, and wake when he wanted to in the daytime. He found his own rhythm naturally and now sleeps once, usually for 2 hours (he's 18 months). I can't remember when he went from several naps to just one, but it just happened naturally.

The best times of day to sleep are when he's tired! IMO you should let him tell you when that is. it makes life much less stressful for you both!

i also let dd nap whenever she wanted to, i just worked around it

Let him sleep when he feels the need.
By scheduling naps and then struggling to achieve them, you may be making things harder on yourself than you need to. I know from experience there is nothing more frustrating than spending ages trying to setle a child only to end up feeling like a failure.

Also, your DSs needs will be changing a lot over the next few months. He'll start weaning, be far more physically active and teething may be more of an issue. All of this can affect baby's sleep patterns - so don't worry about getting routines that are too fixed.

What on earth are the right times of the day to sleep?

I just let dd (15 weeks) nap whenever but she is pretty good at just drifting off wherever and whenever. She falls alseep on her playmat, on other people's playmat, on towels outside etc, just conks out. I understand from other people that this is not true for all of them and many of my friends rock their baby to sleep when they seem fractious and they think it's because they are tired.

Thanks for the advice. I suspect my use of the word 'scheduling' was slightly ambiguous - I'm not into GF- type timings, but I am trying to help DS go to sleep more easily.

On the right times of day to sleep - there are supposed to be biological 'awake' and 'sleep' times of day. Sleeping during an awake time is supposed to be less refreshing and it's supposed to be easier to go to sleep during sleep times than awake times. Sleep times are around 9am and after lunch (around 1pm), and from 6-8pmish onwards for babies (9pm onwards for adults). I've no idea whether any of this works or not, though, which was why I was asking.

I would love to just follow DS's tired signs, but often he doesn't show until he's overtired. He yawns, rubs his eyes etc frequently, even when he's not sleepy, so that's no help.

His most successful naps recently have been when I've tried to get him to sleep way before he seems tired. But I've also had several nap disasters with that approach.

pommedeterre, I'm very jealous - the last time my DS 'just drifted off' was when we were on the labour ward, I think!

I suspect that is guff made up by people who are trying to sound all sorts of Expert and Specialist, tbh.

What about daylight savings? Should you adjust to 10 and 2?

Mine was a horrible napper for a very long time - 45 minutes, struggle to get her to nap, etc. She also refused to go to bed before around 8.30pm (this was quite useful, because we could push it to 9 without trauma, and therefore go to parties/out to dinner with her) - I think different children have different biological clocks, just as some adults are morning people and some aren't.

no real advice, though. just to say, don't sweat it - make it up as you get along, and one day she'll be 14 months old and take one 2-3 hour nap in the middle of the day, and you will feel as if angels have alighted upon you and sprinkled you with fairy dust.

Yes, I can't wait for that!

Daylight saving - who knows?? You're right, I think different people do have different variations on the biological clock. I probably should bin the whole idea.