Nap Training

I used to wonder why he doesn't take any naps while other babies have routine naps. He would doze off in the baby carrier or car seat when he's tired but never solid regular naps. When I learned from Irene how it affects brain and temperament development, I became eager to work out a regular nap schedule. In late May I read the "Healthy Sleeping Habits Happy Child" book. I find this a revolutionary book, it explains the hows and whys. Some notes from the book that helped me (I hope my new mommy friends find it helpful too):
- Babies need to sleep after 1-2 hours of wakefulness.
- When infant/child appears wired, he may be over-tired already.
- Sleep begets sleep: The more rested you are, the easier it is to fall asleep and stay asleep. The more tired you are, the harder it is.
p119: Most common cause for waking up too early before 4 mo is fussiness; after 4 mo, is a too-late bedtime.
p121: The common cause of an absent or a too-short morning nap is an interval of wakefulness that is too long bw the wake-up time and the beginning of the nap.

P248 Nap1: 9am, 1-2 hrs.
Restorative if it's about an hour or longer. 40-45 is sometimes enough but most babies this age sleep at least 1 hr.
If a nap doesn't occur, it is best to keep you baby awake and go to the next sleep period. Probably the next sleep period will take place a little earlier.

P256 Nap2: 12-2. Should begin before 3.
Common problem is the interval of wakefulness following the first nap is too long. The causes baby to become overtired and he has difficulty either falling asleep or staying asleep.
If missed this nap, try to nap in early evening say 4 and limit to 1 hour.

I find the key is in timing: start the soothing process before he appears tired. The book makes an interesting analogy between catching the wave of drowsiness and surfboarding. "Perfect timing produces no crying" is very true. I watch for when he becomes quiet and learn when he starts his long humming it means he is a little overtired already. I also started a sleep log to learn his sleep pattern and see if he's getting enough sleep. After a couple weeks of training, he is pretty good with his two naps, 10:30-11:30/12, 3/3:30-4:30, and bed time routine starting a little after 7. He now often coos for a few minutes and may cry for 5-10 minutes on a normal routine schedule. He usually doesn't get up at night, but does once in a rare while.

I also extrapolate the sleep theory to adult sleep, and learn that I've been depriving myself sleep. I find I am able to fall asleep while he naps, which means I need more sleep than what I've been giving myself. I protest sleep even more than the baby. So now I try to sleep when he naps instead of working on chores (well, I'm not so good at that yet, since I'm writing blog while he's napping here).

sleep log