biological sleep windows

taraleanne

I used to put my little one for naps and bedtime when he seemed ready for sleep and was showing signs of being sleepy but this is no longer working for us because the signs are so darn subtle that I'm missing the cue and he's getting overtired. My previous good sleeper is no longer and my mama instinct and gut tells me he is overtired and I need to get him back on track.

A little research and talking to some mamas in my mama group suggests that babies still taking 2 naps a day (switching to 1 nap somewhere between 15 and 18 months around mid-day) are biologically set to wake sometime between 6 and 7am, take a good nap at 830 or 9 for and another (usually longer) one at 1230/1pm and then go to bed by 630/7pm (and some babies being able to stay awake longer, it depends on how long the afternoon nap is).   Coincidentally our problems started after I started letting him sleep in to 8 or even 830am instead of his old time of 7am.  These biological sleep windows apparently have something to do with cortisol levels at different times of the day in babies this young.  

Just wondering if anyone here finds that their baby's biological sleep windows also line up with these times?  I think I need to stop letting my LO sleep in so long because it's really starting to mess with his day and night sleep so I'm wondering if these windows ring any truth for anyone. 

FarmingBride

Just read your post here after you replied to mine  

Have you read or heard of the book: Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth.  It is amazing.  After having children I find it so interesting to learn about them growing and even their sleep patterns and why some things work and some things do not.  It is a great book that I have recommended to many of my family and friends who have had babies after I have.  It get pretty in depth but it also has a summary at the end of each chapter.  And the chapter are divided nicely.  From understanding sleep, to sleep problems, extreme fussiness/colic, months 1-4, months 5-12, months 13-36, preschool children, schoolchildren and adolescence, special sleep problems like nightmares, daylight savings time, moving.  It covers it all and I find it very thorough and easy to read.  It has real like stories of people who have had sleep problems and how they have corrected them.  But the best part is that summary at the end of each chapter and even though the chapter might be from months 1-4 the summary breaks it down even further to weeks 2-4, wks 5-6. wks 7-8 to give you quick simple bullet point tips to how to handle sleep with that age of child.  The summary at the end is called Action Plan for Exhausted Parents.  There have been many times with my two children that they started to do something different with their sleep.  I immediately grab my book and flip to the summary area to read what he says should be taken place or how I should be handling a situation at that age range.  I find it so helpful because I am trying to decide.....ok, she's not crying in her crib, but she is up there talking and not sleeping, how long do I let this go on before I go into her room.  Or another time, maybe she is crying, but I know she is cried, how long at this age should I let her try to work through it on her own.  Or with my son......when should have started to go from 2 naps to 1 nap.  It just has helped me so so much.  I don't claim to be an expect at sleep.  But I know that is is extremely important to have a well rested child to allow them to be at the top of their game to be able to learn and take in everything around them when they are awake.  Why not turn to an expert in those times of question. That is why this book is pretty much my sleep bible  

The times you listed above are very similar to what I have put in my reply to your question under my original post.  And the book goes into further detail on all of that. 

But yes,  I went through the similar situation you are having right now with my older son who is now 5.  But I remember going thru when I let him sleep in until 8am or so we would have issues.  It was too close to his morning nap and it would throw everything out of wack.  I know now with the 2nd child this time that I do have to control that wake up time pretty regularily to keep the rest on track and make for the happiest baby possible.  I could see once my baby drops that am nap that I could let her sleep in a little more as I think I did that with my son.  As you would have more of a window between wake up time (say 8am) and that afternoon nap around 12:30/1pm or even 12 if your kid can't make it that long. 

I am consistently saying the same thing to myself.....my babies cues are so sutble for the most part now.......if she's happy I like to keep playing when deep down I know that I should put her down when she's happy so I don't miss the "sleep window" as I like to call it.  I think I might have done that just now.....we had lunch, my husband had to go to work to plow snow off the roads, so we were busy with that, then my son wanted to listen to a book on cd while we followed along with the book on the couch.  So I sat down with both kiddos and we did that.  Then my son wanted his sister to come into his room and read a book with him before she went down for nap.  I said ok because it's not every day he likes to have her do that.  She got up a little early from her am nap this morning--around 10:30.  So I was aiming to have her down around 12:30 (2 hrs after waking) but she typically goes down around 1pm.  She was happy while we were sitting on the couch reading and even in brother's room when we read 1 book up there.  I put her down around 12:45. Usually she goes right now.....but it has taken until now 1:30 for her to settle down and go to sleep.  So....I am always kicking myself for not getting her down sooner in some situations such as that.  She hasn't been trying for 45 minutes, most of the time she has been quiet, but I hear her banging her feet in her crib and then she has been talking some.  But yes, I find that both my kids have been sensitive to sleep after they have been sitting to a sleep routine that they decide on and fits their needs. 

In your situation, yes I would limit that am wake up time to 7 or 7:30 at the latest.  If my baby who is 9 months old this week, wakes at 6am I do nurse her and put her back down until 7.  She always goes back out.  Once in a while she will get up at 6:30am.  Depending on my status I will either get her up at that time and start the day or if it's the weekend and I'm being lazy I will nurse her and put her back down till 7 or 7:15am....I know lazy lazy me......just wanting to be selfish and get a few more minutes of shut eye, but it just depends on my mood  

Good luck and you will get your little guy back on track!  All babies go through little hiccups along the road, you just need to remain consistent as that is what babies thrive on as well as routines.  They know what to expect and they like that.