The ever asked Q and every mom's worry......sleep

carolinakiwi

My DS is about 2 months old now.  His sleeping is getting better, but for the first month or so, he rarely napped during the day.  It turned into a joke with DH and I because we'd try to get him to sleep during the day and he never would.  He was the total opposite of what you hear about a newborn (that they sleep all the time).  Total night time sleep was about 7-8 hours.

Now that he's 2 months old, his night time sleep is anywhere from 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep, but typically is only 8 hours.  We put him to bed around 7:30 to 8, and he's been getting up around 6 am.  But the last few days we've been able to stretch him until 6:45 or 7 am.

He's also doing better with napping....granted it's always in the swing.  He's napping about 2-4.5 hours a day, maybe 5.

But everything that I read in books or online about 2 month old naps and total sleep says that they need about 15-16 total hours of sleep.  Well DS doesn't get close to 15 hours.  On a good day he may get 12, or maybe almost 13 hours of sleep, but he's never gotten close to 15 or 16 hours.

How about your LO........do they get the total sleep that all the books/articles/"experts" say they need?

AgrippaRidesAgain

How is he functioning on those 12-13 hours of sleep?  If he's eating and growing well, is happy when he's awake, and doesn't seem overtired, then don't worry about it.

jenpekar

Hi!  I know I have responded to many of your sleep posts because I am right there with you!  My DD sleeps as much as yours.  Last week I decided not to worry so much about how long her naps are.  I put her to sleep when tired (cannot do drowsy but awake!) and if she wakes up earlier than I "think" she should I try not to use all my energy on getting her back to sleep.

As long as she is not crying, I feel good about my choice to not force long naps.  Seriously, this new perspective, as silly as it is, has made my week much better!

J+MS

Our LOs are about the same age. I keep track of DD's sleeping hours (i'm weird like that). She sleeps anywhere from 10-15 hours a day...but the average is about 11-12.  Lately, she's been really hard to get down but she sleeps really good at night. Every baby is different, if your LO isn't sick, then he's more than likely fine.

carolinakiwi

AgrippaRidesAgain:

How is he functioning on those 12-13 hours of sleep?  If he's eating and growing well, is happy when he's awake, and doesn't seem overtired, then don't worry about it.

Yes, he is eating and definitely growing well.  For the most part when he's awake, he's happy.  But about a month ago I couldn't say that....only in about the past 2-3 weeks since he's been napping better.

So, I think that DS is just one that doesn't require a ton of sleep.  

We have been slack in trying to do naps in the crib and we need to work on that.  We've been relying on the swing and he naps in it well.

carolinakiwi

jenpekar:

Hi!  I know I have responded to many of your sleep posts because I am right there with you!  My DD sleeps as much as yours.  Last week I decided not to worry so much about how long her naps are.  I put her to sleep when tired (cannot do drowsy but awake!) and if she wakes up earlier than I "think" she should I try not to use all my energy on getting her back to sleep.

As long as she is not crying, I feel good about my choice to not force long naps.  Seriously, this new perspective, as silly as it is, has made my week much better!

Yes, our LO's are similar in their sleeping.  That is probably a good suggestion......to not obsess over how many hours of sleep he's getting.  I need to work on that. :-)

We too cannot do drowsy but awake (when putting down in the crib).  I've been too scared to try it lately, but earlier on it definitely didn't work. However the swing is another story.  We can put him in it and he'll drift off to sleep.

Thanks for posting! :-)

carolinakiwi

J+MS:

Our LOs are about the same age. I keep track of DD's sleeping hours (i'm weird like that). She sleeps anywhere from 10-15 hours a day...but the average is about 11-12.  Lately, she's been really hard to get down but she sleeps really good at night. Every baby is different, if your LO isn't sick, then he's more than likely fine.

I've been keeping track of DS's sleep hours (and everything else) as well. :-)  I keep it in an app on my phone.

I'm glad to hear that other mom's have LO's with similar sleeping hours as mine.  It's good to know that not all of us fit the "experts" mold.

hodgie

I drove myself crazy with DS#1's sleep.  He didn't nap well for the first several months-only 45 minutes at a time.  And he certainly wasn't sleeping anywhere near 15 hours a day.  I kept sleep logs and read just about every book out there.  I learned a lot about infant sleep...but his sleep patterns didn't really change.  I totally agree with the pp who said if your LO is happy/content and growing well, he is getting enough sleep for HIM.  The problem with the books is approaching every baby as if they are the same...they aren't all the same!  

ehsgurl44

I am just jealous that your LO sleeps through the night. My DD is almost 10 weeks and still wakes up every two hours. Forget naps during the day... I want sleep at night. lol