Sleeping Question/Vent ?

kmhb2010

My DS sleeps great at night...he either STTN or wakes up once and has done this since he was a week or two old, so his night time sleep is great. He doesn't always do daytime naps great, though and I'm trying to figure out how to get him to sleep better for naps. He will sleep amazing on me, but when I try to put him down he wakes up. Now, I don't mind this because I love snuggling with him, but I also want him to get used to taking a normal nap laying down, and it would give me more of an opportunity to get stuff done. I am a teacher and going back in the fall so he'll be at daycare and will have to nap. I want to do naps better, but then feel like I mess it up when we are gone for the day or our schedule changes. Plus we'll be spending 3 weeks in July with my family so we won't be home at all. Should I try to get him on a better nap schedule knowing things will keep changing, and knowing that daycare will have their own schedule? Or should I just try to put him down when I can and go with day care's schedule when he goes there? I know some of you have already been through this so I'm hoping to get your expertise! Thanks in advance!

Melzig76

Here my experience. Dd is about the age that she maybe takes two naps a day. She still doesn't sttn and I'm not sure when she will. Oh well. Her naps are short anywhere from 20 min to an hour depending on the day, & it doesn't matter toyed is she's in her bed, in my arms, in the swing, or we're out and about. If you are able to know the dcps schedule, I would aim for that. Less of changes.  Hope you figure something out, but as these kiddos get bigger I think nap length will be determined by them.

kmhb2010

Melzig76:

Here my experience. Dd is about the age that she maybe takes two naps a day. She still doesn't sttn and I'm not sure when she will. Oh well. Her naps are short anywhere from 20 min to an hour depending on the day, & it doesn't matter toyed is she's in her bed, in my arms, in the swing, or we're out and about. If you are able to know the dcps schedule, I would aim for that. Less of changes.  Hope you figure something out, but as these kiddos get bigger I think nap length will be determined by them.

Thanks! I'm not really into scheduling him, and have always just let him call the shots as far as feeding/sleeping, and he's done great. He eats approx. every 3 hours and takes a nap about 1 1/2 to 2 hours after he last ate. Sometimes they are 20 min and sometimes they are 2 hours - but only 1 long one a day - if even that. He falls asleep in the car if we're out but I don't want to get to a point where I can never leave or be somewhere else because of a nap time. I like to be flexible but don't want to totally screw up daycare when he has to be on a schedule...if that makes sense.  

Jeanine88

I've picked up the boom " healthy sleep habits, happy child" and it's helped me with my son's naps. It says at 3 months babies can't be awake more than 2 hours at a time. So I look for cues that he's tired and then take him to his room and get him to nap- this is sometimes 4 times a day and he only sleeps about 30 min at a time, but it helps him. He sometimes fights it but it's gotten easier bc I use the same routine each time. If we're out, he'll nap in the stroller and I'm fine with that but I try to get him to nap in the crib when home. Good luck!