4 month nap schedule

LnA5909

Looking for anyone who has (or had) their 4 monthers on a nap schedule.  I want to start working on this because they love to be awake at opposite times. I am not sure how many naps and what duration are appropriate.

Currently, they wake up at about 7am for their first bottle and then eat at 9,12,3,6,9.  After their 9 bottle they go down.  Lately, they have been sleeping from about 6 or 7p when I wake them for a bath and bottle, so I wonder if I should move bedtime up.  Other than that, there really is no consistency as to when either of them sleep. Somedays they are up a ton (as in only sleeping 2-3 hours total during the day) and I feel like they wear themselves out because the following day they will practically sleep all day.

AmyJoy728

My boys are 4 months and we aren't on a schedule but they eat every 3.5-5 hrs during the day and I put them down for a nap when they start getting fussy typically 1.5ish hrs. They do a big long nap after the 6pm bottle and then we wake up for pjs and bath around midnight-1am and then sleep until 6am. we tried making bedtime at the 6pm bottle, but they would wake up at 3am, and midnight is our bedtime so it works for us.

LnA5909

I Heart The 80s:

Here was our 4 month schedule:

Wake: 6:30 AM (Feed)

Feedings at  9:30, 12:30, 3:30 and 6:30.

We'd put them to bed and see them in the morning. They slept. I am a big believer in schedules, and getting their feedings/calories in them during the day. They started STTN at 12 weeks exactly.

I woke them to feed in the day if necessary. Many thought I was crazy, but it worked. Could you try putting them to bed at say, 6:30 and doing a dream feed at 10 or so??? 

Their nights are pretty good.  They go down between 8 and 9 and are up at 7ish.  I am hesitant to drop a bottle just yet because my son is downing 6, 6 oz bottles as it is. Neither of them dream feed very well. We do a 3 hour feeding schedule during the day- even waking to feed. Now I want to figure out a consistent time to work naps into that schedule so I can work on getting them both to sleep at the same time and both awake at the same times.  The 3 hour feeding schedule is what throws it somewhat off.  They can be up for 2-2.5 hours before wanting to go down...so at that point do I feed them early? only let them sleep for .5-1 hour, feed and right back to sleep? 

Someone mentioned to me a 2-3-4 method.  So, 2 hours after AM wake up , they go down for a nap.  3 hours after waking from that nap, they go down again.  4 hours from waking they go o bed.  If I followed that our day would be:

7a: wake and feed
8:30: feed
9: nap
12: wake and feed, play until 3
3:  eat and nap
5: wake and head home
6: eat, play
8: start bath/ bedtime
9: feed and into bed.

We tried the 3-5 nap and bedtime routine starting at 8 tonight.  Keeping them up those 3 hours was rough.  Do you think that's enough sleep time for 4 month olds?

shaket83

I wouldn't say that we are on a real "schedule", I listen to their cues for when they are sleepy and they eat when they wake up from their naps. However, I will say that their "routine" is shockingly consistent for the most part. I say we don't have a schedule because 1 nap gets off and we are flying by the seat of our pants for the rest of the day. 

7:00AM Wake and eat (2-4oz)

8-8:30 Nap (45 minutes), wake and eat (3-5oz)

10-10:30 Nap (45 minutes), wake and eat (3-5oz)

12-1 Nap in their swing (2-3.5 hours), wake and eat (5-6.5oz)-this nap helps me to keep my sanity and so we do not ever leave the house at this time

4-6 Nap (45 minutes), wake and eat (2-4oz)

and if they need another short cat nap to make it to bed time, we do that

7:30-8PM start bed time routine and last bottle (2-5oz) and they are usually passed out by 8:15 

they wake up between 3-5AM to eat and then we start all over again

I also find this schedule exhausting for several reasons. Primarily, I never know how much they are going to eat-grrrrrrr. But also, its tiring putting them down for all those naps. The grass is always greener on the other side though, because I'm sure that there are a ton of people out there who would love for their kids to sleep this much.