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June 2012 Moms
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for those who are sleep training...

surromama6surromama6 member
in June 2012 Moms

So I recently started sleep training my DS because for the past few weeks he has been waking very early in the morning...we're talking 3:30 or 4:30 instead of his usual 7:30.  Because I have been recording his sleep and nap times I have noticed that his three naps are longer than what sleep-easy recommends for a 6 month old. 

They recommend 2-3 1/4 hours of nap time spread out between 2-3 naps.  My DS is taking 3 naps that total 5 1/2 hours! (one that is 2 1/2 hours long and two that are 1 1/2 hours long).  I'm thinking because he sleeps so much during the day, he doesn't sleep the full 11 hours at night, which is causing early wakings.

So, my question is this, do I wake him up from his naps earlier so he is closer to the 3 hour nap total? Or should I let him sleep during the day and deal with the VERY early mornings? Any advice would be helpful, whether you are sleep training or not...thank you so much mamas!
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Re: for those who are sleep training...

  • unaveragejaneunaveragejane member

    Wow, what a good napper! The longest nap DS ever takes is 1.5 hours, and that is a rarity. Anyway, I am wondering what your schedule looks like. What time is bedtime, and when are his naps? Also, is he waking up hungry? Do you possibly need to increase his daytime ounces or do a dream feed so he can make it through the night until a decent hour?

    FWIW my DS was also waking up super early for a while. He would fuss, toss, and turn, but if I left him alone he would fall back asleep after 20 minutes or so. (Check-ins in the early morning just made him really mad.) After maybe 4 days of this, he started sleeping on for a full 10.5 or 11 hours.

                 

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  • Gismo123Gismo123 member

    I don't think having shorter naps matters.  DS only takes 1-2 naps during the day and they are usually 30-min. to 1hr.  On the rare occasion he'll take a 2 hour nap.  He still wakes at least 1 time a night, between 3-5am to eat then goes back to sleep till 7am.  Sometimes he wakes up 2 times a night.

    DS hasn't slept more than 7 hours straight since he was 5 months old which I'm not complaining about because 7 hours is great. I wouldn't expect him to sleep 11 hours at this age considering he's teething and he's probably hungry a lot from using lots of energy learning to crawl.

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  • surromama6surromama6 member

    Now I'm confused...he slept his normal schedule this morning...until 6:30 and yesterday he still had his long naps...I don't know what is up with him.

    This is the schedule he was on before early wakings started...nap times and lengths are still about the same right now, he is just waking up a lot earlier (except for last night!)

    bedtime at 7:30
    wake up at 6:30
    nap from 9:00-11:30
    nap from 1:30-3:00
    nap from 5:00-6:30
    bedtime at 7:30

    He doesn't seem hungry when he does wake early.  I have tried to feed him but he only will take a few ounces, he just seems energized.  He gets 4-5 six ounce bottles as well as two feedings of solids every day so I don't think he needs a night feeding as well.  He also hates the check-ins so I'm going to try just letting him fuss for a while if he wakes early tomorrow morning....I'm so confused now!

     

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  • unaveragejaneunaveragejane member
    Yeah, they always switch  up on you when you finally  think you know their habits! If he starts the early morning wake-ups again, you might try spacing the 2nd nap a little farther from the first and doing away with the 3rd nap. (SleepEasy recommends not napping after 5:00pm.) It might bump his bedtime up to 6:30, but an 11 hour sleep window would still keep him in bed until 5:30.
                 

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  • Jennybake12Jennybake12 member

    I am sure I know much less than the other ladies that have posted because I haven't read any of the books on sleep training, but things seem to be going pretty "text book" (I know I just jinxed myself) for me. 

     Does your DS seem ready to go to bed at 7:30 when he just woke up from his last nap of the day at 6:30? My DS has a late bedtime of 9 pm because my husband (and soon to be me) is at work until 7 pm so he wants to see him when he gets home. I do let my son nap after 5 pm if I can tell he is really tired. But I wake him up no later than 8 pm and normally keep him up till 9:30 or 10 on these days. Normally though, his last nap of the day is over by 5 pm and he is asleep again between 8:30-9.

    If I were you I think I would not let him sleep so much during the day unless you think he is going through a growth spurt. Each baby is different though. And it is hard when your little guy keeps yawning and clonking his head down on your chest because it is too heavy for him to hold up. Not sure if it would work for your family schedule but you might want to push his bedtime back if you continue to let him nap until 6:30pm. I don't think such a late bedtime is recommended, but for our family is it perfect. My little normally sleeps approx 9pm- 7:30am. So until I go back to work next month I get to sleep in!!! LOVE IT

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