Sleep contradictions

littlebean4 · May 2013

So I just need to rant about all of the sleep contradictions out there. For the last 3 months all I keep reading about is how at 3-4 months babies should average about 15 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, sleep begets sleep, the better they nap the better they sleep at night and vice versa! (basically I need to stop reading haha). So then I pick up Ferbers book so I can educate myself before I implement it at 6 months. He says something totally different in that a 3 month old only needs 13 hours and the better they sleep at night the worse napper they'll be bc they got all their sleep at night and vice versa! Well basically I have a crappy 20-30 min cat napper who sleeps amazing at night 7-5 or 6. ahhhhhmaybe I just need to deal with her short naps and Ferber actually knows what hes talking about. Just wanna get everyones thoughts on this

LimaD · May 2013

I agree, I've been getting really frustrated with all the contradictions! My DD is having some difficulty at night and I've had a tough time deciding what to try because everything one book or person says is the opposite of another. Ugh. trial and error i guess...

MrsT0514 · May 2013

TBH, I've stopped stressing about the fact that my DS is a catnapper all day because normally, he's an amazing sleeper at night, usually sleeping from 9pm to about 7 or 8am. I'm so grateful to be getting full nights of sleep, I'm not really willing to fight the nap battle right now. He'll eventually fall into a routine. So I'm not stressing it.

laura1 · May 2013

There is so much conflicting advice out there because every baby is different. I am sure you could find a baby to support every piece of advice out there. My DS was a terrible napper and a bad night sleeper (until ferber at 6+months). My DD#1 was a not so great napper but a wonderful night sleeper (never did any sleep training with her - I could deal with bad naps). DD#2 is a great napper, not so great night sleeper (still trying to figure her out...). I have done the same things with all of them. It is frustrating, but just pick and choose what works for you and your kids. It might be different things every day! Good luck...

And just because it is funny yet oh so true:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ava-neyer/i-read-all-the-baby-sleep-advice-books_b_3143253.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009&utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

ForeverEverAfter · May 2013

Every baby is different, so no single book could possibly work for every child. My LO has 3 naps, roughly 2h each, and won't sleep longer than 10h at night (with one wake up to nurse) no matter what else we change. I've only read no cry nap solution, but there was a funny article posted recently that summed up a bunch of different sleep books. The contradictions are hilarious, but each one works for somebody.

DublinMama · May 2013

DS has changed the game on me so many times, that it's not even worth reading anything anymore because by the time I think I found what "fits" him he does something different. It used to be that DS was a 30 minute napper for weeks. But it wasn't terrible because he would only get up once at night. However, this week he has started taking one long nap in the late morning, about two hours. The rest stayed at 30 minutes. He is getting the same amount of day time sleep, just in different increments. But now he's getting up twice in the middle of the night to eat. So I try to roll with it, and hope to all that is good and holy that he starts to regulate himself soon.

SurpriseAt39 · May 2013

I don't really pay attention to all the recommendations. I let LO sleep during the day as he needs. Currently that is either a couple 20 minute naps or one nap of 1-2 hours. His nights are roughly 8-7, with awake time in the night of 2-3 hours.

In total, my LO gets 11-12 hours in a 24 hour period.

They say LO's brain develops more during sleep, and that's why they need @15 hours, but my little guy is fairly advanced in some respects and right on track in others. He is also growing really well. I'm not worried, and if everything is on track with your LO then you shouldn't worry either.

penguingrrl · May 2013

I think every kid is different and you need to follow your instincts and your child's cues. If they're sleeping well overnight, only taking small catnaps and are content then that works. My son isn't much of a napper but sleeps well at night and is cheerful.

I've only read one sleep book and only when my second child was overtired and miserable and I needed something that would help her. I used techniques from No Cry Nap Solution and once we got her naps under control her overnight sleep got better within days, so the theory that sleep begets sleep is definitely true for some kids.

I've never read or used Ferber, so I can't comment on his theories, but I think that like everything else, each kid is an individual. If your LO is content and not a miserable overtired mess I would throw out the books and continue letting them do what they are doing. I only think sleep training is necessary if the child isn't getting enough sleep for them and is miserable.

nuttycoconut · May 2013

laura1:
There is so much conflicting advice out there because every baby is different. I am sure you could find a baby to support every piece of advice out there. My DS was a terrible napper and a bad night sleeper (until ferber at 6+months). My DD#1 was a not so great napper but a wonderful night sleeper (never did any sleep training with her - I could deal with bad naps). DD#2 is a great napper, not so great night sleeper (still trying to figure her out...). I have done the same things with all of them. It is frustrating, but just pick and choose what works for you and your kids. It might be different things every day! Good luck...
And just because it is funny yet oh so true:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ava-neyer/i-read-all-the-baby-sleep-advice-books_b_3143253.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009&utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

I was just going to post this link! Hilarious

mishka29 · May 2013

We used the sleep sense program at 13 weeks. LO would never fall asleep on her own and barely napped during the day. At first the no napping wasn't a big issue but then she turned into an overtired mess around 10 weeks.

This program is very similar to Ferber - CIO with periodic checks. The basic idea is that they learn to fall asleep on their own rather than being rocked or relying on sleep props like soothers, etc. We've had great results which we saw right away and because she is learning to fall asleep on her own, she does the same thing for naps. From what I've experienced, it's more sleep at night now and better sleep during the day.

ObLaDi · May 2013

That article is funny! LOL at "clean when the baby cleans."

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