So since I wrote last about trying to get James' naps better arranged, I've had a lot of success!
So his naps over the last week have been like . . .
His first morning nap he goes down about an hour after he wakes up in the morning, usually between 8:30-9:30. After he first wakes up in the morning, I feed him, I pump, I get dressed, and then I start the nap routine basically right away (change diaper, read books, nurse, rock to sleep).
His second morning nap he usually gets tired between 10:30-11 and falls asleep between 11-12 (after the routine).
Then he has his one and only long awake period of the day, and goes back down between 2:30-3:30. I think part of my main problem before is that I didn't realize that there was this one part of the day where he was willing to be awake for more than an hour or an hour and a half. So I would try putting him down at like 1 or 2 and it would be like an hour of effort and he still wouldn't be asleep. Now I just keep him up at this time and he is generally happy about it, which is great.
Then his final nap is pretty late--around 5, sometimes as late as six--I'm thinking that soon we'll be able to drop this nap and just put him to bed a bit sooner. As it is now he just can't make it until 7:00--he's usually ready to lose it by 5/6--hence the last nap (which is sometimes only 20 mins but he NEEDS it, LOL!).
And finally he goes down for the night between 7 and 8.
I do the pre-nap routine pretty much every time and it seems to be helping a LOT at calming him down before his naps. So there is now relatively little pre-nap fussing (woohoo).
He's still only sleeping for a half hour, 45 mins tops, but hopefully as he transitions to fewer naps, he'll sleep longer. He doesn't seem tired so I guess 1/2 hour is enough for him (just not enough for me, LOL!).
I am increasingly able to rock him to sleep and then put him down in his cradle, instead of having to put him in his swing. It used to be that he wouldn't nap unless he was in motion, so this is an improvement! Sometimes I still resort to throwing him in the swing and letting him fall asleep there, but these naps are fewer and fewer every day!
So our nap situation is working out great, and I'm enjoying the routine and the predictability and relative freedom that comes from knowing that he needs/wants to nap at certain times and be awake at others! :D
Expecting our Little Brother in November!
1 comment:
That's so great! I'm glad things are getting better for you guys.
I've been trying to get Evan down for naps 2 hours after he wakes up from his previous nap, and it's been working wonders too. He doesn't get to that over-tired, scream-your-head-off point nearly as much. He also only sleeps 30-45 minutes at a time too though, which doesn't give me much of a break!
Thankfully he's sleeping more and more in his Pack n Play and not in my arms, so I'm getting a bit of time to myself. He can also play independently for longer (well, with me sitting next to him), which helps too!
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