How much nap?

[Ruggie]

DS is almost 11 month,

We are all over the place. How much nap does he need at this stage and what is a realistic awake time?

ATM, I am putting him down after 3-3.5 hours and he usually nap for 2 hours twice a day. Sometimes he wakes happy, sometimes not. Coz he is such a happy baby all the time, its very hard for me to read his tired sign. Obviouslt I am missing his tired cue and he is overtired somehere. Can awake time can differ between morning, afternoon, and before he goes to bed?

Thanks

[Lana]

How does he sleep at night?

[Ruggie]

Terribly

I am trying to est a new routine for us, so that perhaps it can fix his night wakings.
He settles well at 7 pm until 3am onward and usually wake from 4-6 tired, but wont sleep and eventually just smile through his tiredness. He usually get no more than 30 min between 4-6, either way I try to start his day at 6

We have matching bags under our eyes

[Lana]

Ok I think you need to start to limit his day sleep so you can get some better overnight sleep.  Do you wnat to start your day at 6 or 7?

[Ruggie]

Wow 7 would be wonderful, but realistically I go for 6 1st and then shift it from there, I have a toddler too and he wakes between 6:30-7.

I have stayed home in the last few days and try to est some sort or routine and break his bottle to sleep habit, atm it goes roughly like this.

6:00 official wake up time bottle
7:30 Breakfast
9:00 nap usually for 2 hours

11:00bottle
12:30 lunch
1:45 bottle
2:00 nap for another 2 hours

4 wake
5: Dinner
6:30 bath
6:45 onwards try to settle, alseep by 7:30, still encouraging him to sleep independantly

This means best case scenario, he gets 10 hours sleep at night (not ), and 4 hours nap. I guess I need to cut down on nap somewhere, but where, how much by and how? Given that by 9 am he is nackered from his on/off sleep from 4am onwards.

[Lana]

I think once you start to limit his day sleep his nights will get better KWIM? 

So I would do your nap at 9 but I would limit him to 45 min- 1 hour, then do another nap at 1 and make sure he is up by 3.  Then you have 4 hours of wake time before you want him to sleep at 7. Is that doable?

[Ruggie]

Wont 4 hr awake time makes him over tired for bed?
I noticed he usually gets tired after 3 hour awake time

[Ruggie]

Just thought I add

The day before we did nap at 9-11 and 2-4 and sleeps at around 7:30ish. He woke at 12ish, but was quick to settle and then woke at 5:30, ready to start his day. His best night yet.

Yesturday, quick by accident, nap at 8:30-10:30 and again at 2:30-3:30 and went to sleep at 7:15 (PD at 6:30)
He woke at 2ish and then 4ish and then 5:15 where we couldn't settle him.

Makes me wonder weather I need to cut his nap (robbing Peter to pay Pual idea) or his night wakings is from overtiredness?

[Lana]

I really think you need to limit his day sleep to get more night sleep at this age KWIM?  My boys will only sleep so much in a 24 hour period so if the nap is too long then B will wake early or wake in the night.

I think the reason he seems like he cant be awake for more than 3 hours is because he is so restless in that last part of the night KWIM?  If you keep his am wake time at three hour and do a 1 hour nap then you can do a two hour nap in the aft.

[Ruggie]

Hi Lana

Thought I give you an update,

Last night he slept from 7 til 5:45!!

Tho I am not sure if I have done the right thing by him to achieve this? Yesturday went like this:
woke at 3ish didn't settle again til 5am. Slept til 7 where we start his day.
Nap at 12:30-2:45,
Tried to offer nap at 10, but refused, figured if he can last from 4-9am usually, he can last til lunch. Bed at 7.

I am just worried he is too young for 1 nap, any one LOs switch so young?

LOL, now thatg he slept thu, I am worried about something else

[Lana]

Yay on the good night , i hope tonight is the same.

Both my boys went to one nap at around 11 months but that is really early for most babies.  IF your LO can handle up to 5 hours of wake time and not be overtired then one nap is the way to go.  Otherwise you can do two naps but make one a short nap (like 45 min) and one a long one (1.5 hrs)