How do you calculate total sleep?

[ccg01]

This seems like a stupid question since I've been working on sleep issues for oh, four years now (since ODS was a baby), but when you calculate the total sleep a LO is getting, how do you do it?

Do you count today's sleep and then tonight's sleep? or

Do you look at last night's sleep and adjust today's naps/bedtime accordingly?
Not sure that even makes sense! But am wondering because LO (14 mos) slept about 11 hrs last night (a good night) and his naps yesterday totalled 2 hrs. So I'm trying to guess whether it was that nap total that produced the good results. 

[Kay Dee]

Hey, I think you have to look at more than just the previous day. It could have been a bad night or something else that caused him to sleep longer for his nap and have a better night too rather than just the nap helping his night IYKWIM.

If I'm working out the total sleep DD or DS is getting I tend to keep track of night sleep and naps for a week or so and then calculate the average sleep over 24hrs to get the full picture. Although, I have an iphone app that does it for me now (I'm such a nerd!).

x

[ccg01]

True... It was actually a bit shorter on naps (the second one, that is, we've been waking him at 45 min for first nap and then letting him sleep for the second). What's the app?! My DH has an iPhone.

[~inbalance~]

I don't think it matters whether you are adding last night to today, or today to tonight, as long as you are looking at the big picture as pp has suggested.  For example I would say it's the day + the following night that makes up 1 24hr period, but of course I would see what is going on over several 24hr periods (not just 1), so like a whole week.  The app idea sounds good, I don't have an iphone but if I did I would check it out!    Or a simple log on paper would work too!

[Kay Dee]

It's called Total Baby, you can use it to track sleeps and feeds, and lots of other things. I used it a lot (obsessively!) when DD was a newborn. I just use it for tracking her sleep now.