Author Topic: Do you shorten naps or extend the day in order to increase Activity time?  (Read 2156 times)

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Offline newbie_momsie

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Hello!

Just wondering when a baby is getting older and we need to extend A time, do I reduce nap time or increase the full day by a little bit?

My DD is 7 months old right now and does two naps (1 hr 45 min for first nap and 1 hr 30 min for second nap). I try to keep her to a 12.25-12.5 hr day. As she gets older should i keep her naps the same length and increase her day to 13 hrs? Or reduce both naps by 15mins and keep her 12.5 hr day? TIA!

Offline creations

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I probably wouldn't cap both naps. It is a more restorative sleep if LO gets 1hr 30 - 2hrs in one nap. Most routines would have one nap of 1.5-2hrs and cap the other nap. Which nap to cap and which to leave long depends on yours and your LOs preference really.
Eventually the capped nap will be dropped to leave one long nap.


Offline lauradj

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I agree with PP^^ I think I let DS1 one take a good long morning nap and then capped the afternoon nap at 1-1.5 depending on how long he napped in the morning but he did 7-7 until he was 18 months old.  Now he wakes at 6:30, lovely  ::)


Offline newbie_momsie

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Thx creations and lauradj! Ok good to know! Very helpful. I think it makes sense to cap her afternoon nap as i extend A time because the morning nap will eventually be pushed forward as A times increase. Some days DD wakes up after 10 hrs of sleep so giving her a longer morning nap will let her catch up on the sleep.

Offline newbie_momsie

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Re: Do you shorten naps or extend the day in order to increase Activity time?
« Reply #4 on: September 07, 2015, 02:22:02 am »
Do most parents keep a 12 hr, 12.5 hr or 13 hr day? Just wondering what length is considered too long for an 8.5 month old.

Offline lauradj

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Re: Do you shorten naps or extend the day in order to increase Activity time?
« Reply #5 on: September 07, 2015, 03:38:05 am »
From day one, with each boy, I've kept a 7-7 schedule.  DS1 now tends to wake closer to 6:30/6:45 but that's fine.  I would recommend a 12 hr day for an 8 month old.  You might find this link helpful,

Typical Amounts of Day and Night Sleep


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Re: Do you shorten naps or extend the day in order to increase Activity time?
« Reply #6 on: September 07, 2015, 09:34:11 am »
Mine couldn't do a 7-7 routine until he had dropped the nap at 2.5yo. He could never do longer than 10.5 to 11hr night (ok he did a few 12 and 13hr nights when we dropped from 2 naps to 1 but that was temporary).  Some LOs just can't do a 12hr night.
In the main I'd suggest you try to keep night sleep the length it has always been, so if she's used to doing 11.5 hr nights then stick with that. It may move longer or shorter as routine and needs change. I just know that no matter what I did with DS he could not, would not, sleep at 12hr night, had I not accepted this I would have driven myself batty at trying to achieve the perfect 7-7.


Offline Shiv52

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Re: Do you shorten naps or extend the day in order to increase Activity time?
« Reply #7 on: September 07, 2015, 10:46:17 am »
My DD1 had 13 hour day/11 hour night. And DD2 12.5 day/11.5 night.  Some babies just don't do 12/12 x





Offline newbie_momsie

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Re: Do you shorten naps or extend the day in order to increase Activity time?
« Reply #8 on: September 08, 2015, 04:40:43 am »
Thanks for sharing your experience everyone!

Lauradj - when your child did 7-7 does that mean baby is asleep by 7pm or in bed by 7pm? My baby takes 30 mins to fall asleep so if she wakes up at 630am, i put her in bed by 630pm and she falls asleep by 7pm.

Offline newbie_momsie

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Re: Do you shorten naps or extend the day in order to increase Activity time?
« Reply #9 on: September 13, 2015, 18:06:55 pm »
Hi ladies,

Lately DD doesn't want to do her 11 hrs! She has been waking up after 9-9.5 hrs of night sleep. When she wakes up at 430am or 5am and doesnt fall back to sleep on her own and i have to start her day, what time should her bed time be? She takes 30mins to fall asleep.

Today we got her up at 5am. I want to put her to sleep by 530pm so she is asleep by 6pm but DH wants us to keep her bedtime closer to 7pm. Do you think if i put her in bed at 6pm so she falls asleep by 630pm it will be ok or will she end up being OT and wake early again? Ugh...i hate arguing with DH over this over and over.

I am working on pushing out her A times today already.

Thx for any input!

Offline Shiv52

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Re: Do you shorten naps or extend the day in order to increase Activity time?
« Reply #10 on: September 13, 2015, 18:11:24 pm »
Can you post your day?  Have you moved to 2 naps?





Offline newbie_momsie

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Re: Do you shorten naps or extend the day in order to increase Activity time?
« Reply #11 on: September 13, 2015, 18:33:54 pm »
Hi Shiv52!

Yup, 8.5 month old is on 2 naps since 6 month old.

Past few days her EASY looks roughly like this:

5:00am woke up. Sometimes after 1 hr she resettles
6 or 7 am get her up depending if she falls back to sleep or not
7:00am milk
8:00am solids
3hr15 to 3hr30 A time
8:30 nap for 1 hr 30 min
10:00am milk
11:00am solids
1:30pm nap 1 hr 30 min
3:00pm milk
4:00pm solids
6:00pm bed time
6:30 fell asleep

13.5 hr day is ok or too long?


Offline Shiv52

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Re: Do you shorten naps or extend the day in order to increase Activity time?
« Reply #12 on: September 13, 2015, 19:06:43 pm »
It's probably ok but it's good to get an 11 hour night.

I take it your LO has milk before bed?  Has milk intake dropped with solid intro? 

Waking early like that and being ready to go can be a sign a LO is UT. I wonder if you made the A times consistently 3.30 would it help. And then you may need to add 10 mins more. I probably would aim for Into bed at 6.30 rather than 6pm as taking a half hour to settle could be a sign he's not quite ready to sleep.





Offline newbie_momsie

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Re: Do you shorten naps or extend the day in order to increase Activity time?
« Reply #13 on: September 14, 2015, 01:50:00 am »
Yes, I give her some milk before bed and solids intake isn't much. She seems to not be interested in solids since the very beginning :(

Do you think her milk or solids food intake is affecting her sleep?

Thanks for your suggestions! I will try to keep all A times about 3 hr 30 to 3 hr 45 but i think to do this then her afternoon nap will have to be shorter than 1 hr 30 min?