Nap Schedule for 7 Week-Old

[Mom to M&M]

Hi there. My Marisa is 7 weeks today. She currently is own an EASY schedule of approx 3.5 hours (sometimes stretching closer to 4) as she is bottle fed and likes to eat a lot (5-6 ounces) at once.

Our rough schedule is this:

7:30am: Eat
7:50-8:45: Activity
8:50-8:55: Wind down
9-11:10: Nap

11:15-11:40: Eat
11:40-12:20: Activity
12:30-2:50: Nap

2:50-3:10: Eat
3:10-4: Activity
4-6:30 - Mishmash of sleep, awake, fussing, etc

6:30-6:50: Eat
6:50-7:30: Light Activity
7:45 or 8: Bedtime

10:30/11: Dreamfeed

Usually awakes at night around 3am

As you can see, her last nap is where things get off track. She has a hard time sleeping for long at this one, and perhaps we don't want her too? Instead of trying to get her to take another 2 hours plus nap here, should we give her one catnap from 4-5, then awake time for 30 minutes and then back to sleep from 5:40-6:30?

If so, what should the wake/activity time there consist of? I should mention that she's a refluxer and started Zantac yesterday

Thanks much.

Karen (Marisa's Mom)

[Luke-n-Me]

Karen,

I actually was just looking at your post to see if what your 7 week old's schedule was like to see if my 4.5 week olds was similar-it really is, including the nap you're talking about.  My lo takes 2 really good naps and then from that time (normally between 4/5 p.m.) on her naps are only catnaps until bedtime.  I think this is pretty normal, my son was the exact same way until he outgrew that 3rd nap and this is the time when I just decided to stop fighting with him during that nap, he was normally rocked and held for these catnaps because he just never got good sleep by laying him down.  In terms of activity, I'm normally so busy getting things put away around the house and getting ready for the next day that she pretty much just does whatever I'm doing, not a whole lot of stimulation.  Hope this helps, you're schedule looks great though!

[notenoughshelfspace]

Hi Ladies,
M
When my little one was that age her schedule was as follows
Feed 8
Activity till 9:15
Asleep till 11:45
EaT 12
Activity till 1:15
Sleep till 3:35
Eat 4

At five thirty we would then enter something which became known as CRANKY HOUR. She would occassionally have a cat nap betweem five thirty and six but most of the time we needed to walk, dance whatever to keep her awake until six fourty five, then bath and then bottle.  I spoke to my night nurse about this at the time and she said that all babies around that age have this dificult period during the evening but it is important to not let them sleep for longer than half an hour during the evening as it will disrupt the evening sleep.
My Gigi is now 5 1/2 months old and we have reduced cranky hour to perhaps ten minutes... without the cat nap! There is light at the end of the tunnel!