First, the questions:

Jane: I am sleep-training my second child (4 months). The sleep training went well for both for the nighttime, but naps are a nightmare. My first cried through every nap and never fell asleep until 1 year of age. Now my second is doing the same. I have tried nursing him to sleep and laying him down awake, but drowsy. How do I get him to nap?

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Brian: We have a 10-month-old who sleeps thru the night (7:30 to 6:30 am). We have followed Dr. Weissbluth’s book since she was 4 months old. Our problem is with naps. She only sleeps for 30-45 min (around 9:00 and 1:00). We have to put her down fully asleep or she cries for almost an hour before sleeping for 30 min. What can we do to improve naps?

Thanks,
Brian

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Cristiane: I have a 7-month-old daughter who sleeps pretty well at night. We put her down between 6:15 and 6:45pm. She usually wakes up once at midnight for a bottle and goes right back to sleep. She has even started to sleep through the night a couple of times. She then wakes up between 6am and 7am. My problem is with daytime naps.  She had gotten into a schedule of down at 8:30am sleeping for 45-60 minutes and then again at 12:30 sleeping for 1 or even 2 hours. Recently though, about one hour after waking up, she is sleepy again, but if I try to put her down before 8:30am, she WAKES UP! She only sleeps for 45 minutes at the most, sometimes only 30 minutes. She then gets sleepy again at 11am. Again, if I try to put her down before 12:30, she wakes up! Although she is crabby until 12:30. She has also started to only sleep for 30 minutes. When she wakes up too early from a nap, should I let her cry back to sleep? I tried once and had a wailing child! I have tried the late afternoon nap, but that is impossible. It was fine at 5 months, but she no longer wants it. I also find that if she does take even a 30-minute third nap, it interferes with an easy bedtime. Thanks!

The response:

Sally Tannen: A few parents have recently asked questions about naps. For infants, there is really no such thing as a nap, until 3 or 4 months of age. Newborns cry for all sorts of reasons, none of which you can control. As they get older, the naps will start to regulate and you will be able to recognize that magic moment when your baby is getting drowsy. They will get slightly quiet, they will start to stare off, and they will become calmer. Some babies do better on a schedule, where they’re home, and the baby is in the crib at the same time every day, lights off, etc. And others are content to nap in the stroller while you are out and about. It’s probably true that the quality of the nap is better at home rather than in the stroller, but I think it’s a matter of knowing what your baby needs and responding accordingly!

Sally Tannen
Director, 92nd Street Y Parenting Center

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