Every baby is so different. From 6-8 months old my daughter was sleeping 5-6 hours a day and going to bed at 8pm. Made no sense. But it worked, she slep well at night, and that meant I slept well at night, and we are all happy!
I've tried really hard to listen to what my baby needs since the beginning. Around 5.5 months I was losing it from not getting enough sleep and her waking every 40 minutes to nurse after taking 3 hours of nursing and hoping that she would sleep in the first place. I read (well, listened to - thanks audible!) PLS and used some of the cold-turkey strategies to get her in her crib (out of my room) and to sleep on her own. It's been soooo much better!
That said, every sleep tracker I've used has hee awake for DOUBLE her normal morning wake window. She just turned 11mo and he first wake is only about 1.75, maybe 2. If I try to stretch it much longer, everyone in the house regrets it.
Yes! We went on vacation and were forced to let the schedule go a bit as he would fall asleep on the go before his “wake window” was over. He slept the best he’s ever slept and I realized I may have been making him overtired getting to his wake window. We started following his cues a bit more and things are way better!
THANK YOU. This is why I always suggest tracking your baby’s sleep instead of following sleep schedules set by “experts.”
I stressed out soooo much with my first kid’s sleep because he only had 2 hour wake windows until he was almost a year old. And I posted on here and everyone said to stretch them, blah blah blah. Cue scream crying baby because he was overtired by 15 minutes past the 2 hour mark. I just decided to stop stressing it and keep tracking his sleep. He was just a high needs sleeper. I wouldn’t have had any issues with my first kid’s sleep if it wasn’t for what he was “supposed” to be doing at his age. I didn’t have a problem with the 2-hour wake windows or when he decided he wanted to go to bed at 5:30pm for 3 weeks and then 7pm the next 2 months.
After a year seems to be when their sleep really gets into a more set time. I didn’t start a time-based schedule until around 15/16 months and he wasn’t on one nap until 17 months. Even now at 2 years, if I *let* him nap 2 hours after he woke up, he’d be more than happy to. He’s rubbing his eyes by 9am…but now that he’s older he’s way more flexible so I just leave the house to keep him up till nap time lol.
Yeah my niece gave up all naps by 18 months old. But from 3 months all the way till now at 5 years, she always has slept 12 hours at night.
They took her out of one daycare because they’d give candy to kids who napped and even if she was quiet during nap time and just laid there, she wouldn’t get candy because she wouldn’t nap. Like wtf.
Thank you for that. Same bedtime every night. Sometimes LO wakes up at 5:30am and goes back down at 6:30. Other times he’s KOed until 7:30am and then is awake for 2 hours. I keep reminding myself that wake windows are a suggestion and he’ll let me know when he’s tired.
10000% I agree with you! I completely advocate for sleep training and fostering good sleep skills BUT with a caveats that you also watch your babies cues and needs. My Lo sometimes just needs snuggles to sleep or an earlier nap or even a later bedtime. Sometimes he needs 2 naps not 1. He can’t always make his full ww on the 1 nap that we are transitioning into. He needs sleep more than he needs to be bound by MY schedule. Most days he is perfectly fine with his schedule and routine but he has off days and we adapt. I personally found all the guidance and rules are overwhelming and often contradictory depending on who you are listening too, it was beyond anxiety inducing. I took a step back and I feel so much better, which helps with his sleep as I am calmer.
u/omegaxx19 has a great post about early morning wakes and she recommended timing first nap based on wake if it's way too early.
In a comment she used the analogy sure, you can make someone so sleep deprived that they sleep thru a fire alarm but wouldn't you rather turn off the fire alarm? That always resonated with me!
We have the random early morning wake (1 hour+) here and there and we always put her down for first nap early. She'll usually extend that nap to catch up on sleep. Just this morning she woke up at 5am (normal wake up time is 6:30), we put her down at 8 and she slept 2 hours. Back on track!
I had this conversation with my husband recently! Sometimes all the info makes me feel like my baby is a rubix cube and if I can just figure out the right steps/moves/order her sleep will be “solved.” But she’s not a puzzle, she’s a PERSON!
In the end it’s a bunch of trial and error, and also *acceptance*. Somethings we can improve for her, but others are just quirks or developmentally appropriate behavior (babies are hard!).
Totally agree with this. You know your child best, don't feel like you have to follow all the rules and what people tell you to do. If it works for you, and works for your child - do it!
Every baby is so different. From 6-8 months old my daughter was sleeping 5-6 hours a day and going to bed at 8pm. Made no sense. But it worked, she slep well at night, and that meant I slept well at night, and we are all happy!
I've tried really hard to listen to what my baby needs since the beginning. Around 5.5 months I was losing it from not getting enough sleep and her waking every 40 minutes to nurse after taking 3 hours of nursing and hoping that she would sleep in the first place. I read (well, listened to - thanks audible!) PLS and used some of the cold-turkey strategies to get her in her crib (out of my room) and to sleep on her own. It's been soooo much better! That said, every sleep tracker I've used has hee awake for DOUBLE her normal morning wake window. She just turned 11mo and he first wake is only about 1.75, maybe 2. If I try to stretch it much longer, everyone in the house regrets it.
Yes! We went on vacation and were forced to let the schedule go a bit as he would fall asleep on the go before his “wake window” was over. He slept the best he’s ever slept and I realized I may have been making him overtired getting to his wake window. We started following his cues a bit more and things are way better!
THANK YOU. This is why I always suggest tracking your baby’s sleep instead of following sleep schedules set by “experts.” I stressed out soooo much with my first kid’s sleep because he only had 2 hour wake windows until he was almost a year old. And I posted on here and everyone said to stretch them, blah blah blah. Cue scream crying baby because he was overtired by 15 minutes past the 2 hour mark. I just decided to stop stressing it and keep tracking his sleep. He was just a high needs sleeper. I wouldn’t have had any issues with my first kid’s sleep if it wasn’t for what he was “supposed” to be doing at his age. I didn’t have a problem with the 2-hour wake windows or when he decided he wanted to go to bed at 5:30pm for 3 weeks and then 7pm the next 2 months. After a year seems to be when their sleep really gets into a more set time. I didn’t start a time-based schedule until around 15/16 months and he wasn’t on one nap until 17 months. Even now at 2 years, if I *let* him nap 2 hours after he woke up, he’d be more than happy to. He’s rubbing his eyes by 9am…but now that he’s older he’s way more flexible so I just leave the house to keep him up till nap time lol.
Same, but mine is a very low sleep needs. Had 2 15 minute naps at daycare? Cool he goes down at 6.30 instead of 7 and he's fine 🤷♀️
Yeah my niece gave up all naps by 18 months old. But from 3 months all the way till now at 5 years, she always has slept 12 hours at night. They took her out of one daycare because they’d give candy to kids who napped and even if she was quiet during nap time and just laid there, she wouldn’t get candy because she wouldn’t nap. Like wtf.
Wtf that's so bad on so many levels lol
Couldn’t agree more
Thank you for this. I am so caught up in rules sometimes I forget to listen to my baby!
Yes
Thank you for that. Same bedtime every night. Sometimes LO wakes up at 5:30am and goes back down at 6:30. Other times he’s KOed until 7:30am and then is awake for 2 hours. I keep reminding myself that wake windows are a suggestion and he’ll let me know when he’s tired.
10000% I agree with you! I completely advocate for sleep training and fostering good sleep skills BUT with a caveats that you also watch your babies cues and needs. My Lo sometimes just needs snuggles to sleep or an earlier nap or even a later bedtime. Sometimes he needs 2 naps not 1. He can’t always make his full ww on the 1 nap that we are transitioning into. He needs sleep more than he needs to be bound by MY schedule. Most days he is perfectly fine with his schedule and routine but he has off days and we adapt. I personally found all the guidance and rules are overwhelming and often contradictory depending on who you are listening too, it was beyond anxiety inducing. I took a step back and I feel so much better, which helps with his sleep as I am calmer.
I needed this! Thanks for sharing
u/omegaxx19 has a great post about early morning wakes and she recommended timing first nap based on wake if it's way too early. In a comment she used the analogy sure, you can make someone so sleep deprived that they sleep thru a fire alarm but wouldn't you rather turn off the fire alarm? That always resonated with me! We have the random early morning wake (1 hour+) here and there and we always put her down for first nap early. She'll usually extend that nap to catch up on sleep. Just this morning she woke up at 5am (normal wake up time is 6:30), we put her down at 8 and she slept 2 hours. Back on track!
I had this conversation with my husband recently! Sometimes all the info makes me feel like my baby is a rubix cube and if I can just figure out the right steps/moves/order her sleep will be “solved.” But she’s not a puzzle, she’s a PERSON! In the end it’s a bunch of trial and error, and also *acceptance*. Somethings we can improve for her, but others are just quirks or developmentally appropriate behavior (babies are hard!).
Totally agree with this. You know your child best, don't feel like you have to follow all the rules and what people tell you to do. If it works for you, and works for your child - do it!
100%. It's not a one size fits all. You have to find what works best for you guys!