How to get six month old to nap!
My daughter insists on napping 3 - 4 times a day, with at least 2 of those broken and I am at my wits end with never being able to leave the house (she will only sleep in a crib). So is my husband! I have tried everything I can think of, including letting her cry it out. Nothing is working and I could really use some advise from other moms. The problem is made worse by the fact that she drinks a bottle every 3 hours. This means that food time often cuts into nap time. Because she spends so much time in her room trying to sleep I have difficulty feeding her solids. She's often too tired to eat or asleep when the time comes around. Strangely she sleeps just fine at night. Often 9-10 hours. And somehow manages to find herself 3-5 hours of daytime sleep so she is getting the right total amount. Here is a typical day sleep-wise:
Wake: 7am.
Nap:09.00 - 09.30 (30 mins)
(Plays in crib 30 minutes then cries for bottle. Has bottle, then try to get her back to sleep but wants to play for another 30 minutes).
11-13.00 (2 hours)
15.30 -17.00 (1.5 hours)
19.00 -19.30 (30 mins)
Bed - 20.30
PLEASE HELP!
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1 Answer
Wow, I can see why you are at your wits end! Her routine sounds a bit screwy except for night sleeping, 10 hours a night is good for a 6 month old. Not the end of the world though, with a little tweeking you should be able to get into a more workable routine. You didn't mention if she was breastfed or bottle fed? I'm going to assume she is bottle fed, and eating solids too.
The most basic of routines or schedules is bottle every 4 hours, and solids in between, 2 two hours naps a day and 10-12 hours sleep at night. If your daughter is taking a bottle every 3 hours, increase her ounces per bottle to hold her off longer or give solids more often. Hold her morning nap off an hour and put her down at 10am, let her sleep until noon, then another nap again around 2pm, wake at about 4-4:30, then your normal night time routine. To transition her more easily, start tweeking the routine slowly by moving her feeding and nap times in 15-30 minute intervals. For example...to get into a 10am nap time, start one day putting her down and 9:15-9:30, then the next day move it another 15 minutes, until she is napping at 10am. Be consistant with her and she will eventually be consistant with you. It shouldn't take too long, maybe a few days to a week to get it sorted out.
I used this kind of a routine with my daughter, tweeking it here and there to fit our needs and her changes in growth and development. Mine is now 3 1/2 and she still sleeps 10-12 hours a night, takes a 2 hour nap everyday and eats me out of house and home. I don't know if I just got a really easy kid, or if the routine makes her so easy, but it works for all of us! I'm a BIG believer in consistant routine, this is just me and you need to find what works best for you and your daughter. These are just suggestions, I hope they help you!
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Jodi
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Jodi