I think we may be about to transition from 5 naps to 3 naps.
I know, I know--you're crying rivers for me. But one thing people always told me before we had Tyler that I never really took to heart was this: Just when you're getting used to a routine, your baby changes.
It was a cozy little life, Tyler's and mine. He would be up for 45 minutes, then down for 1-2 hours. Rinse, repeat. Feeding usually took about 15 minutes, so I only had to entertain my son for about a half hour. Easy! Now, I'm faced with the daunting task of actually spending a couple of hours in a row playing with him--at a time when the Exersaucer is still just something to look at, not play with.
The funny thing was, I knew this was coming. I had even hoped it would come soon (after all, once the weather gets warm, I'd actually like to go out with him every once in a while!). According to a book I read, many babies settle into a 3-nap schedule between 4 and 5 months. Tyler is 4 months, one week. But I guess I had thought he would magically just be awake and active longer, and we would know. I didn't realize that our cue to change his nap schedule would start with him looking tired enough to put down, but not being tired enough to actually nap. The past few days have been a battle; he's cried and cried after we put him down for his last nap of the day (and yes, he was looking sleepy, which was why I put him down). This morning, he took about 30 minutes to settle into his first nap of the day.
Ah, I'll miss the days when he could easily sleep 18 out of 24 hours in a day (last week).
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5 comments:
Oh I hear you!
I remember well when Sacha started sleeping less. It was very much like: NOW what do I DO with him? How do I entertain an infant for so many awake hours??!!
Of course we got through the transition. The more he was awake, the more I learned to "do" with him. And then we miraculously started settling ito a new routine.
Two notes... One, it really helped to pay close attention to his signals for sleep (rubbing eyes, yawming...) and get him to sleep right away, in order to avoid creating an ivertired baby. This is what helped us find a natural rhythm for a routine.
And two: as for awake time... think of some activites that you can do with Tyler that can fill the time. You can reapeat these activites each time he wakes up. It might be a little boring for you, but he certainly doesn't know the difference!!
And one more amazing thing... as Tyler is awake more you will start realizing that he will "do" more on his own. I remember this age being obe where Sacha just started "doing" things (rolling, reaching for toys, etc...) and it was so amazing to watch my baby's development.
Good luck Ann!!
I second the above comment on sleep cues being soooo important! Although my daughter didn't start napping outside of the bouncy chair until 5 mos or so....
My husband actually got some books on how to play with babies at this age...because what can you do for two hours with a four-month old? This is the time that Alice started spending lots of time under the playgym, with one of us lying next to her (or me kind of guiltily reading the newspaper or trashy magazine) while she batted at toys.
Good luck!
I second KP's thoughts of doing your own thing while the baby plays. Not all the time, of course, but I think sometimes if your baby has toys and he can see you, he's okay playing alone. Or you can kind of alternate: play for a few minutes, read for a few minutes while he plays on his own...
I remember worrying what we will do with all the time when he stopped sleeping most of the day. It turns out, he occupied himself quite nicely. Jonah takes 1-2 naps a day now. When he was 4 months, the baby gym and the exersaucer entertained him for hours.
Here are some things we did:
- baby gym and exersaucer
- read books (probably not completely necessary but it filled some time and A now loves to read)
- listen to music (I personally love "Philadelphia Chickens" by Sandra Boynton and "Beethoven's Wig" sing-along symphonies.) Of course, you can turn on music during play time, but it's also nice to just sit and cuddle.
Good luck!
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