Going from Newborn Sleep-schedule to Scheduled Naps

You might want to consider reading/purchasing, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Marc Weissbluth, M.D. My pediatrician had recommended it to me, and I have two super sleepers (and believe me - with my first one it certainly did NOT start off that way!!!). The book will take you from newborn through adolescence. I can't even begin to tell you the many positive impacts this book has had on my children, and our entire family. My oldest is now in grade school, and is still a very solid sleeper with super sleep habits.

Good luck!
S.

S.,

In my opinion, 3 months is not too young ... we started at 4 weeks and our son was sleeping through the night and at all scheduled naps by 8 weeks ... With my next child I am starting the day we come home from the hospital!

My son is 20 months and is still a rock star sleeper, and a very happy, well tempered baby! They like to know what to expect next.

Here is the schedule we used from 2 months - 5 months ... Then we modified it again at 9 months, 12 months, 15 months ... You will know when it needs to be adjusted for you and your family. :)

7:00 am - Wake, eat
7:30-8:30 - Play (This does not mean that you have to be constantly stimulating your child ... it can be that they are laying on a playmat, tummy time, watching you fold laundry, etc.)
8:30-10:00 - Nap (Even if he did not sleep the entire time, he stayed in his crib. If he was crying ... it was not time to get up)

10:00 am - Wake, eat
10:30 - 11:30 - Play
11:30 - 1:00 pm - Nap

1:00 pm - Wake, eat
1:30 - 2:30 - Play
2:30 - 4:00 - Nap

4:00 pm - Wake, eat
4:30 -5:30 - Play
5:30 - 7:00 - Nap

7:00 pm - Wake, eat
7:30 - mellow interaction, bath time, storytime
8:00 - Bedtime

For the first 2 weeks I would put him down at the "scheduled time" and wake him up ... after a couple of weeks he did it on his own and followed the routine. It was great to know when we could leave the house, have dinner with friends, etc.

I wish you the very best. Type out the schedule for your family members and it will all fall into place. If you need any support, please let me know.

3 months is too little to keep a baby on a schedule. Give it some more time and she will figure it out herself. My 8 month old takes 3 naps during the day.

S.,

From my experience with my 2 kids, 3 months is too soon to go to 2 naps, 4 or so may be appropriate. I think it really varies with each child. My first has always needed more sleep than my second. Each child is wired differently. Having a schedule is a great idea. We did. I suggest that you not be super strict on it though since you have so many care givers for your baby. Like around such & such time is bottle, around this time is nap, etc. I suggest that you make gradual changes or she'll have a hard time adapting, making life hard on her and everyone caring for her. It sounds like you're headed in the right direction. Have tons of fun!

I do think 3 months is early, but look for it to start forming defined times and lengths around 6 months. Hang in there...

K.

I suggest you get the book that Sheryl suggested. It is great for the first-time parent who does not have a clue regarding sleep patterns of a baby. It helped us tremendously! We bought two and my husband and I both read it together. We also have a great sleeper now, but did not start out that way.

I also echo the other comments. Seems like 5-6 months would be a better time to worry about a sleep schedule.