Nap schedule for two kids - Help!

GetReal

Tue, Apr 21 2009, 9:22 am

My six month old has never been on a nap schedule, he just sleeps when he wants, but it's not working anymore. He's more curious about the world now, so he stays up and plays and then gets exhausted and overtired. I need to put him on a schedule...Problem is, my 19 month old just moved to a one-nap schedule, and I have no idea how to coordinate the two kids...Please, any ideas from those who have been there! I am going crazy!

RachelEve14

Tue, Apr 21 2009, 10:09 am

It's tough! Especially when they are both transitioning / dropping a nap, etc.

Do you want them to sleep in the same room or do they have their own space?

With the twins, I used to put Nechama down first in my room (easier to get her to go to sleep) and then put Rena down in their room. Once Rivka came along I put Nechama & Rena down every day after lunch and then let Rivka sleep in my room as needed.

I would probably in your situation put the older one down right after lunch, and then you can do what is needed to get the baby down. I assume the 6 month old still is taking 2 naps, no? What times are they sleeping now (get up / nap / lunch / bed) and maybe we can help you tweak a bit.

GetReal

Tue, Apr 21 2009, 10:20 am

Ideally, I would like them to sleep in the same room, but until they are better trained I think they'll wake each other up, so for now seperately.

Right now, they both get up for the day at around 8. My toddler naps around 12 - I'm still tweaking it - and then goes to sleep for the night at 7:30. The baby has no schedule at all! He desperately needs to be put on one. But how do I put him to sleep with his older brother jumping around, making noise? For the next few days I'm still in my parent's house, getting help, but I'm dreading next week.

What you write about putting DS1 to sleep first after lunch makes sense. But if I put DS2 on a two-nap schedule, how will the times work? If he gets up at 8, he'll probably need to sleep at around 10:30 and then again late in the afternoon, exactly when DS1 is up. So I can't get the baby to sleep with the toddler interfering, and I can never go out, someone is always sleeping...oy!

pinkbubbles

Tue, Apr 21 2009, 3:19 pm

if you keep an eye on how long the baby lasts for before getting tired then it will be easier to figure out a schedule. its easiest when they wake up the same time every day and theres a sort of routine (for example breakfast, playtime in or outside, nap)
DS is seven months and he wakes at 8 then 2 hours later is ready for a nap. sleeps 2 hours and is up for 2 hours, sleeps again 2 hours then goes to sleep at like 7 for the night.

Twizzlers

Tue, Apr 21 2009, 8:25 pm

I did it.
in the beginning, yes, at some point during the day there was always a kid sleeping! then slowly, slowly I inched the little one's naptime later and later until they were both going in at the same time. because I put him in later, he slept a little longer each time. now, both my kids, ages 2.5 and 1, take a 2.5-3 hour nap at the same time (bli ayin hara, poo poo and all of that! Wink

)

BusyBeeMommy

Tue, Apr 21 2009, 8:45 pm

I read that a baby gets tired around 1 1/2 - 2 hours after they wake up in the morning, and then the same amount of time after their morning nap until their afternoon nap. I truly feel for you as I am trying to get my 7 month old on a nap schedule and it doesn't seem to be working as well for him as it did with his older sister. He ends up screaming for an hour and then I mercifully take him out, nap and normal disposition out the door for the day.

Let me know if you find a solution to our problem. I have to deal with a cranky, screaming baby the whole day. Crying

rowo

Wed, Apr 22 2009, 5:05 am

at six months a baby could still be having 3 naps. two 1 1/2 to 2 hour naps and one shorter one late in the afternoon.
like some one else said I also learned tha babies get tired after abt 1 1/2 hours awake (as they get older the time obviously lengthens) I found that in the morning ds was ready to go to sleep after the shortest time rather than later on when he would be happy for longer.
so in theory, if yours kids get up at 8 then ds2 could be ready for his first nap by 9.30, sleep till 11ish. which would mean he would be ready for another nap around 12.30 when ds1 has his nap.
and then later on ds2 might even go down for a 3rd short nap.
I found with ds that what 'they' say is so true, sleep does breed sleep. a well rested baby sleeps better than an over tired one!

shabri

Wed, Apr 22 2009, 8:54 am

Right now I have a 5 month old and a 22 month old.

DD2 wakes at 8 sleeps from 10-12, from 2-4 and from 6-6:30 and goes t sleep at 8

DD1 wakes at abt 6:45 naps 1:30-2:30 and goes to sleep at 6:30.

So from 1:30-4 I am home unless I purposely put DD2 to sleep in her stroller so we can go out after DD1 wakes up.

I recently move them into the same room and found that within a day or 2 neither woke up from the other, even when they cry really loudly (but I can't put them down at the same time in the same room--then they'll keep each other up)

GetReal

Thu, Apr 23 2009, 5:33 am

Thanks everyone! I was having a stressful few days thinking about this, and then I decided to post here. So now I have some ideas of how it can wprl out, and IY"H I'll see what works best, and report back! Oh, and last night I found ds2's first tooth had cut! S0 maybe that's why he hasn't been napping AT ALL since Pesach.

BusyBeeMommy

Thu, Apr 30 2009, 6:24 pm

Ha ha! GetREal- that is so funny cuz I found my DS's first tooth last week too! And a few days later he sprouted his second, so he's really "doubled over"! Smile