Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

I just checked and I did order the book...

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

at 3 months, even now gianna is the queen of the power nap. She naps 3-4 times a day for no more than 40 min and that's a long one.

They are usually 15-30 mins each.

ETA: Gianna does pull her ears or rub her eyes either. Her signs--she kinda stares into space and whines. If i pick her up, she rub or bangs her head into my shoulder. That's when I know off to the crib for her!

Message edited 8/31/2006 3:44:33 PM.

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

He's been sleeping for 20mins...now let's see what happens...I am trying the humidifier again. I have it on...

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

And it looks like he's getting up...

I would say this one was between 35-40 mins...

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

DD loves this sleep lamb......it administers different kinds of white noise..

Sleep Sheep

You can find it at BRU

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

Can I ask what kinds of things you are doing to stimulate him while he's awake? I ask this because I have noticed since Ava has started to be more alert and aware, if I actively play with her for an hour, she'll take a good, long nap. If I'm just getting things done around the house, or we're out and about and I'm not directly stimulating her, then she tends to catnap and get cranky and overtired.

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

Message edited 8/31/2006 5:13:57 PM.

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

Well he's been sleeping on and off since 4, where he woke up briefly. It seems as if he has gone back to sleep and that he wants to sleep but tosses and stirs and moves a lot. Is this normal. It definitely does not look like peaceful sleep to me...

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

Message edited 8/31/2006 5:41:40 PM.

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

He got up at 5 mins after 6...

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

I was going to suggest the book as well. Our DD is 3 mos and after reading the book we realized that she really does need a lot of naps during the day where before we thought she was a wide awake all day baby. She also doesn't pull her ears or rub her eyes so it's harder to spot, but once you read the book it became fairly easy to spot. She's really only good for 2 hours of awake time max, but normally she starts fussing way before that like around the 1 1/2 hour mark. I still have to go through process of elimination with is it hunger or diaper, etc. With our DD she starts to whine rather than coo, it morphs a little and she kind of scratches at her face. Also she yawns and sometimes her eyes get a little red. Good luck. He may not nap for more than 30 min that might be all he needs, but maybe with the white noise suggestion you may get a little more time out of him

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

I was going to suggest watching for the staring into space gaze. According to the book suggested, this is often the first sign that they are getting tired. I have also found that DD needs a nap 1.5-2 hours after getting up. If she doesn't get that nap that early in the morning, the rest of the day is torture! I didn't believe it when I read it until I started paying attention to her. She definately is much better when she naps earlier. Also, I noticed at around 3 months, the length of her naps seemed to decrease. I don't know if it coincides with the growth spurt everybody talks about or not, but it has been going on for about a month now.

Tonight was awful. She woke up around 5:10, had a bottle and was good for a while. DH tried putting her down to nap around 7, but she woke up when he transferred her into the crib. Then I tried between 7:30 and 8 and again she woke up with the transfer. Finally, I decided to feed her early and just put her down for the night, around 8:30. Well, she only ate 1/2 the bottle and now I know she'll be up around 2 to eat. Maybe I'll try a twilight feeding around midnight...

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

Andrew only naps for about 2 hrs total all day. He sleeps about 8 hrs at night. Then he wakes up has breakfast and will go down for about 2 hrs. Then the rest of the day is sporadic with his naps. 30 mins here and there or nothing. Right after dinner he will go down for about 3 hrs and then eat and then down for the night.

Andrew gets really bad bags under his eyes and if he is crying it either means hungry or tired. That is how I can tell.

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

For my kids it was when they started turning away from their toys and starting the 7 mile stare. I did notice a pattern of crankiness and began putting my son down an hour earlier than the time he would turn cranky.

These are a few things I noticed made putting them down to sleep more difficult:

Hyperstimulated - lots of things going on exhausted them, but they never wanted to go down.

Overtired - as mentioned missing the window of opportunity to put them down. Lack of sleep during the night. It's true that sleep begets sleep. If they don't get a good night's sleep, it's harder to put them down for naps during the day.

Developmental milestone - starting to talk/walk

Teething - well, they're always teething, but somtimes their gums were so swollen. They became extra clingy then.

Message edited 9/2/2006 7:19:23 AM.

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

I got the book but I'm confused as to what to read. They suggest putting him down from two hours after they last woke up. Now lets say he goes down at 12 and sleeps only 30 minutes.

Would that mean i'd have to put him down again at 2:30??? How would that work if his next feeding is scheduled for then????????

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

I tried it today...he went down at 12:30 and was up at 1:10pm...Now when do I put him down again? He had his last feeding at 11am. So his next feeding is scheduled for 2 or 3 depending on how hungry he is. He had 7 ounces at his last feeding.


Well the book says that it starts with a longer sleep periods at night. Then after that they should have a little longer nap periods...

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

BUt what if he has to eat at 2:30/3???

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

If it were me, I'd only feed him if he seemed hungry, if not, then off to sleep he'd go. OR, just feed him and then put him down. It's not going to be exact, but nothing in this world is exact

Re: So how can you tell if your 3 month old needs a nap...

Posted by prncssrachel

If it were me, I'd only feed him if he seemed hungry, if not, then off to sleep he'd go. OR, just feed him and then put him down. It's not going to be exact, but nothing in this world is exact