Blog Posts 1–5, based on the United States of America Department of the Army Field Manual: Holistic Healing and Fitness, describe what really matters for your child’s sleep. If sleep is an important enough topic for national defense than surely sleep should be considered a serious topic for parenting!
NAP TIP # 1: |
LESS STRESS.Levels of cortisol fall during a nap, indicating a reduction of stress in the body. Not taking a needed nap means that the body remains stressed. |
NAP TIP # 2 |
ENHANCE EMOTIONAL REGULATION |
NAP TIP # 3 |
EASIER TEMPERAMENT Blog Post 47 |
NAP TIP # 4 |
REM SLEEP High amounts of REM sleep help direct the course of brain maturation in early life. |
NAP TIP # 5 |
CONSOLIDATE MEMORIES In children who need 2 naps, skipping the morning nap adversely affects the memory consolidation of the second nap. In children who need 1 nap, skipping the midday nap adversely affects the memory consolidation that normally occurs with nighttime sleep. |
NAP TIP # 6 |
ENHANCE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION Executive function and self-regulation skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember, and juggle multiple tasks. |
NAP TIP #7 |
EVERY NAP COUNTS |
NAP TIP #8 |
Long Naps |
For more Instagram Reels:
Blog Post 90A: Fake News
Blog Post 95A: Sleep Tips
Blog Post 96A: Sleep Basics
Blog Post 97A: Brain Health
Blog Post 99A: Brain Health
Hi Dr. Weissbluth,
My 8 1/2 month old is all of a sudden taking a short morning nap. It’s recently been under an hour instead of an hour 1/2-2 hours. Any thoughts on why this would be? I don’t think anything has changed in his schedule. He goes in around 8:30 am (he usually can’t make it until 9).
Thanks
Before this sudden change, please describe his usual nap and night sleep schedule (clock times and durations) and night awakenings/feedings.
He usually naps from around 8:30 until 10 ish I would say, and then goes in around 12 pm for another nap. It’s rare that both naps will be long. When his morning nap isnt as great, his afternoon nap will sometimes be an hour and a half and be better. He still seems to have a hard time staying awake for more than 2 hours (to make it until a 1 pm nap, for example). And his third nap generally doesn’t happen. I try, but he usually just cries until I take him out. Then he goes to sleep for the night before 6 pm generally since he is awake from 1:30/2 oclock. He then nurses sometime between midnight-1 am I’d say and goes right back to sleep. Then he wakes up again 3 hours later for another feed. And then usually sleeps until some time between 6-7 am. If he wakes up before 6 am, he still is clearly tired and I nurse him again because he generally will go back to sleep for another hour or so.
When not entertained by you or in front of a screen, how does he behave and look between 3-5pm?
He can get pretty cranky if I’m not holding him. I still feel like he needs that last short nap, he just won’t usually taking it even though I put him in.
Please read the section in my book or on my Blog about ‘Cumulative Sleepiness’
What is a common clock time for you to see him starting to become cranky?
Between 3-5? I’m not sure. Sometimes I just put him in after around 2 hours of being awake even if he doesn’t seem that that cranky. Should I stop even putting him in since he’s almost 9 months?
At night, when you have finished bathing, dressing, feeding, soothing, what time does he usually fall asleep?
Some time between 5:45-6:30 depending on when I put him in. I know that’s a wide range. But usually, no matter when I put him in, he doesn’t take that long to fall asleep
“he is quite fidgety between 5 and 6 pm every night.” tells you that his sleep tank is nearing empty.”
I suggest you commit to 4-5 nights of doing bathing, dressing, feeding, and soothing ending at 5:30 pm when you put him in his crib and leave the room (he may be awake, drowsy, or asleep). Use extinction, graduated extinction, or check and console as described in my book. Do this only if you and your husband can commit to a 4-5 night trial. If you do this, keep meticulous records of sleeping and crying (day and night).
How does this sound?
I can maybe try that. This is to possibly help his morning nap be a bit longer? (it sometimes is, but sometimes not).
What am I using extinction (or another method) for though? At which times? He still nurses at night.
Sleep solutions such as extinction are described in detail in my book.
Ok, thank you for your thoughts and advice!