Hello families! David is 6 months old!
First of all, it is so much fun living with a 6-month-old baby! Lately, my days are full of giggles and smoochy kisses. I dearly miss my son’s newborn stage, but I have to admit that over the past month, I have had the most fun with my son. Every day, he becomes more of a full person in his own way. My husband and I see more of his personality, preferences, and desire for engaging with others. The milestones that he has accomplished between the end of the fifth month and the beginning of the sixth month have kept us busy. I mean really busy. One of the most drastic changes would be the transition from three naps to two naps. I thought it would be great to share what I did with baby D during this transition.
Signs of nap transitioning
When baby D was 5.5 months old, he showed some signs of nap transitioning. These are,
His naps became shorter. He slept only one cycle or less for one nap. Usually, this shortest nap was the third nap but sometimes, it was his first nap.
He took a long time to fall asleep. In other words, he spent a longer time settling into his crib. As I mentioned in an earlier posting, a good sleep schedule should allow children to stay in their crib for a shorter period of time before they fall asleep. So, he needed a new schedule.
His wake-up window was getting longer. He seemed to not be tired enough on his usual sleep time. This caused his night time bed schedule to be postponed.
Sometimes, he skipped his third nap, but it did not seem to affect him much.
These signs occurred consistently for two weeks. For sure, he was transitioning from three naps to two naps regardless if I was ready or not.
What I did
To be honest, I believe that raising a child is not a race and once they pass each stage, typically they don’t go back. So, I want baby D to take enough time for each stage. Sleep is also one of them. Additionally, all the benefits of sleep made me want to keep his three naps a bit longer. However, my baby was getting ready and the only thing I could do was help him get through a smooth transition. So, here are some of things I did:
I used my observation and intuition more than a clock. His sleepy signs were my instructions. When he is sleepy, his birthmarks between his eyes became redder so it was a clear indication for me. Of course, other behavioural expressions such as yawning, rubbing eyes, pulling ears, being irritable, less interest in playing, becoming clingier, etc. were also important clues for me. It was following his lead as if he was a driver and I was a passenger. While he was adjusting, my goal was to put him down when he was tired enough but before he became overly tired.
I allowed him to have a transition period and did not rush him. Most children who I have worked with sometimes have two naps and other times have three naps when they transition.
I allowed him to have an earlier bedtime if necessary. When he has two naps, I allowed him to have an earlier bedtime at night so he could have longer nighttime sleep hours.
I made my decisions based on his total sleep hours within a 24 hour window. His total sleep hours dropped from 15 hours to between 14 hours and 14 hours and 30 minutes. Most likely, His nighttime sleep ranged between 11 hours 30 minutes and 12 hours. The total duration of his nap time was usually 2 hours and 30 minutes. So, when his first two naps were too short (e.g., less than 2 hours), I tried to let him have one more cat nap as his third nap.
New schedule
After all these attempts, he spent two and a half weeks to adjust and settle to 2 naps. There was one day his total nap time was too short, so I tried to put him down for the third nap, but he refused it. I think he acts like he is a big boy who takes only two naps. His current schedule is,
Waking up at 6:00 am
Sleeping at 8:30 am
Waking up at 9:15 am
Sleeping at 12:15 pm
Waking up at 2:00 pm
Sleeping at 6:00 pm
** Most children start following a 2-3-4 schedule when they have two naps (first nap 2 hours after their wake up time, second nap 3 hours after the first nap, bedtime 4 hours after their second nap) between seven and ten months. However, baby D has a 2.5-3-3.5 schedule or 2.5-3-4 schedule. In other words, he is not tired enough after 2 hours from his wake-up time for his first nap, but he needs to go to bed after 3.5 hours after his second nap. I expect this can be extended as he becomes more mature.
** He usually has a shorter first nap and longer second nap. However, occasionally, he has a longer first nap and a shorter second nap. I put him down for the second nap 3 hours later than his wake up time from the first nap. Regardless of when his second nap starts, he always wakes up from his second nap between 2 pm and 2:30 pm – which is good since we can keep his bedtime consistent.
** We have six nursing sessions throughout the day with three solid foods feedings (starting solids was another fun part of living with a six-month-old).
I cannot believe we are halfway to one year together. It has definitely been the best time of my life. I cannot wait to have another half-year full of wonder and joy!
- Minnie
