That is the question I’ve been asking myself this week. So far we’d been going with the flow and it had been going really well. Until recently. More than once the past week I had the pleasure of spending the evening with an overtired baby. Not fun. Who even knew that babies could get too tired to sleep? Nightmare. So I decided that we should probably try and get her onto a nap schedule. Theoretically, that would mean that she would never get too tired because she would have scheduled naps, right? How hard can it be, I thought. Well, from my experience so far, the answer is very.
Perhaps Molly isn’t ready for scheduled naps right now. I have no idea. The thing about being a new mum is that you have literally nothing to base it on. I don’t know if she’s ready for a nap routine or even if I should be implementing something like this while she’s so young. But I know I have to try something. An overtired baby is fun for nobody and I feel it’s my responsibility to make sure this doesn’t happen.
I tried putting her down for scheduled naps which just did not work. Her wake times were never the same. Sometimes she could go for 2 and a half hours while others she was tired after just 1 hour awake. So instead of sticking to certain times, I started writing down when she napped and when she woke up so I could keep track of how long she’s been awake and if she was probably ready for another sleep. I think I’ll continue to keep note because this might help me in the future when she is ready for a nap schedule. Maybe? Hopefully!
It’s been a very stressful week. We've had a couple of good days in a row though and some beautiful cuddles while she slept on me. I just think I probably put a little too much pressure on myself. She has been napping, which is all I wanted, and she seems to be getting enough sleep during the day now. It certainly isn’t a schedule but I’ve learnt to notice her little signs for when she’s tired and how long she’s able to stay awake without being grumpy. A routine isn’t for us just yet. It’s a bit too soon perhaps, but this has been a great learning experience.
I don’t know how old Molly is but I just feel in myself that a reasonable routing for daytime naps seems to work well for all the family – maybe try again in a week or so. Of course its not always possible for a routine depending on circumstances, illness etc. All our 5 and now grandkids have slept well on a flexible routine. I was recently handed my 5 month old granddaughter for a weekend with parents at their wits end through lack of sleep, and laid her in her cot around 10 ish and then 1.30 ish everyday. She did cry a little for the 1st day but I gently laid my hand on her chest but no eye contact. She soon settled well into 2 naps a day and slept better at night. Good luck.