 When you have a newborn, it goes without saying that all bets are off when it comes to sleep. It's a dizzying adjustment being on call around the clock. But when my little one reached the 3-month mark, I felt like things were starting to stabilize... somewhat. On good days, naps were beginning to have a semblance of order, yet on other days I was pulling my hair out wondering how to get my 3-month-old baby to nap, because nothing — short of strapping on the baby carrier and walking until my legs ached — seemed to work. If you too find yourself going to great lengths to get your 3-month-old baby to sleep (driving around the block on repeat, or shushing until your lips literally feel numb, anyone?), then you'll be heartened to know that nap schedules typically start to develop around 3 to 4 months, according to Janet K. Kennedy, PhD, clinical psychologist and author of The Good Sleeper: The Essential Guide to Sleep for Your Baby (and You), and founder of NYC Sleep Doctor. Assuming your baby is getting up for the day between 6 or 7 a.m., Dr. Kennedy says that somewhere around 3 months you'll start to see "the first nap of the day becoming more reliable and lengthening to an hour or more around 8 - 9 a.m. Over the weeks that follow, the second and third naps consolidate and become reliably timed as well." However, while some babies do fall into natural sleep rhythms, that doesn't mean that naps will magically just happen. Parents have to be vigilant about looking for sleep cues, which can include a baby "rubbing their eyes, yawning, getting fussy, or turning their head away from you," according to Christine Stevens, a Washington D.C.-based sleep consultant and founder of Sleep Solutions by Christine, in an interview with Romper. Read the rest of the article from Romper: |
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