Dropping the 4th Nap

My son Haydon just turned 4 months old today! Yippy! I am finally out of the land of newborn-hood and on to baby land! Along with Haydon’s 4 month birthday, he also dropped his 4th nap. I knew it was time to adjust his schedule because his 3rd of 4th nap of the day were just brief catnaps and no longer than 45 minutes each.

From 9 weeks- 15 weeks, Haydon’s schedule looked like this:
7:00Nurse
8:20-10:00 Nap
1o:00 Nurse
11:30-1:00 Nap
1:00 Nurse
2:30-4:00 Nap***
4:00 Nurse
5:30-6:15 Catnap***
6:15 Nurse
7:30 Bottle of expressed milk, followed by bedtime

***However, from 15-16 weeks his 3rd nap of the day went from being 1.5 hours long to only 45 minutes long. I played around with his waketime, but that still did not fix the nap length. I also noticed that Haydon was not nursing as much every 3 hours so I thought it might be good to try and extend his schedule to eat every 3.5-4 hours, except in the evening when I cluster feed. Extending the schedule worked. It got rid of the 4th nap and he is nursing better. Also, by extending the scheduled feedings, Haydon started taking a longer nap!

Haydon’s new schedule at 4 months (17 weeks old)
7am Nurse
8:30-10:30 Nap
10:30 Nurse
12:15/20-2:15 Nap
2:15 Nurse
4:00-5:00 Nap
5:00 Nurse
7:00 Nurse +Bottle of Expressed milk, followed by bedtime

 

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Schedule Log

When you have a newborn, things can be very unpredictable for the first few weeks. If you are like me, you want to get to a more consistent schedule as soon as possible. I have found that writing down when your baby eats and sleeps is helpful in trouble shooting sleeping problems and eating issues. Writing all this information down helps you to see where patterns are developing. For instance, my son Haydon is having a lot of trouble with the first nap of the day. I have been writing down what time he eats, how long he eats, and if there were any eat issues (spit up, etc.). I have been also writing down what time I start his nap time prep (Swaddling, holding, laying him down), and what time he actually falls asleep (I watch this on my video monitor). It is also helpful to record any other information such as temperature in the room, the noise level in the house, or other environmental issues that might be effecting the nap. I then keep the daily schedule log in a 3-ring binder so I can go back and look at what Haydon’s schedules have been like in the past.

If you would like to do the same- here is a PDF of the daily schedule sheet that I have been using.
Daily Schedule Log

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Variety & Organization (Activities & Toys)

Here is how I vary the toys and the play locations throughout the day. I hope this well help give you some ideas.

In the playroom, I have toys in plastic containers with lids. The containers with toys are all kept on shelves I bought from Walmart for $15 each. We have 4 shelves (with 3 shelves each).  I only let them get out two containers at a time. I also have a play kitchen in the playroom and a small table and chair set in the playroom.
Toys we have in each container are:
– Wooden Train Set
– Playfood, Cups, Bowls, and other kitchen items
– Plastic Animals
– Building Legos
– Medium Sized Cars
– Puzzles
– Toddler Toys in 2 different boxes (various toddler toys)
– Little People Items

In my son’s room, he has a few toys. The toys are arranged in plastic containers with lids too. He is allowed to choose 2-3 different type of toys to have out during roomtime. The rest stay on his shelves in their containers and are not played with. The kids also do sibling playtime in Coopers room a few times a week- and the same rules apply, only 2-3 types of toys out at a time.
– McQueen Cars (from the Movie Cars)
– Chuck Car items
– Marble Run
– Books
– Other Match Box Cars
– Felt Roads & Play Rug with Roads
– Tag Junior
– Vet Clinic Toy
– Stuffed Animals

In the Girls’ Room, they have a few toys. I store all their toys in their closet. They still have IPT in their cribs. I usually allow them 2 types of toys and some books during IPT. They toys stored in their closets are:
– Little People Sets
– Little People Builder Blocks and Sets
– Light & Sounds Toys (electronics)
– Playfood
– Babydoll items
– Books
– Stacking toys & Shape sorters

In the Gameroom, I store all their educational materials, art supplies, and other table activities. I have it stored in an entertainment system with doors. I have things in plastic containers with lids marked with what time of things are inside. We don’t really have any other toys in the gameroom because we don’t play too much up their yet because I cannot keep an eye on them in there if I am down stairs working (game is upstairs).

In the living room, I have a basket of random toys- some cars, some stuffed animals, some little people stuff, some other toys (doctor kit, etc). They can take anything out of the basket when we are in the living room, but it all has to be put back when we leave the room.

In my bathroom, I have a small tub of toys for when I am getting ready in the morning or during bathtime. I usually bathe all the kids at the same time, but they don’t all get in the tub at the same time so I need toys to keep the occupied during bath time. I have books, cars, and a few small toddler-ish toys in there.

In the kitchen, I have a few leap frog toys on the fridge and I also have some file folder games, busy bag activity, quiet books, and play dough items all stored in my pantry. That way if I need a quick table time activity for a time of transition or while I am cooking dinner, I can quickly pull them out.

What I have found, is even though I don’t rotate all the toys, I think allowing them only a few toys at a time helps. Having them play in the playroom, bedroom, and living room at different times of day helps too. I think that free play, Independent Play Time, and table time/ blanket time help to keep it interesting. I also do outside play every day and try to include a walk. So variety of activities, organized toys, and not allowing them to play with too many things really helps to keep the kids happy and having fun throughout the day. The toys don’t get as boring this way.

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Schedule Update

I realize it has been a while since I updated the schedules I have kept with my Son, now 3 years-old, and my twins, now 18 months-old. So here are the updated schedules. These schedules are just the bare bone schedules which include, eating, sleeping, and waking times. For a more detailed schedule that consists of a break down of various activities, please see the other posts below.

Babywise Schedules by Month (Version 1: My Son)
Babywise Schedules by Month (Version 2: My Twin Girls)

Structuring Your Toddler’s Day When Taking Two Naps A Day
Structuring Your Toddler’s Day When Taking One Nap A Day

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Babywise Schedules

When it comes to schedules, I love them. I cannot say enough about them. So what’s so good about a schedule?

1. Children thrive off routine. They like to know what is coming. It helps to them to feel secure and safe when things follow a routine and pattern.
2. Schedules help parents (especially mom) know when to schedule doctors visits, appointments, and outings because they know when their child is going to nap or eat.
3. Schedules help to ensure your infant/ toddler gets the proper rest with regular nap and sleep times.
4. Schedules also help to ensure that you are feeding your infant frequently to ensure proper nutrition and growth.
5. If you have multiple children, schedules are a must! They keep you from going nuts. You are able to juggle your children’s various needs and ensure they are not just roaming the house all day long. It keeps the kids happier and it keeps mom sane! The structure also helps cut down the bad behavior.
6. Schedules also help to vary the days activities up with a good mix of different types of play and learning.

I have written several posts about schedules- Check them out!

The following two links contain babywise schedules from birth-toddler:
Babywise Schedules by Month (Version 1: My Son)
Babywise Schedules by Month (Version 2: My Twin Girls)
2-3-4 Nap Schedule for Older Babies

The following two links contain schedules and toddlerwise schedules that are appropriate for an older infant and toddlers:
Structuring a Toddler’s Day (when on one nap a day)
Structuring Your Toddler’s Day (when on two naps a day)

The following two links contain schedule suggestions for how to juggle multiple children of different ages:
Newborn & Toddler Combo Schedule & Juggling A Newborn with a Toddler

The following link contains an average amount of sleep that infants and toddlers should get. Please keep in mind these are averages. Some will sleep more while others will sleep less:
Sleep Requirements for Infants & Toddlers

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How To Handle Transitions Between Activities

I have to say, I feel like I have a pretty good schedule running for my kids every day. I like the balance of activities and it keeps them from getting bored and having too many discipline issues. See my post Structuring a Toddler’s Day for some ideas on how to create a balanced schedule for your older infant and toddler.

Where the day falls apart or does not run as smoothly is at times of transition or when we move from one activity to the next. For instance, the time in between breakfast and Independent Playtime or Structured Learning was not going very well. I was just letting the kids play in the kitchen or playroom while I cleaned up breakfast, but I found that was allowing them too much free play and often that “unstructured” time led to fights or discipline issues. I also did not want them pulling out a lot of toys and creating a mess while I was trying to clean up the kitchen and get them ready to move to the next activity. I just did not want to create more mess to clean up. I am sure you can appreciate that as a mom.

I asked my Baby Center Babywise Group how to handle these times of transition, and one mom gave me such a good idea. She told me to give them an activity to keep then occupied at the table while I clean up from the meal we just ate or while they wait to go outside and play, etc. What a simple solution, right? Well, sort of. I needed to come up with some activities that would hold my one-year old twins and my 2.5 year-old’s attention for 5-10 minutes while they stayed in their highchairs or seated at the table.

I came up with some activities that have worked so I thought I would share them with you. All the activities must be activities that your child can complete without any assistance otherwise, you will spend more time helping your child than getting ready to move to the next activity. So here are some ideas:

• File Folder Games: Just google free preschool file folder games. You will find a ton you can print. From matching colors to counting from 1-10. Just make sure your child is able to complete these games on his or her own. You may have to play the file folder game a few times prior to using this as a transition activity so your child is familiar with how to play the game and able to complete or his own.
• Puzzles: These are great transition activities. They are little mess, fun, and are easy to complete at the table.
• Books: Give your child a small box of 4-5 books to look at the table during transition time.
• Photo Album: Put pictures of your family and extended family in a photo album for your child to look at while you are moving from one activity to the next.
• Sorting Activity: Give your child a few objects to sort into different bowls. You can use pompoms, fruitloops, different colored blocks, etc.
• Book on Tape/CD: This is a great activity for transitions. You can rent books on tape at your local library or you can record your own voice reading a book for your child to listen to. You will need to teach your child how to turn the pages along with the read-aloud prior to using this as a transition activity.
• Flash Cards: I bought some flash cards at the dollar store and at target’s dollar bin and punch a whole in the corner and put them on a key ring. They kids love to flip through and look at the various pictures on the flash cards. I also own some touch and feel flash cards that my kids LOVE so much!
• Texture Box: This works well for younger toddlers. Take various different materials and textures and glue them on some index cards and store them in a shoe box. You toddler will enjoy taking them out and feeling the different textures.
• Quiet Book: Google quiet book for different ideas on how to put together your own quiet book for your child. I have not actually made my own quiet book yet, but I have a binder with some quick activities that my 2.5 year old can do on his own, which is similar to a quiet book.
• Matching: Give your child some cards you can do some matching activities with. There are tons of free matching games out there that you can print off the internet- just google free preschool matching games.

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Newborn & Toddler Schedule

If you are anticipating a newborn, I bet you are wondering how you can possibly juggle the needs are two different children. Here is my suggestions:

1. Write your current child’s schedule on paper. Then think about how you can incorporate the needs of your newborn into your older child’s schedule.
2. Write out two schedules: One schedule that is a 3 hour schedule and one that is a 2.5 hour schedule. The 3 hour schedule is the goal and the one you hope to maintain, but you might need to feed more frequently in the beginning and also you might have a few growth spurts where you will need to feed more often. It is helpful to have a game plan for either situation.

Here are the schedules that I kept. I hope you find them helpful.

1-4 week old & 19 Month Old
(3 Hour Schedule)

7:00 Nurse, Followed by one-on-one time with Molly
7:45-10:00 Nap
8:00 Wake Up & Free Play
8:30 Breakfast
9:00 Outside Play

10:00 Nurse, Followed by one-on-one time with Anna
10:00- 11:00 IPT
10:45-1:00 Nap
11:00 Structured Learning/ Play
11:30 Free Play
12:00 Lunch
12:30 Read Stories, Potty, Get Ready for Nap

1:00 Nurse, Followed by laying on the floor with Both Girls
1:00-4:00 Nap
1:45-4:00 Nap

4:00 Nurse, Followed by hanging out in bouncers
4:00 Snack & DVD in gameroom on blanket (Modified blanket time)
4:45-7:00 Nap
5:00 One-on-One time with Mommy
5:30 Outside Play/ Play with Daddy if he gets home on time
6:00 Dinner
6:30 Free Play

7:00 Nurse
7:00 Play with Daddy
7:30 Family Play
8:00 Bedtime
8:00 Bedtime Routine
8:30 Bedtime

8:30-10:00 Adult Time with No Kids
10:00 Nurse, Right Back To Bed (treat like a dreamfeed)

This is my 2.5 hour schedule that I used when the girls were about 6 weeks old. I did this for schedule for about 3 weeks when they hit a HUGE growth spurt. I also went back to this schedule a few times during other growth spurt seasons.

Twins: 6-9 weeks old, Cooper: 30 Months Old
(2.5 Hour Schedule)

7:00 Nurse & one-on-one time with Molly
7:50- 9:30 Nap
8:00 Wake & Free Play
8:30 Breakfast
9:00 Outside Play

9:30 Nurse & one-on-one time with Anna
9:30-10:30 IPT
10:20- 12:00 Nap
10:30 Structured Learning/ Play
11:00 Free Play

12:00 Nurse (I nursed in the room right next to the kitchen so I could see Cooper) & Hang out in bouncers in kitchen
12:00 Lunch & DVD
12:50- 2:30 Nap
12:50 Get Ready for nap (sort version)
1:00-4:00 Nap

2:30 Nurse & hang out on floor with both girls
3:20- 5:00 Nap
4:00 Snack & One-on-One time with Mommy

5:00 Nurse
5:00 Blanket Time in Game room with DVD (modified blanket time)
5:30 Sibling Play with Mommy in Gameroom
5:50- 7:00 Nap
5:30 Outside Play/ Play with Daddy if he gets home on time
6:00 Dinner
6:30 Free Play

7:00 Nurse
7:00 Play with Daddy
7:30 Family Play
8:00 Bedtime
8:00 Bedtime Routine
8:30 Bedtime

8:30-10:00 Adult Time with No Kids
10:00 Nurse, Right Back To Bed (treat like a dreamfeed)

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Schedules with Twins

CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF SCHEDULES KEPT EVERY MONTH WITH MY TWINS:
https://blogginaboutbabies.wordpress.com/2010/09/14/infant-schedules-by-month-updated/

My twin are a few days shy of 8 months old. I have been doing a lot of reflecting back on their schedules that I have maintained and kept with them since they were born. I know for many twin moms that having your two babies on the same schedule is kind of a necessity so that you can have some down time to get things done around the house and even to grab a shower and eat yourself.

I think what I have learned with twins is that you CANNOT have a perfect schedule. You are trying to raise two different individuals and they will need different things and different times. This is especially true of fraternal twins. Identical twins tend to fall into a more similar sleeping/ eating schedule than fraternal twins do. I think it is best to have an “ideal” schedule for your day, but allow room for variation. YOU CANNOT HYPER SCHEDULE twins. Please remember that they are individuals and you need to feed them if they are hungry. If you want to keep them on the same schedule, just wake the sleeping twin up and then feed them together. The same goes for sleep, please watch for their sleepy cues. Don’t try to keep one of your twins up longer if they are tired in hopes they will nap at the same time. Babies nap better when they go to sleep when they start to first show signs of tiredness. Please read my post called, “Sleep Windows” which explains this concept in more detail. https://blogginaboutbabies.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/sleep-windows-get-them-to-bed-before-its-too-late/

I thought I would share my reflections on my experience with trying to keep my twins on a similar schedule:

1 Month old:
The girls basically slept a ton and it was easy to keep them on the same sleeping and eating schedule. I was tandem nursing so I really wanted them to eat at the same time. I felt like it was breeze during those first 4 months- with such sleepy heads.

2/3 Months old:
They hit two growth spurt during the time and make it very challenging to keep them on the same schedule. They started to wake early from naps. In order to still keep them on the same eating schedule, if one twin woke up hungry from a nap, I just woke the other twin up to nurse them together. They were able to stay awake about the same amount of time, give or take 5 or so minutes, so it was pretty easy to put them down for their naps around the same time.

4 Months old:
They were on a solid schedule during this time. I would say that in terms of schedule, this was a sweet time for us. They were on a very consistent 3 hour schedule. They would eat, play, and sleep about the same time with about 5-10 minute difference, but I always feed them at the same time.

5 Months Old:
The girls pretty much napped starting at the same time, they may wake a little early from one another, but at this age, they were able to wait until the other woke up to be breastfeed. This was nice and gave me a little more flexibility with allowing them to sleep longer if they needed it. However, at this age the girls had different bedtimes. My daughter Molly just needed to go to sleep sooner than his sister Anna. I was okay with this, because it made bedtime more manageable for me. I would nurse and put Molly down while Daddy got Anna ready for bedtime. By the time I was done feeding Molly, I feed Anna and put her down. I liked the one-on-one time I got with Anna this way.

6 Months Old:
I really hit a hard spell with the girls are 6 months. They were trying to get rid of the 3rd catnap at this age. This effected their schedule a ton. Some nights they would take a catnap and other nights they did not need it. Molly end up needing it more than Anna. When Molly would catnap, I would try to keep Anna in the kitchen and give her some small toys to play with while I got dinner ready. But depending on if they took a catnap or not, it would effect bedtime, causing them to go to bed at different times. Late on the nights they took a catnap and earlier on the nights they did not take a catnap. So again the girls had different bedtimes from one another most evenings, but my husband and I juggled the two like we did when they were 5 months old and it worked out. I had to learn to be flexible during this time. It was not easy, especially with my 25 month old needing my attention too, but we got through it. Thankfully, they still went down for their morning and afternoon nap around the same time. They would wake up from their naps around the same time, but again they could wait until the other one woke up to nurse together.

7 & 8 Months Old
They both finally got rid of the catnap so I did not have that issue anymore, it was just that Anna and Molly required different amounts of sleep. Anna being the one who slept less. So I learned to put them down for their nap at the same time, and just get Anna up early and have her wait to nurse until Molly woke up. That worked and we are still doing that now at almost 8 months old. They also cut their first teeth while they were 7 months old. This did effect their naps and nighttime sleep. They would wake up and cry for a little and then go back to sleep. I tired not to intervein because I knew if I went in there, they would not go back to sleep easily. On days when the teething was the worst, I did get them some infant tylenol. The tylenol really helped them sleep a lot better.

9- 11 Months Old
I feel like the girls are starting to stabilize with their sleep. It is nice to have them fall into a very regular pattern of naps times and similar bedtimes. Molly, my sleepy head, still required a little more sleep, but I just put her down a little earlier and let her sleep a little longer. Anna does not seem to mind waiting to nurse a few extra minutes as long as I entertain her. We hit a growth spurt during 9 months, which required me to feed them a little more. I really wanted to stay on the same schedule and not mess up the nap times, so what I chose to do is nurse before their afternoon nap to fit in the extra feeding. I did that for about a week and then they seemed to get over the growth spurt.

 

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When and How to Drop a Nap

How will you know it is time to drop a nap?
Typically, they tend to resist taking the last nap of the day or seem unsettled during the last nap of the day. They might even start to sleep a shorter amount of time for that nap. All of the other naps could also be effected, causing them to be shorter in length. You may even notice he may have a hard time going to bed at your designated bedtime, making bedtime later than you would desire. For some babies, they might even start waking early in the mornings because they are getting to much daytime sleep.

Try Shortening the nap to a catnap first
If your baby is experiencing sleeping problems mention above, sometimes all you have to do is shorten the last nap of the day to a catnap. A catnap is a nap that is usually very brief, about 30-45 minutes in length. If, however, shortening the last nap to a catnap does not resolve the other nap lengths or help bedtime, then you know it is time to drop the last nap of the day.

Dropping the 4th Nap
Around what age will they drop the 4th nap? Between 4-5 months

It is easy to drop the 4th nap when you move from a 3 hour schedule to a 3.5/4 hour schedule. Another way to drop the 4th nap is to just keep your baby awake during that 4th nap, but you might have to put your baby to bed early for a few nights or weeks until they are adjusted to staying up longer at night before bedtime.

Personal Experience:
With my son, I dropped the 4th nap when I moved from a 3 hour schedule to a 4 hour schedule at 4 months of age.
My son’s schedule @3 months on a 3 hour schedule(4 naps):
8:00 Feed
9:30-10:30/11:00 Nap
11:00 Feed
12:30-2:00 Nap
2:00 Feed
3:30-5:00 Nap
5:00 Feed
6:30-7:15 Cat Nap
7:30 Feed
9:00-10:30 Nap/ Nighttime sleep
10:30 Feed & Put right back to Bed for nighttime sleep

My son’s schedule @4 months on a 3.5/4 hour schedule (3 naps):
7:00 Feed
8:30-10:30 Nap
10:30 Feed
12:30-2:30 Nap
2:30 Feed
4:30-6:30 Nap *** He stopped taking a good nap here at around 20 weeks old so I began to shorten it to a cat nap
6:30 Feed
9:00 Feed
9:15/ 9:30 Bed

With my twin daughters, I dropped the the 4th nap when I move from a 3 hour schedule to a 3.5 hour schedule. There was about a week or two when I had to put the twins to bed around 6/6:30pm instead of the desired 6:45pm/7pm when I dropped the 4th nap. Gradually I started to stretch out their bedtime back to 6:45/7pm as they learned to stay awake longer at night.
Twin’s schedule @ 4 months on a 3 hour schedule (4 naps):
7:00 Nurse
8:30-10:00 Nap
10:00 Nurse
11:30-1:00 Nap
1:00 Nurse
2:30-4:00 Nap
4:00 Nurse
5:30-6:15 Nap
6:15 Nurse
7:45 Nurse
8:00 Bedtime

Twins’ Schedule @5 months on a 3.5 hour schedule (3 naps):
7:00 Nurse
8:30-10:30 Nap
10:30 Nurse & Solids
12:15-2:15 Nap
2:15 Nurse
4:00-4:45 Nap
4:45 Nurse & Solids
6:15 Nurse
6:45 Anna Bedtime, 7:00 Molly Bedtime

Dropping the 3rd Nap

Around what age will they drop the 3rd nap? Between 6-8 months of age

Typically around 6-8 months, you will find that your baby will be able to stay awake longer in the evenings. Your baby will most likely be on a 4 hour schedule at this point and will not longer require the 3rd nap (usually a cat nap by this time). I have found that around 6-8 months of age, babies tend to fall into a 2-3-4 napping schedule. This is when the baby is awake for 2 hours in the morning and then nap, awakes for 3 hours in the afternoon and then naps, and then awake for 4 hours in the evening before going to bed. For more information on a 2-3-4 napping schedule, please see my post 2-3-4 napping schedule for older babies: https://blogginaboutbabies.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/2-3-4-nap-schedule-for-older-babies/

Personal Experience:
My son Cooper dropped the 3rd nap at 6 months of age. I just decided that he did not need that nap any longer because it was effecting his bedtime. He need a longer wake time before bedtime and I did not want to put him to bed any later than 8pm. So I just dropped the catnap cold turkey. It took about a week or two of distracting him and helping him stay awake the last hour before bedtime, but he eventually he was able to stay awake happily until bedtime without the catnap.

Cooper’s Schedule @5 months (3 naps)
7:00 Feed (milk & solids)
9:00-11:00 Nap
11:00 Feed (milk & solids)
1:00- 3:00 Nap
3:00 Feed (milk only)
5:00-5:45 Cat Nap
5:45 Feed (solids only)
7:45 Feed (milk only)
8:00 Bed

Cooper’s Schedule @6 months (2 naps)
7:00 milk & solids
9:00 nap
11:30 milk & solids
2:00/2:30 nap
3:30/4:00 milk
5:30 solids
6:30 bath & milk
7:00 bed

My twins dropped the 3rd nap at 6 months of age. I knew they needed to drop the catnap because they started to refuse to sleep for the 3rd nap and if they did take the 3rd nap, they would stay awake longer at night before bedtime. I did not drop the catnap cold turkey with them though. I started trying to keep them awake until bedtime without a catnap. Some nights they could make it to bedtime without the 3rd nap and other nights they could not skip the catnap and would need to take it. Anna dropped the catnap much quicker than Molly. On some nights that they dropped the catnap, they had to go to bed earlier than 7pm, which is their normal bedtime. Even now at almost 8 months old, Molly still needs to go to bed earlier, around 6:30pm and Anna can make it to 7/7:30pm.

Twin’s Schedule @first half of 6 Months
7:00 Nurse & Solids
9:00-11:00 Nap
11:00 Nurse & Solids
1:00-3:00 Nap
3:00 Nurse
5:00- 5:30 Nap
5:30 Nurse & Solids
7:30 Nurse & Bed

Twin’s Schedule @Second half of 6 months
7am Nurse
8am Solids
9:00/9:15- 11:00 Nap (Molly goes down for a nap sooner than Anna)
11:00 Nurse
12:30 Solids
1:15/1:30- 3:30 Nap (Molly goes down for a nap sooner than Anna)
3:30 Nurse
5:00 Solids
6:30 Molly Bottle, Followed by Bed
7:00 Anna Nurse, Followed by Bed

Dropping the Second Nap
Around what age will they drop the 2nd nap? Typically between 15-18 months of age, but for some it could be as early as 12 months old.

I wrote a long post about moving from two naps a day to only one nap a day. Please read that post to get more information about dropping the second nap. https://blogginaboutbabies.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/transition-from-two-naps-to-one-nap/

Personal Experience:
With both my son Cooper and my twin daughters, I found that I had to shorten the morning nap in order for them to be tired enough to still take a good afternoon nap. If my kids took a longer nap 1.5-2 hours in the morning, the afternoon nap started became shorter or they required a longer wake time in order to go to sleep for their second nap (making the second nap too late in the day and thus effecting bedtime). I shortened the morning nap to 1 hour and the afternoon nap was preserved this way and was usually about 1.5-2 hours in length.

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My Twins’ Schedules

I first wrote this post when I just had my son. Since then, I have had my twin daughters. I thought I would write out the schedules that I have kept with them as well. My son did not require as much sleep as my daughters. Therefore, my son’s schedules have been very different than my twin daughter’s schedules.

Below are the schedules that I kept with my twin daughters. Please check back periodically. I will add to new schedules each month.

To view the schedules I kept with my son, please click on this link: https://blogginaboutbabies.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/infant-schedules-by-month/

0-4 Weeks Old
My twin girls were born 2 weeks early. This is their schedule for week one. They are 39 weeks (gestational age). They are very sleepy. It takes me 30 minutes to feed them an another 15 minutes to burp, change diapers, and reswaddle them. So by the time I am done, I just lay them back in their crib and let them have some wake time looking at their mobile or I talk to them. They usually fall asleep an hour after being awoken for their feeding. I am tandem breastfeeding them too.

7am Feed/ Awake
8am-10am Sleep
10am Feed/ Awake
11:00-1:00 Sleep
1:00pm Feed/ Awake
2:00-4:00 Sleep
4:00pm Feed/ Awake
5:00-7:00 Sleep
7:00 Feed/ Awake
8:00-10:30 Sleep
10:30 Dream Feed & Diaper Changes
11:00/11:45 Back in crib for night
3ish Middle of the night feeding

4-6 Weeks Old
7am Feed
8-10am Nap
10am Feed
11-1pm Nap
1pm Feed
2-4pm Nap
4pm Feed
5-6pm Catnap
6pm Cluster Feed
6-8 Awake Time (No Sleep)
8pm Cluster Feed
8:30/8:45 Bedtime
11pm Dreamfeed
2-3am MOTN Feeding

6-8 Weeks Old
The girls were in a marathon growth spurt form about 6-7.5 weeks old. So it has kind of messed up the schedule. I decided to keep a very loose eat, wake, sleep pattern. They were eating about every 2.5 hours. Sometimes less and sometimes longer stretches between feedings, but that is what I did. I had a set wake up time and a set bedtime and our evenings were pretty consistent from about 5pm on. So here is what the schedule sort of looked like:

7 feed
7:50- 9:30 Nap
9:30 feed
10:20- 12:00 Nap
12 feed
12:50- 2:30 Nap
2:30 feed
3:20- 5:00 Nap
5 feed
5:50- 7:00 Nap
7 feed
7:30-8:15 Snooze in bouncers/ swings
8:15/8:30 Bath
9 feed, followed by bedtime
4-5am MOTN feeding

9-12 Weeks Old
My twins’ wake time varies between 50-60 minutes. They were battling with the 45 minute intruder for many of their naps. We are in the mist of CIO. Some naps are perfect while others are lousy. Naps are just a work in progress. I stopped doing a dreamfeed. I found that doing a dreamfeed actually did not encourage longer stretches of sleep at night. Rather, the dreamfeed made my girls wake more frequently throughout the night.

7:30 Wake & Feed
8:20/8:30-10:00 Nap
10:00 Feed
10:50/11:00-1:00 Nap
1:00 Feed
1:50/2:00- 4:00 Nap
4:00 Feed
4:50/5:00-5:45/6:00 Nap
6:00 Hang out in bouncers while family eats dinner
6:30 Feed
7:00 Bath
7:45 Feed
8:00 Bedtime
(Sleeping 7-9 hours at night. Typically waking for MOTN feeding around 4am)

3 Months Old

I am going to post two schedules. The first schedule was for the first half of three months and then it changed and evolved into another schedule. 3 months both girls hit growth spurts that lasted forever! So our schedule ended up getting messed up quite a bit due to needing to eat more often.

First Half of 3 Months:
7:00 Nurse
7:45- 10:00 Nap
10:00 Nurse
10:50/55-1:00 Nap
1:00 Nurse
1:50/55-4:00 Nap
4:00 Nurse
4:50/55-6:00 Nap
6:00 Nurse
7:00 Bath
7:30 Nurse
7:45 Bedtime

Second Half of 3 Months:
7:00 Nurse
8:00-10:00 Nap
10:00 Nurse
11:00- 1:00 Nap
1:00 Nurse
2:00- 4:00 Nap
4:00 Nurse
5:00- 5:45 Nap
5:45 Nurse
7:00 Nurse, Followed by Bedtime

4 Months Old
7:00 Nurse
8:30-10:00 Nap
10:00 Nurse
11:30-1:00 Nap
1:00 Nurse
2:30-4:00 Nap
4:00 Nurse
5:30-6:15 Nap
6:15 Nurse
7:45 Nurse
8:00 Bedtime

5 Months Old
We started solids at 4 months, but they would not take them. We tired again at 5 months and they took them. Also my twins needed a different amount of waketime before bedtime in order to fall asleep quickly and easily.
7:00 Nurse
8:30-10:30 Nap
10:30 Nurse & Solids
12:15-2:15 Nap
2:15 Nurse
4:00-4:45 Nap
4:45 Nurse & Solids
6:15 Nurse
6:45 Anna Bedtime, 7:00 Molly Bedtime

6 Months
First Half of 6 months they still took a 3rd catnap, but by the end of the 6 month. They dropped the catnap. So I have listed two schedules below.

First Half of 6 months
7:00 Nurse & Solids
9:00-11:00 Nap
11:00 Nurse & Solids
1:00-3:00 Nap
3:00 Nurse
5:00- 5:30 Nap
5:30 Nurse & Solids
7:30 Nurse & Bed

Second Half of 6 Months
7am Nurse
8am Solids
9:00/9:15- 11:00 Nap (Molly goes down for a nap sooner than Anna)
11:00 Nurse
12:30 Solids
1:15/1:30- 3:30 Nap (Molly goes down for a nap sooner than Anna)
3:30 Nurse
5:00 Solids
6:30 Molly Bottle, Followed by Bed
7:00 Anna Nurse, Followed by Bed

7 Months
Molly and Anna have different nap times and different bedtimes, but they eat at the same time so I can save my sanity. I am still tandem breastfeeding so I need them to nurse at the same time. Anna just requires less sleep than Molly. Anna is waking before 7am most mornings. When she does that, I just leave her in her crib until it is time to get up. I do this to keep Molly and Anna on the same feeding schedule. I also discovered that I had to limit Anna’s morning nap to one hour if I want her to sleep at least two hours in the afternoon. So if Anna is still sleeping after an hour in the morning, I wake her up.

7:00 Nurse
8:00 Solids
9:00-11:00 Molly Nap
9:30-10:30 Anna Nap
11:00 Nurse & Solids
1:30-3:30 Molly & Anna Nap
3:30 Nurse & Small Snack
5/5:30 Solids
7:00 Nurse Molly, Followed by Bed
7:30 Nurse Anna, Followed by Bed

8 & 9 Months
Molly still needs to go to bed a few minutes earlier than Anna for naps and bedtime. I still have to wake Anna up from her morning nap. If she naps longer than an hour in the morning or passed 11am, she fights taking an afternoon nap or will take a very late afternoon nap.
7:00 Nurse
8:00 Solids
9:30-11:00 Molly Nap
9:45/10:00-11:00 Anna Nap
11:00 Nurse & Solids
1:30 Small Snack (helps them take a better nap)
1:45/2:00-4:00 Nap
4:00 Nurse
5/5:30 Solids
6:30/7  Nurse Molly/ Bottle Anna, Followed by Bed

10 Months
There is really no big change to the schedule, just slightly longer wake times form 8-9 months old, but only by 15 minutes.
7:00 Nurse
8:00 Solids
9:45/10:00-11:00 Nap
11:00 Nurse
12:00 Solids
2:00-4:00 Nap
4:00 Nurse & Small Snack
5:30 Solids
7:00  Nurse Molly/ Bottle Anna, Followed by bed

11 &13 Months Old
The big difference this month is bedtime is moving about 15-30 minutes later and dinner was shifted a little later. Otherwise, schedule remains the same as 10 months. At 12 Months, however, Anna is taking much longer to fall asleep for naps, taking up to 30 minutes some naps. I think Anna is ready to make the move to one nap a day, but I would like to keep Anna & Molly on the same napping schedule. So for now, I just put both girls down at the same time and Anna just plays in her crib for a few minutes quietly before she falls asleep.
7:00 Nurse
8:00 Solids
9:45/10:00-11:00 Nap
11:00 Nurse
12:00 Solids
2:00-4:00 Nap
4:00 Nurse & Small Snack
6:00 Solids
7:15/7:30  Nurse Molly/ Bottle Anna, Followed by bed

14 Months
This month I began to wean the girls. We were only nursing at morning and bedtime. By the end of the 14 month, we were only nursing in the morning and I dropped the bedtime feeding all together. I did not even replace the bedtime feeding with a sippy of milk- we just went cold turkey. They did fine with no bedtime feeding and slept until morning. I dropped this bedtime feeding with my son around 14 months too and he did just fine. The really has a hard time going down for their naps. Sometimes taking an hour to fall asleep for their afternoon nap. I knew this would be the last month that I did two naps, but I decided to stick out two naps a little while longer because Molly still needed two naps to make it through the day. I also had to move bedtime up to 8pm because it was taking them way to long to fall asleep at night.
7:00 Nurse
8:00 Solids
10:00-11:00 Nap
11:00 Milk in a sippy cup
12:00 Solids
2:00-4:00 Nap
4:00 Milk in a sippy cup & Small Snack
6:00 Solids
8:00  Nurse Molly & Anna, Followed by Bed

15-18 Months
I move the girls to one nap at 15 months. I started to let them sleep in as long as they wanted and then for a week put them down at 12pm for their one nap. Slowly over two weeks I started to move their nap time to 1pm. They were tired during those two weeks when we moved to one nap, but with some outside play and distraction, they made the switch to one nap rather well. I also dropped the final nursing and they are completely weaned now.

8am Milk & Breakfast
10am Snack & Water
12pm Lunch & Milk
1-4/4:30pm Nap
4/4:30 Snack & Water
6pm Dinner & Milk
8pm Bedtime

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