The Best Damn Napper on the Planet

I don't know what happened.

But Baby Jett is now an AWESOME napper.

As in he naps so damn well and so damn long that I have to WAKE HIM UP on a semi-regularly basis because otherwise he would be sleeping way too close to bedtime and way too much during the day to sleep well at night.

Let's say it all together now...WTF?!

He went from the king of cat naps to napping for 1-2 hours twice a day every day.

It's perplexing to say the least.

And I do it all wrong.

I nurse him to sleep guys.  Every. Single. Time.

Every nap, every day I nurse him until he's ASLEEP and put him in his crib.  I don't bother with the drowsy but awake baby like I have to do for bedtime.  But he happily sleeps and sleeps...and sleeps.

As far as I can tell it all started with that rose.ola virus.  He had a fever and I just thought he was tired because he was sick but he slept SO GOOD during the fever part of that virus.  THEN the rash set in after the fever disappeared and night sleep went to shit but he continued with the fantastic napping.

The transition from 3 naps down to 2 seems to have also played a part.

Suddenly 9 month old Baby Jett was The Best Damn Napper on the Planet.

So our new schedule looks something like this:

Wake at 6-6:30am (UGH, he's such an early riser now!)

First nap 9-9:30am.

Sleep until 10:30-11am...so many times I have to wake him at 11am because...

Second nap is no later than 2pm...and baby must be awake for at least 3 hours to be tired enough to nap.

Up from 2nd nap no later than 4pm though I much prefer if he's awake at 3:30.

And bedtime at 7-7:30pm

Regardless of how late he goes to bed he gets up around 6am, so I prefer the earlier bedtime because then he's getting more sleep.

But if he naps until 4pm then he's not tired at 7pm.

OMG, I NEVER EVER THOUGHT I WOULD BE A TIMED NAP KIND OF MOM.  It's so not my style.

Baby Jett led the way though...I just followed.

And truth be told it's not nearly as strict as it sounds.  Some days we still have half hour naps and we just move the nap schedule around, 2nd nap a bit earlier or bedtime a bit earlier.

These are my guidelines and rough nap times that I keep in mind but I'm not overly fussed about naps anymore.

I KNOW, what a difference 6 months makes right?  Remember this?

So, what have I learned about baby sleep?

You gotta ride out the storm and PERSISTENCE is key.

I had to keep putting baby in the crib.  Even if he would only sleep for half hour, I kept putting him in the crib instead of continuing to let him sleep on me.  Again, taking cues from Baby Jett because he wasn't sleeping for longer than half hour when I was wearing him either.

After quite a rough road with sleeping in general we've landed in a great place napwise.

I can only hope that this will continue, I can't tell you how nice it is to have an hour and a half to myself every morning, I shower, get dressed, do some chores, pick up a bit, put makeup on, blog...sometimes I even find I'm bored because I've ran out of things to do!

So we've landed here, fantastic napping...until the transition to one nap...