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What is a good sleep/nap schedule for an 8 month-old baby? How many hours of sleep is good for this age?

My baby sleeps from 7 p.m. - 6 or 6:30 a.m. uninterrupted. Her daytime sleep is what is NOT going well. She looks so tired all the time and is very cranky by the end of the day. Sometimes it affects her night sleep when she can't nap well during the day. My husband and mother-in-law are the the care providers for the morning while I am at work. I tried to come up with a general schedule that seemed to work on weekends and whenever I've been home for long weekends or vacations...naps at 9 or 9:30 a.m. (for an hour) and 1:00 or 1:30 (for an hour and a half or two hours). My mother-in-law doesn't believe in baby routines or schedules and puts her down when she thinks it's time and doesn't allow for wind down time. The nap schedule has been all over the place. She also picks her up at the first sign of movement or wakefulness. I'm not sure if the inconsistency is hurting her naps or if it's a bad schedule or both. I need help figuring out what's appropriate for this age

Public Response to What is a good sleep/nap schedule for an 8 month-old baby? How many hours of sleep is good for this age?

  1. Schedule is key. Have scheduled nap times for her. Sit down with your ma-in-law and explain your plan to her. Tell her that she doesn't have to go to the baby everytime she moves. At this point if the baby wakes up, and is still tired, she will most likely go back to sleep.
  2. Remember that you are the parent and anyone who is caring for your baby while you are away MUST follow your rules. You're the one who has to deal with the cranky baby. I live by routine!!! At 8 months she is still doing a lot of growing and she needs to sleep to help her body manage the growth spurts. It is extremely important that a baby gets a good nap, two if possible during the day. You just need to put your foot down hun because your baby needs her rest and you're the one that decides what is best for her.
  3. for a 8month old i would say nap time should be 1030-11 till whenever she wakes this way she as one long sleep in the middle of the day but all babies are diff keep to the same routine tat u have on the weekend if it works and i think its time for u to tell ur mother-inlaw tat its ur baby and she will be stickin to a routine of ur choice
  4. Okay my 8 month old sleeps that same from 7 p.m. to about 6 or 6:30 am all night... It's great right... I love it gives me time to be with my husbend at night... She does have a schedule that she set on her own and you are right if she doesn't have her nap she can be a very cranky baby... She get's up at 6 a.m. then goes down at 8 am for about 45 min to an hour, then again at 11 am for about 30 min to 45 min, then again at 2 pm for about 30 min to 45 min, then one more time at 4 pm for about 45 min to an hour, finally she is out at about 7 to 7:30 p.m. ... It hard when you are not the one taking care of her other people just don't understand how important it is when she doesn't sleep... You need to make it clear that she will sleep at the times that you set... My girl lets me know by rubbing her eyes and gets a little cranky... That mean put me in my crib with a pacifier and a teddy bear and I am out... She may fuss alittle before you gets comfy but if you just let her she will go to sleep... and wait till she really cries before you pick her up... You really can't compare to other babies because every kid is different... Hope things go well....
  5. that schedule is exactly the same as ours, except the times are all about one hour later. my 8-month-old needs that morning nap because he gets really tired and cranky a couple of hours after he wakes up, and that afternoon nap is a must so that the evening isn't one big meltdown. so it all sounds good to me. oh, and they need to follow your instructions, because mother knows best! :)
  6. Well, first of all, I believe the inconsistency is probably the main problem. Babies need and thrive on a consistent routine. You are the mother of this precious baby girl, and I suggest that you sit down and write a schedule that might work for your baby and inform your mother in law that it will be on the fridge (or someplace) and that she is to follow the schedule if she wants to watch your child. I have a 10 month old, and he sleeps all night for 12 hours and then has a morning nap and an afternoon nap. I don't give him pacifiers or lay him down with a bottle and I just lay him down in the crib and he knows it's time to sleep and puts himself to sleep. He plays very well during the day, and very rarely does he fuss or cry because he's had adequate sleep. Just try a routine and see how it goes, you are the mother, and your mother in law should respect that. Also, babies at that age need a good 14 hours of sleep per day. Hope this helps and good luck!
  7. This routine sounds ok to me for your daughters age, babies go very well with routines, i know it is hard to insist on certain times when other family memebers are concerned,especially when they think theirs is best, however try to stand your ground,if the routine you have works tell everyone what times you like her to sleep,irregular days play havoc with young babies and then everyone ends up over tired and stressed,a quick tip a warm bath and no one else in the room when she sleeps will help your daughter settle quicker and sleep more peacefully.congratulations on your baby girl.
  8. I had read on a website, I think it was babycenter, that a baby should get around 11 hours of sleep during the night, and two naps that equal out to 3 hours of sleep, for a total of 14 hours of sleep in 24 hours. Your MIL isn't helping you at all. Insist that she NOT pick your baby up when she starts moving because she needs the sleep. Remember, you are MOM and it's YOUR child, not hers, so she needs to accept your rules. Regardless of what outdated info she thinks is best for the baby, she needs to accept what you want to do. As far as naps though, do what you do at bedtime like giving a warm bath and a warm bottle (or breastfeed, whichever you do), cuddle, and then lay down for a nap. That way she can wind down for her nap. Good luck to ya.
  9. My baby is almost nine monts old but she's been sleeping this way for the last two months or so: sleeps through the night from 7 or 7:30 pm till around 6 a.m. by 8:30 am or 9 am she sleeps for one or one and a half hours By one or 1:30 pm she sleeps for about one and a half to two hours sometimes she naps for about half an hour or twenty mins in the evening but not frequently
  10. my son takes a nap from 12-2 at daycare and he is in the bed by 7pm at night and wakes up at 6:15am on the weekdays and on the weekends he sleeps untill 8am and goes to bed at 8pm
  11. at a night, approximately 10 hours is enough for a 8 month old baby.at a day, 4 hours is enough.
  12. My 9 month old has a nap around 11am wakes around 1pm is up until 5pm and naps again at 7pm . His bedtime is usually around 11 pm( his dad works until 9pm and that's their time) and is up at 9am. This works for me and he's a happy baby. We are happy parents
  13. Pretty simple.... of course all babies are different but here are my 5 months schedul: Wake up, eat then play for 1h30 then he start to be cranky he go to bed cry for 5 minutes I go back and give him his pacifier... then he sleep arround 45 minutes after wake up and play then he eat and always arround 1h30 after meal go to nap.