https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 26 Apr 2026 17:43:42 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2137185 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 18:54:27 +0000 Oliviapope 2137185@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: you know, I figure they are going to glance at what I write and then do what works best to keep LO happy (I hope!) it's nerve wracking sending my baby there but I know I'll get more comfortable with it as time goes on.</p> <p>@HappyBaker: thanks! I'm going to write something like this on the back of the form. </p> <p>@illumina: thanks. I hope LO likes the sleep sack and stays in it for a while too!</p> <p>@kes18: thanks! I hope naps straighten out at some point. And I'm writing everything out today to see what the pattern seems to be going forward. It was nice to take a break from all the tracking I did in the first month (which drove me crazy), but I probably should have started sooner! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2136980 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 15:58:15 +0000 kes18 2136980@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>haha...mine had no nap schedule. She never had a reliable nap schedule until she consolidated to 2 a day naps. She catnapped from about 3.5-5.5 mo and that is when her sleep regression ended and she consolidated to 2 naps. Her 2aday naps are anywhere from 45 min(crappy) to 1hr-1hr15 min (good/normal) to 1hr30min (fantastic!). Only a few times has she taken a 2 hour nap. I am guessing when she goes to 1 nap that it will be longer. I hope!</p> <p>But she did eat pretty reliably around 9:30, noon, and 3pm. Give or take 30 min. She ate about 4oz. each. </p> <p>If you want to know her schedule, just write down every time she eats for a week and you will probably see a pattern. You could do the same with naps and bedtime. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2136926 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 15:29:32 +0000 illumina 2136926@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Oliviapope: yes, she always slept in a sleepsack. She still does now at 18 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2136819 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 14:40:48 +0000 HappyBaker 2136819@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Oliviapope: Yea my daycare teachers thought I was totally crazy when I brought in the Merlin suit, but it has made such a difference in his napping that they are huge fans now! For DS when I gave them his "schedule" I just wrote something like this -</p> <p>Eating - L eats about 4oz every 3 hours, but I've sent along an extra bottle in case he eats more frequently here.<br /> Napping - He is generally awake for 1-1.5 hours at a time before need a nap. Nap lengths are super variable, we just keep putting him down once he has been awake 1-1.5 hours at a time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2136807 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 14:32:03 +0000 Oliviapope 2136807@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jape14: this is reassuring me that maybe I don't need to land on specific times, more like a routine. I'll also ask the daycare teachers if that's something they generally do with the other infants, and what they think.</p> <p>I was thinking of the A&amp;A sleep sacks - they seem perfect.</p> <p>I don't think you're crazy for using baby connect! I tried using it, but I couldn't figure out how to be so precise (ie, LO wakes mid-nap for ten minutes, or BFs and I forget to start the timer, STC) - and then that would make me crazy! I'm hoping my low-tech solution sort of helps with that.</p> <p>@HappyBaker: thank you - I'm hoping that they're just looking for a generalized schedule at this one too. Any chance you remember/care to share what guidance you gave them for your 12 wk old? </p> <p>The Merlin suit is definitely intruiging! If they are hesitant about sleep sacks I wonder how they'd feel about that though. I'll ask about it when I visit and see what they think. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2136785 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 14:25:07 +0000 Oliviapope 2136785@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@illumina: I meant to ask - did you use a sleep sack for all naps/nighttime? How old was LO when you stopped (or do you still use it)? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2136782 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 14:24:23 +0000 Adira 2136782@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Oliviapope: It is totally normal to stress over this, especially with your first baby! I was the same way with my eldest! I was like "How am I supposed to write down his nap times when he's so RANDOM???" It's definitely easier when it's baby number two and you know they barely look at that information anyway!</p> <p>And yes! Eventually your baby will stop catnapping and do some solid naps. Things will make a lot more sense when your LO is down to two naps a day that are predictable! But that may not be for many more months... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2136780 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 14:24:11 +0000 Oliviapope 2136780@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bezenha: I hadn't thought about asking daycare for examples - that is a great idea. I go in next week to meet the room teachers so I will ask then. I bet they are pretty flexible, and I will feel more comfortable after that. I will ask about the sleep sacks too.</p> <p>@illumina: we were on an EASY- like routine a while ago, but as she's grown more alert her naps have decreased (and that's also when her nighttime sleep increased). Maybe it's time to look more into it (combined with the awake time recommendations.) I also like that it's flexible to when LO might wake for the day, or other things that affect timing.</p> <p>They recommend that babies come with blankets which honestly I cant wrap my mind around. I worry she might be cold, plus we'd never leave a blanket in the crib with her at home, so I was thinking a slep sack might be a good compromise - we could use one at daycare and at home. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2136766 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 14:16:07 +0000 Oliviapope 2136766@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: @edelweiss: @bezenha: @illumina: @jape14: thank you all for reading and responding to my novel! I'm on my phone so please forgive me if my replies are choppy.</p> <p>@Adira: thanks for the feedback and info on what worked for your LOs. Daycare boot camp is a great idea, but I'm afraid we are too close to the start date. I am going to drop her off for a few hours next week to introduce her (and me!) to the new setting. She generally eats and sleeps well so I'm going to approach it like you did with LO 2, and let them figure it out. And hearing that it will be different with each caregiver (and that it will be ok!) is good to hear - I inow its common sense, but it's hard for me to have common sense about something that I'm a little worked up about!</p> <p>@edelweiss: thanks! I am confused about the awKe time. I have the chart, but my LO definitely doesn't sleep that often. We do try to put her down every 1.5-2 hours through the day, but she's often not having it! And she's mostly happy most of the day, and STTN, so I'm not going to worry about it. I'm thinking this transition might encourage more of a routine. I will definitely use those guidelines to figure out a loose routine to initially provide. Im also thinking one of those cotton sleep sacks is the way to go. </p> <p>Did your LO eventually go from catnaps to longer naps? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2136765 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 14:13:51 +0000 HappyBaker 2136765@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I stressed about this with my first LO too and found daycare really just wanted a general idea of how long she could stay awake at a time and how many hours she usually went without feeding - they didn't need a specific "Nap at 10am" type schedule, they just figured it out day to day. </p> <p>My second is now 12 weeks and has been at daycare for the past 3 weeks - he had lots of trouble napping there because they also wouldn't swaddle. I ended up sending a Merlin's Magic Sleepsuit and now he naps amazingly there - it provides the muffled reflexes he needs without being a real swaddle. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2136725 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 13:49:37 +0000 jape14 2136725@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are in a nanny share and not daycare, but I was also very stressed about schedules in the final days of my maternity leave. My LO is now 7 months old and he still doesn't have a schedule in the sense of he eats/naps at exact times every day. I would call it more of a routine and, like @edelweiss: mentioned, I think awake time is a good place to start to have a routine. We still go by awake time vs. a concrete schedule and honestly, it makes dealing with crazy days (e.g., he takes a super long or super short nap or randomly wakes up at 5am) easier to deal with because I'm not trying to pigeonhole him into a 1.5 hour nap at 9am or whatever.</p> <p>I don't think there's anything wrong with asking them to use a sleep sack - we just use a thin aden + anais one so I doubt it's interfering with "regulating temperature" much anyway. We use it more as a sleep cue like you said.</p> <p>We are still tracking feedings and naps via BabyConnect, and our nanny does too (I'm kind of a crazy person but also LO has reflux and can be a finicky eater), so if you want validation that it's okay to ask for a log, here you go! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2136715 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 13:38:10 +0000 illumina 2136715@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We were still doing an E.A.S.Y. schedule at that point and LO was on 3 predictable naps per day of roughly 1.5-2hrs with 1.5hrs of awake time between them. I just fed her whenever she woke up, then as she got a little older and her awake time increased, it became more like E.A.E.S.Y. so she wasn't going to sleep too hungry. </p> <p>If the daycare won't swaddle or use sleepsacks, what do they do blankets or nothing? My LO used a sleepsack from about 8 weeks onwards. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2136692 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 13:20:46 +0000 bezenha 2136692@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't have to go back to work till much later, but from seeing friends go through this, I just wanted to say that this daycare schedule thing stresses out lots of parents and most babies aren't really naturally falling into regular schedules that early. So you don't need to feel like you've done something wrong... Could you ask daycare for a sample from other babies the same age? Anybody who takes care of infants must be familiar with the idea that they are unpredictable and inconsistent! Same with the swaddling thing, this must be a common concern. Did thing hey say most families go cold turkey off the swaddle? Do other babies have sleepsacks even if they don't like them?</p> <p>I would probably want a log, too, not every day but maybe just a few days every few weeks to see how things are going. I don't think that would be neurotic. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2136568 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 12:43:55 +0000 edelweiss 2136568@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i was super stressed about LO's naps when he started daycare. i'm sure you will have a better experience, but for months and months, LO continued to only take cat naps at daycare, even though he was overtired.</p> <p>i think at that age, the average awake time is around 1.5 hours (this is just an average though). maybe you could create a loose schedule for her based on that, and just let daycare know it's a work in progress. i think you have a good attitude about figuring things out as time progresses and being flexible.</p> <p>that's interesting that your daycare doesn't do swaddles. it sounds like you're leaning towards a sleepsack, so i say go for it. we used a sleep sack, which i really liked because it's a blanket that doesn't come off. not sure about this regulating temperature thing. they make sleep sacks out of cotton which don't get as warm as fleece ones, if that's a concern.</p> <p>i think asking your other caregivers for a log is reasonable, at least at the beginning. i mean, if they don't, you can't really force the issue like with daycare, but it's nice to try if that's something important to you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2136561 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 12:41:59 +0000 Adira 2136561@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The napping/feeding schedule daycare wants is probably just a general idea. They're not going to strictly follow it and will just figure out what works for your baby as they go. And what works for your baby at daycare may be completely different than what works for your baby at home! Both my kids can go so much longer awake at daycare and still be happy than they can when they are at home!</p> <p>Depending on how long your LO is going to be with caregivers, I'd provide enough bottles to be given to her every 2 hours, in case she ends up wanting to eat that often. With my eldest, I did a daycare bootcamp the weekend before he started daycare - my husband gave bottles while I pumped so we could figure out how much and how often he needed bottles. But with my second, I just gave daycare a bunch of bottles and said "You figure this out!" My first ended up drinking 5 oz every 3 hours (he also nursed every 3 hours at home). My second drinks 4-4.5 oz every 3 hours (but nurses every 2 hours at home).</p> <p>Babies will catnap. What she does at home may not be what she does at daycare or with your family. Both my kids tended to just nap in swings at daycare, but nap in their cribs at home. At home, my youngest can go 1.5 hours before needing a nap. At daycare, he might be up for 3 or 4 or 5 hours! Just tell them something general like (naps after 2 hours of awake time) or whatever. They're just going to do whatever works for them anyway.</p> <p>I don't think you need to keep track of her sleep/naps/feeds for anyone unless you want to do it for yourself. What she does at daycare will be different than what she does with your family which will be different than what she does at home.</p> <p>I have no advice about the swaddling issue - we swaddle weaned before both kids started daycare so I didn't deal with this. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/napfeeding-schedule-for-a-3-mo-old#post-2136526 Wed, 08 Apr 2015 12:31:08 +0000 Oliviapope 2136526@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wasn't quite sure where to put this. Please help me figure out how to get my LO (or at least her caregivers!) on a reasonable schedule/routine. I have a couple of other related questions that I'm throwing in there too.</p> <p>LO starts day care in a week (and I go back to work). She'll be 14 weeks. I'm supposed to provide a napping and feeding schedule which has got me all sorts of stressed out. She'll be in day care 2 days a week, and cared for by family 3 days a week (me, dad and grandma will each have a day at our home). I figure this is an opportunity to have a bit of structure that's consistent among her caregivers. (I don't need it to be a strict rule that she follows it, just hoping it helps those who are taking care of her and keeps her happy.)</p> <p>Currently I BF, and she takes a bottle of 2-3 oz maybe once a day. She sometimes fights it (mostly when it's her dad who gives it to her, not so much other family members.) She BFs/eats about every two hours (which is much more frequently than few weeks ago.) Her first feed is always at 6:30 am, last is always right before bed at 6:30/7:00 pm.</p> <p>She STTN from about 6:30/7 - 6/6:30, but her daytime sleep is wonky - she catnaps, once in a while she takes a long morning nap, she sleeps in the car when we're out. She's not cranky or fussy during the day for the most part. I have just been figuring that I"m not going to worry about it since her night sleep is good, and she seems like a happy baby. I figured it would all sort of even out/consolidate as she gets older, but I realize daycare needs something more concrete to work with.</p> <p>How do I figure out what her "schedule" is? For feeding, I was thinking of just splitting her day up into every two hours and sending 3 oz for each feeding, along with one extra bottle. </p> <p>For sleep, should I just start by just coming up with a couple of times to try to put her down? She does usually sleep for 1-2 hours after her 6:30 feeding - she falls asleep right after. Other than that it's a crapshoot. I figure her day care will help me learn what's working and what's not working, and we can adjust as necessary.</p> <p>Another thing - I was thinking of using a spiral notebook to loosely track her night sleep, daytime naps, feeds, and other notes - so that her caregivers could see how her week is going. Is this over the top? Daycare will give me a summary sheet each day of her feeds/naps. I was thinking we could track it for her other days as well, just to have a record to see if anything comes up. I previously tracked all her sleep and BFing but it made me a little crazy, and when I relaxed she started STTN!</p> <p>Final question - we swaddled her for the first few months for naps and night time. SHe's still swaddled at night (in a Halo sleep sack with the velcro swaddle.) Daycare won't swaddle her. Should I get a regular sleep sack so that she has some feeling of being "wrapped up", and so that the sleep sack is consistent between her naps at daycare and at home. Daycare says that they prefer babies don't have sleep sacks so that "their bodies will learn to regulate temperature" but they'll use them if parents ask. I think it would be a good cue for her, but what do I know.</p> <p>This is quite a long and rambling post - any help or recommendations for resources is appreciated!!I've searched the boards and have pieced together some good info, but thought I'd put this out there for anyone who's been there before. </p>