Okay, here is my next tip. I knew this one would have to follow up yesterday's post since they go hand in hand. I felt the need to hurry up and get this on here so that I do not cause mass hysteria. Plus, the one and only comment yesterday (thanks!) nearly made it a two-post day, but I held off.
The whole
"don't ever wake a sleeping baby" thing, it's crap. I see the confusion on your face. First, I am telling you to let the baby sleep, now I am tell you to wake him up?! WTF?!
Here is the deal:
Naps are a must. 1.5-2 hour naps, that is. Anything past the 2 hour range starts getting dangerously close to the baby having his days and nights mixed up. 3 hours of sleeping is a lot for a newborn during the day. Naps need to be consistent, especially for my kid, or his day is all f'd up.
So, let the child sleep during the day - but within reason! Consistency is key and it may take a while, but trust me it works! Here is Mason's daily schedule: (it's not set in stone, because life happens. Times vary daily and we never force him into anything. Most importantly, I follow his cues.) He will wake up, eat, play for a while (1-1.5 hours), then go down for a nap. He repeats this all day long, eating every 3-ish hours. His first nap is usually only 45 mins long and naps after that are between 1.5-2 hours, NEVER LONGER. Then after his last nap in the evening, he will wake up, go through his bedtime routine and then eat right before bed. This works great for us and he has been sleeping like a champ at night pretty consistently.
Of course, every baby is different and this might not work, but I honestly believe that you should wake a baby during the day so that they understand that nighttime is for sleeping and naps are for refueling. That's just a lil' sumptin' sumptin' I have learned thus far that I don't recall EVER seeing during my pregnancy!
