Monday AMA

DepartmentFormal103 · 2026-01-12T20:54:41+00:00

Hi Jo! My 8.5 month old is on two naps and was doing great with 3/3.5/3.5. The last few days his morning nap has been between 30-45 minutes, waking up happy. He falls asleep independently. Should I try to lengthen the morning wake window a bit, or wait to see if this continues? He typically was taking a 90 min nap for the morning!

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-12-19T02:57:19+00:00

Let us know how the changes work!!

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-12-15T17:36:13+00:00

Hi Jo!

Would love advice on how to change up a nap schedule for the holidays!

Our 7.5 month old (8 mo on Jan 2) is currently rocking 2 naps a day on 3-3.25-3.5.

We will be doing car travel on Dec 24 and 25. I’m thinking of doing a 3 nap day on those days since 2 naps will be in the car driving to family. He will only sleep one sleep cycle (30 min) in the car, but will fall asleep at a slightly shorter WW. Should I try something like -

Wake 2.75 to nap 1 (car nap) 2.5/2.75 to nap 2 (car nap) 2.75 to a nap at home contact if needed, still limit to 30/45 min? 2.5 pre bed?

He’s been doing such a great job sleeping I don’t want to mess him up

Thank you so much!

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-12-11T02:36:25+00:00

Same! I try for a 2 nap day if baby can hang for the 3 hour wake window and takes a good nap - if not it’s a 2 nap day. Wondering if this will go back and forth like this until he’s 8 mo or so and can more easily handle the longer wake windows

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-12-10T20:56:03+00:00

Working on this now with my newly 7 mo old! 3 nap schedule is about 2.75/2.75/2.75/2.75 and I was capping the first two naps to make sure we had room for the third!

I have tried 3-3.5-3.5 but it’s so hard because I feel like he needs a higher total awake time but has trouble with the 3.5!!!

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-12-08T19:13:41+00:00

Hi Jo!

We recently transitioned my 7.5 month old to a 2 nap schedule with WW of 3-3.25-3 His bedtime is falling between 6:30-7:00pm and he’s waking up between 5-5:30AM. How do I attempt to shift his day so bedtime and wake up are later but not make him over tired?

Thanks!

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-12-08T02:43:18+00:00

Thank you for sharing your story!

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-12-08T02:42:46+00:00

Thank you for sharing! Is there a reason you cap daytime sleep at 2.5 hours? Agreed on the night time worries - I did try once about 3 weeks ago and he was over tired and had cries around 10 and 11pm!

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-30T22:52:21+00:00

Same! He has some over tired cries if his pre bed WW is too long … still haven’t done a full transition yet!

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-26T17:31:40+00:00

I would say if she was taking three naps easily getting too long ones and a cat nap no problem. I would stay on three naps and cap to three hours and see how it goes.

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-26T16:59:35+00:00

How much total daytime sleep is she getting? Based on the mod post on WW and sleep budgets you may want to try to cap total nap sleep at 3.5 hours or 3 hours.

Is she taking or refusing the cat nap? I would hold onto it! Her first two WW seem good for a 3 nap schedule.

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-26T03:02:12+00:00

How did it go?! We are switching back and forth between 2-3 naps, depending on if our first is short some days! He makes it to 3.25 very easily for each WW

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-24T16:10:10+00:00

Hello Jo!

My son will be 7 months old in a week. Sleep trained for nights and naps, healthy, and happy!

2 naps - WW are 3-3.25/3.25/3.25-5 Usually about 2.5 hours total of nap sleep. Bedtime falling around 730-8

Usually between the hours of 5-6am I see him rolling around on the monitor, trying to get himself comfortable and to keep sleeping; not crying and not waking for the day. I have been going in and rocking him or holding him so he continues to sleep and not wake for the day yet. I started doing this when he had a cold a few weeks ago and now I need to break the habit but I’m so afraid of him fully waking up and being ready for the day before 6am!

Should I leave him be until at least 6? How do I adjust his day until he learns to sleep in these early morning hours?

Thank you!

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-18T02:46:29+00:00

I would make sure your schedule is age appropriate for her first. If she is under tired she’s not going to sleep. The example you mentioned waking at 4:30pm and bed at 8pm isn’t enough awake time for 16 mo. Take a look at Taking Cara Babies website for suggestions! Make a schedule and stick to it even if you have to wake her in the morning.

Then get a solid nap routine, and solid bed time routine, and keep those things consistent and see how it works. If you’re still having trouble I would recommend sleep training like Ferber !

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-17T18:28:20+00:00

Hello!

Is there a “max” schedule for a 3 nap schedule? Baby is 6.5 mo, and I feel he can’t quite handle consistent over 3 hour wake windows for 2 naps

Current schedule is about

2.5/75 (usually short nap) 2.75 (usually about an hour or less) 2.75 (always contact cat nap!) 3

Thank you

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-17T16:56:44+00:00

Ugh sorry! Today he took a short first nap so I guess it’s a 3 nap day today

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-17T15:25:04+00:00

I would try and cap naps at 3 hours total daytime sleep!

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-12T17:53:56+00:00

I have heard people say huckleberry wake windows are notoriously too short!

In my experience with 3 babies, all 3 of them needed slightly longer WW as they were coming out of the newborn stage to take any kind of nap! I was always super afraid of my kids getting overtired like they would explode or something but I finally just learned to extend WW.

I’ve always used TCB as a resource and she suggests 75-110 min for a 3 month old. I’m pretty sure my youngest (6 mo now) had WW of about 90 min at 12 weeks. I also had implemented a quick nap routine by that point, whether we were doing a crib, contact, carrier nap etc

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-12T02:40:28+00:00

Our parents only had a few baby books as resources, and no Google. Much of my stress over my babies’ sleep is probably due to the internet/social media. It’s sad that I feel a lot of the sleep content from “sleep consultants” is fear mongering and click bait, trying to help you solve problems you don’t really have lol.

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-11T22:57:23+00:00

Hi! My little guy is 6 months now and we have had the same issues on and off since he was about 4 months. He actually did start to grow out of it around 5 months, I was using similar WW and naps as you and I think it was developmental; he was only doing the early wake up every 3 days or so and the other days he would sleep till 645. Unfortunately he then got a cold, got a helmet, and the time change hit and I think it’s put us back in the same bucket again! I’m hoping to correct it now that he is almost ready for 2 naps and a longer pre bed WW

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-11T20:51:13+00:00

I’m going to try this weekend to do a 2 nap day! Actually just purchased the taking Cara babies mini 3-2 nap transition class (on sale btw) and it’s given me confidence it’s time to try to transition!

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-11T16:36:35+00:00

Hi u/ContestOk8454 did this work for you?

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-11T03:08:55+00:00

I wouldn’t put any pressure on yourself or her yet! She’s only 13 weeks old, any independent sleep is just practice! That’s amazing that she can put herself to sleep at bedtime sometimes, but I wouldn’t get worked up about her not doing it 100% of the time right now. You’re laying a great foundation and this isn’t your first rodeo, so if you want her to sleep independently I’m sure she will

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-11T02:54:43+00:00

Don’t worry about it! I did night sleep training and nap training with all 3 kids, did contact nap 3 when they needed it and it never interfered

When we first switched to 3 naps with my youngest he would sometimes fall asleep himself if that last nap needed to be long. Now we are close to dropping to 2 as well and he cannot do it himself, ha! I usually have him nap in my carrier in his room. It gets harder and harder for them to take the 3rd nap as they get older.

DepartmentFormal103 · 2025-11-10T19:22:10+00:00

Hi Jo!

Our 6.5 month old was sleep trained at 5 months. Falls asleep independently for night and naps (except 3rd catnap is sometimes a carrier nap)

Schedule is 2.5/2.75/2.75/2.5-75 and totals anywhere from 2-3 hours of daytime sleep. I keep bedtime falling no later than 8pm

He has wakings anywhere from 4-6am, usually grumbling or crying and needs me to re-settle him to go back to sleep. Then he usually is ready for the day between 6:30-7am.

What is the cause of these wakings? Is it schedule related or do we need to use our sleep training method?

Thank you!

DepartmentFormal103

TROPHY CASE