Poll Results: What was/is baby’s approximate optimal waketime length for ages 8-12 Weeks? (waketime length includes feeding time)?

Results:

30-50 minutes: 15 votes (11%)
50-60 minutes: 39 votes (29%)
60-70 minutes: 33 votes (24%)
70-80 minutes: 24 votes (17%)
80-90 minutes: 13 votes (9%)
90 minutes or more: 10 votes (7%)

Total of 134 votes

8 thoughts on “Poll Results: What was/is baby’s approximate optimal waketime length for ages 8-12 Weeks? (waketime length includes feeding time)?”

  1. I really need some help!! I am a first time mom with a 12 week old. I moved him to his crib at 10 1/2 weeks and he was getting up once a night for feeding. Now he is getting up every hour. I do not want to have to put his passy in every time….so I am really thinking about getting rid of it. I didn’t know it was a sleep prop until I read the BACK of the book! So I tried to do it today and he went to sleep fine with 10 minutes of crying- but when he wakes up 30 minutes into his nap- he is not going back to sleep. I let him cry 30 minutes and then gave up! I put his passy back in and he went back to sleep….what should I do??? Will he ever be able to go back to sleep without the passy??? Also when do you eliminate the middle of the night feeding if they don’t eliminate themselves?

    Reply
  2. It sounds like he is addicted to the paci. He will get there, but it will take some time. It is normal for him to wake after a short nap since he is used to the paci. You could put it in to finsh out the nap for now, or you can take it away all together cold turkey. See this post:Waking Early From Naps/Won’t Fall Asleep For Naps: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/01/waking-early-from-napswont-fall-asleep.htmlandNighttime Sleep Issues: http://babywisemom.blogspot.com/2008/01/nightime-sleep-issues.html

    Reply
  3. My baby is 11 weeks and am transitioning into a 3 hour feed schedule. I’m still working on the optimal waketime length and which yawn is her sleeping cue. Can putting her down for a nap too early cause her to nap less? Sometimes she is babbling in her crib and doesn’t fall asleep until 20, sometimes 30 minutes later.

    Reply
  4. I need some advice with my 10 week old baby….She has been sleeping through the night since she was about 7 weeks old and is still sleeping through the nights great. At one point she was napping great in the day too – most naps being 1.5 to 2 hours in length – I was able to do a flexible 2.5-3 hour schedule.For the last 2 weeks though she is napping for only 30-45 minutes on most naps. Occasionally she will do a long nap for the first nap of the day…I know it is not hunger – I’ve tried that. I’ve tried letting her cry it out in the middle of her nap – but this does not seem to work to put her back to sleep. Nothing does – i’ve tried it all! I’ve tried a swing and tried getting her up, giving some wake time and then putting back down.So lately I let her stay in the crib for at least 15 min to try to cry herself back to sleep and then I get her up and she has quiet waketime until the next feed. However, it seems that I have to fed her on a 2.5 hr schedule rather than a 3 to prevent overdoing the waketime. Is it better to just keep her on a 2.5 hr schedule meaning that sometimes she’ll have more waketime than usual or should I be feeding her earlier? I wonder if its best to keep them on some kind of regular schedule so that their body and metabolism adjust to some sort of routine?I’ve tried just giving her some waketime when she wakes and then shorter waketime after eating so she doesn’t get too much waketime, but the problem is then when she naps only 40 min – she ends up with too much waketime on the other side just to meet the 2.5 hr minimum!The other dilemma is that she seems to prefer eating on a 3 hour schedule (has better feeds than on a 2.5) – but because her naps are so short she ends up with a lot of waketime and I’m worried that will overstimulate her? What would you reccomend that I do?Is this just a phase that passes? How long can I expect it to last?Thanks,A

    Reply
  5. Jennifer,Going down too early can interfere with the nap. Baby will often play for a long time and then go to sleep too late. If you get it right, they go to sleep well and stay asleep well (pending any extenuating circumstances). If you decide to lengthen, I suggest doing so in 5 minute increments. Sometimes 5 minutes does the trick.

    Reply
  6. My baby will be 4 months old in just 4 days. She is sleeping great and doesn’t cry at all when going down for naps or at bedtime. We started CIO at 8 weeks and she would cry for about 10 minutes before falling asleep. Now, no tears (YEA!). Anyway, my question is how long should it take for my baby to fall asleep? What does “fall asleep rather quickly” mean? After clear sleep cues (eye rub, fussy), we read a short book in the rocking chair for a few minutes, cuddle, then I swaddle her (she still likes to be swaddled), and put her in her crib. All of this takes only 5 minutes. It’s quiet in her room, but she is awake for about 10, sometimes up to 15 minutes after I put her down. She doesn’t talk to herself (she used to), or anything, she just lays there, mostly still, staring, until she falls asleep. Is this okay? Is that too long for her to fall asleep? Should I think about changing her awake time? Everything else listed for the “optimal wake time” fits her, except for falling asleep quickly. I’ve heard from some moms that their babies fall asleep in less than 5 minutes, my baby rarley does this. Your thoughts? PS – I LOVE your blog… so helpful! Thank you.

    Reply
  7. My guess is it is fine. I was just reading in The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems today that the average length of time for baby to fall asleep is 20 minutes. That sounded like a lot to me because both of mine fall asleep within 5 minutes if all things are right. But I trust Hogg’s experience and believe that for some babies, that is fine. She does say that is average and some will be longer, some shorter.So long as her nap is at least 1.5 hours long, I would say it is all just fine.

    Reply

Leave a Comment