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Conference moira::parenting_v3

Title:	Parenting
Notice:	READ 1.27 BEFORE WRITING
Moderator:	CSC32::DUBOIS

Created:	Wed May 30 1990
Last Modified:	Tue May 27 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1364
Total number of notes:	23848

136.0. "How Much Sleep is Normal?" by CSG002::MCOHEN () Mon Jul 16 1990 13:37

    Chelsea, who is now 4 1/2 months old has become very active over
    the last couple of weeks, rolling over, grabbing at things, trying
    to sit up, and chewing on everything.  In addition she has been
    started on baby food to supplement her diet in the evening.  She
    also appears to be teething.
    
    During this period, she has started to sleep occassionaly for what
    appears to be very long periods of time  (I know we shouldn't be
    complaining about this), but we are concerned that something might
    be wrong.  For example, the past Saturday night we had company over
    and she didn't get to bed at her usually 8:00 or so, but was up
    till about 9:30. She slept until 6, and then was awake for two hours
    before going down for a one hour nap.  She then stayed awake until
    12:00 and slept all the way to 4.  She was wide awake and alert,
    nursed, had formula, apple juice and rice ceraeal mixed with strained
    carrots.  Then around 6:30 she got cranky and we put her to bed,
    where she slept unitl 6:00 this morning.
    
    So in the last 33 hours she was only awake for 7 1/2 hours.  Is
    this type of sleeping normal?
    
    Mark

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
136.1	growth spurt?	TIPTOE::STOLICNY		`Mon Jul 16 1990 13:55`	10
	Mark- When our son was around Chelsea's age, he would have what we called sleepy days (usually fell on Sundays for some reason) where he seemed to sleep extra-often for extra-long stretches. Sleepy days seemed to conincide with growth spurts as well.... i.e. all he seemed to do for a day or two was eat voraciously and sleep. Maybe Chelsea is in a growth spurt? cj/
136.2		TSGDEV::CHANG		`Mon Jul 16 1990 14:07`	10
	Mark - My son Eric does this quiet often. Since he was a baby, he never sleep much, but once for a while he will take a extra-long sleep. We said he is charging his battery, get ready for another round. From what you have described, I wonder maybe because Chelsea had a very exciting day, that made her extra-tired the next day. Wendy
136.3		FDCV07::HSCOTT	Lynn Hanley-Scott	`Mon Jul 16 1990 14:38`	10
	You are fortunate to have a baby who knows when she needs sleep! Unless she seems listless or displays other symptoms of illness, it sounds like normal for HER! I read somewhere that babies sleep anywhere from 12-16 hours a day, naps included, and that this decreases as they get older. Keep in mind, too, that an active 3-4 hour stretch, as you described, can often poop them out for a good long nap, as she had.
136.4	Reset day	MAJORS::MANDALINCI		`Tue Jul 17 1990 09:16`	11
	I always said my son had to have a "reset day" once a week to catch up on the sleep he may have lost. I think it is perfectly normal so long as the child doesn't appear listless or sick, as .3 said. Plus don't forget that she now is getting "soild" food. That may give her more stamina to sleep longer and play harder. She might be going through a normal change in sleep cycle as well. Hope these days fall on a Sunday!! Andrea
136.5	different babies, different sleep	TLE::RANDALL	living on another planet	`Tue Jul 17 1990 15:52`	12
	David seems to need these "reset days" sometimes as well. It will usually be Sunday. He's done this since he was about 5 months. He's the only one of my three who has followed this sleep pattern, though. Steven never did need much sleep (ever try living with a 6-year-old insomniac?) and Kat didn't completely give up afternoon naps until she was 8. So I agree that unless Chelsea is showing other signs of illness or other problem, it's nothing to worry about. --bonnie
136.6	Lucky	SWAM2::WRIGHT_RO		`Fri Aug 03 1990 23:51`	9
	I guess I am extremely lucky in this department. My son Adam loves to sleep he goes to be now at 8:30 - 9:00 sleeps to 7:30 when I open his door or he hears me through paper thin walls. On weekends I always, since I started back to work when he was 4months, was able to sleep in, (to around 8:00 - 8:30.) When Adam was a baby until about 5 or 6-6 1/2 months he used his swing (battery operated of course) he would nap 2 times a day between 2 - 4 hours. Now he will only take 1 nap but sometimes it last 3 - 3 1/2 hours this is rare. average is 1 1/2 hours on the weekends when we play ver hard he takes 2 or 2 1/2 hours.