8 months old. Look at this little man. Growing up so fast. 
Jack is our little surprise bundle and the fact that I know he is the last little one for me, makes me really open my eyes to every day that he grows.
Even though the days can be gruelling sometimes with all three children, time simply passes us by, so quickly. I am so glad I am doing this blog about Jack, because I am going to love reflecting on this.
So where are we now with sleep?
It is around 8 months old that the awake time increases from 2.5 hours between naps, to 3 hours.
So the daily schedule looks a bit like this:
Up time: 7am
1st nap: 10am
2nd nap: around 2:30pm
Bedtime: around 7pm
You stay on this type of schedule until around 12 months of age.
It really is that simple. No surprises. Just an increase in awake time.
What can you expect going forward?
At around 12 months of age, it is time to drop to 1 nap.
I do, however, find that some babies that are sleeping 11-12 hours overnight consistently, tend to drop to 1 nap a bit earlier than 12 months of age. All babies are different but I have transitioned 10 month old babies to 1 nap and they have done beautifully.
There are two main indicators that tell you that your baby is likely ready to transition to 1 nap.
- They start fighting that 2nd nap i.e. they take ages to fall asleep when you put them down; they may be upset whilst falling asleep; and/or the nap is short.
- They consistently wake early in the morning, and I mean before 6am! Gah!
Note: These indicators are only relevant when a baby is sleeping around 14-15 hours in a 24 hour cycle.
How are you going with props?
Are they out of your life? Is babe falling asleep on her own at night and for day naps? I hope so.
Sleep for your little one is just so important and having no props in their life, and having the ability to fall asleep peacefully and sleep well is, just quietly, an awesome thing.
What about solids?
I always take the introduction to dinner slowly. A big dinner can often cause discomfort through the night for a young baby.
As their little bodies get used to the process of digestion, I slowly start to introduce solids at dinner and see how we go.
I also tend to keep dinner at least an hour away from bedtime to ensure the hunger for a top up feed of milk before bed is there.
Jack’s brothers turned 3 and 5 this month so it has been a busy one for our family. To make the month even busier, I decided to bite the bullet and potty train Mstr 3. I really had lost focus on this with Jack around.
My trainer and mentor for sleep consultancy, Dana Obleman, has produced a potty training program that is the BOMB. It’s called ‘No Sweat Potty Training’. In 2 days, Kayden started doing all his wees on the toilet, no accidents! If you knew Kayden, you would think this would never happen! He is one tough customer! We are still working on the larger deposits all being in the toilet, but feeling like we have had some major progress. MAJOR.
In terms of sleep, I have been working with many families over the last few months that have done so well. I have been able to do this with little Jack being with me each day, which is such an awesome thing, and something I am very grateful for.
Joel has started Kinder and he is loving it. Kayden is settled into another year of day care. Things are good.
The next major sleep change for Jack will be the transition to 1 nap.
I’ll let you know the best way to make the transition and how to find a new rhythm with sleep quick smart. Until then, sleep well folks.
To read my other blog posts that follow Jack’s sleep journey from a newborn, please click here.
