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When you were pregnant, you probably imagined all the creative things you?d do when baby napped?work on the baby book, do a yoga video, catch up with friends on the phone?. A few months later, all you care about is finding creative ways to get him to nap so you can take a shower or catch a few winks yourself. Naps can be a treasured break in a parent?s day, but they can also be frustrating, especially when they aren?t happening the way you think they should.
?It?s amazing what a hot topic sleep can be,? says Kellie Walden, baby wellness coordinator at the Early Years Centre in Peterborough, Ont. ?Parents often have a preconceived idea of how a baby should sleep. But babies are very individual in how much they sleep, when they sleep, how they fall asleep.? During the first six weeks, there really isn?t such a thing as a nap. Your baby will eat and sleep and wake around the clock, and you may not see anything that looks like a routine or predictable sleep times. That?s normal for this age and there isn?t much you can do about it.
Keeping in mind that every infant is different, here are some typical patterns that emerge beyond those initial hazy weeks.
6 weeks to 3 months

Popular Patterns

At this age, the most popular pattern may still be no pattern at all. Paediatric neurologist Shelly Weiss of Toronto?s Hospital for Sick Children?s Sleep Disorder Clinic says many babies this age don?t have a longer sleep at night and short naps during the day; they just sleep...