Some babies just need less sleep?

[KylasBaby]

We've fought the sleep issues nance my daughter was around 2/3 months old. We've tried earlier and later bedtimes, shorter and longer periods between naps, more naps, fewer naps, food or bottles right before naps or right after, lots of play and activity, very little activity, rocking her, shushing and patting her, holding her, in our bed, in her bed, different sound machines, different fans, essential oils, she has a memory foam mattress topper, different sheets, even took an infant sleep workshop and implemented those changes, talked to her doctor...

No matter what we do, on a GOOD day this child will only sleep 12/13 hours total (nighttime and naps). Currently trying to figure out if she still needs 3 naps or not. I'm pushing for her to still do 3 but sometimes she just sits in her crib and screams for her 3rd and clearly isn't taking one. She can do anywhere from 9-10.30 hours overnight and 1.5-3 hours of naps. I've been logging all her sleep and nap times and there hasn't been a connection between her sleeping better or worse with more or less sleep.

I think we're in the 9 month sleep regression or at the end of it as *knockonwood* she's been doing better overnight lately. I also think in addition to that she has 3 teeth coming in and just learned to crawl so a lot going on. But this was an issue long before now. On a good night she will sleep 7-5/5:30. Did a few nights till 6 which was HEAVEN! But the new normal around here is bed at 7 then waking up a few times screaming and needing to be rocked.

But anyway, to the point - do some babies just need less sleep?

 

[Rainbow82]

I don't think 13 hours is too bad, I always classed my DS as not a bad sleeper and he has about the same, he goes down about 8 and sleeps till 5 usually waking once or twice in the night for cuddles but no feed. When he's at home he has two naps of between 1 and 2 hours so a total of 12/13 hours. He naps a lot less at nursery, maybe an hour and a half total. He has been in this routine since just before 9 months, before that he maybe managed an extra hour in the morning but his naps have stayed the same since he was five months.

 

[noon_child]

At that age my LO would go to sleep at 7:00 ish (depending how long it took to get her settled) wake twice usually, sometimes three times, and be up for the day at 6am. Then she would have one nap for 1hr 10mins (nearly to the dot) and would fight any more unless I caught her in just the right mood during a car journey. It wasn't really enough sleep for her, she was grumpy in the afternoons, but she just fought and fought.

 

[KylasBaby]

Sleep has always been such an issue with her. It was only once she turned 6 months that she started sleeping longer than half an hour at a time. Maybe 3 times since she was a newborn she's slept longer than an hour and a half during the day.

 

[jodilee6]

DS2 is 9 months and this is his sleep schedule..

7pm bed
4-6am wake for bottle and back to sleep
7:30/8am up for the day
11am nap - this can be anywhere from 1hr to 2 1/2 hours!

Depending on how long his morning nap is he'll then have another 45 mins anytime between 2:30-3:30pm which then takes him through to bed time

So he gets 14-15 1/2 hours sleep a day there is no way I could get him to do 3 naps a day now, he has to be up for a minimum 3 hours before he goes back down

 

[KylasBaby]

Dd generally does 7-5/5:30 overnight. Recently she is up a few times crying. Idk if it's her teeth or sleep regression, but knock on wood past few nights it hasn't happened. She wakes around 3:30-4:30 and laughs at herself and chats for a couple minutes then back to sleep until usually around 5:30. If she takes an hour nap for her first nap I'll do just a 2 nap day. If it's half an hour then she has 3 naps.

So her schedule is like this
7p-5/5:30am
1st nap goes down between 7:30-8
2nd nap 11ish
3rd nap 2:30-3
Generally will do 2.5-3hours of naps so 12.5-13.5 hours of sleep per day

For a 2 nap day
1st nap still goes down 7:30-8
2nd nap can be either goes down 1-1:30 or 2-3 depending on where we are and what we are doing.
Generally this could be between 1.5-2.5 hours of naps so 11.5-13 hours of sleep per day

So she will do no more than 13.5 hours ever. Usually more around 12

 

[Teri7489]

For me, I can't keep my son awake (sleeps 16-18 hours in 24 hour period) but my friends little one just doesn't need a lot of sleep. He goes to bed around 8:30/9 wakes up a few times and is usually up at 6am. He rarely naps in the daytime. Only once or twice has slept straight through the night and doesn't have consistent naps. He's a happy healthy bright boy with no issues at all. He just need less sleep than mine and has been the same since birth

 

[donnarobinson]

I think some need less sleep my second baby use to wake for the day at 5am ! Nightmare lol X

 

[KylasBaby]

Yep we are lucky to sleep in until 5:30!

 

[wildflower79]

My dd1 never seemed to need much sleep. She was often up really early and awake a few times during the night full of beans. She never napped at home for more than 30mins, but I could get her to sleep a little longer if we were out for a walk in the pushchair. She never had any 2 or 3 hour naps though. She gave up regular naps entirely before she was 18 months old. Even now at 4 years old she doesn't seem to need much sleep. She can be exhausted after a long day out, but wouldn't fall asleep in the car coming home.

dd2, is totally the opposite. She's started sleeping through the night and regularly takes 3 hour naps. I think all children are different.

 

[KylasBaby]

My dd1 never seemed to need much sleep. She was often up really early and awake a few times during the night full of beans. She never napped at home for more than 30mins, but I could get her to sleep a little longer if we were out for a walk in the pushchair. She never had any 2 or 3 hour naps though. She gave up regular naps entirely before she was 18 months old. Even now at 4 years old she doesn't seem to need much sleep. She can be exhausted after a long day out, but wouldn't fall asleep in the car coming home.

dd2, is totally the opposite. She's started sleeping through the night and regularly takes 3 hour naps. I think all children are different.

I pray my next one loves sleep!

 

[Misscalais]

13 hours is great!!!!!
At 10 months my kids dropped to one 2ish hour nap after lunch. My 2 year old still will generally only sleep 9ish hours during the night. Hes finally getting better though and has only just stopped waking up at 5am!
I think you're putting too much into it she sounds like shes doing great!

 

[KylasBaby]

We were up probably every hour last night. So exhausted. And even so that she was still up for the day at 5:30 Child better sleep today

 

[lau86]

My dd hardly sleeps at all! (Compared to my others). She can be awake all day to 9pm, she is soooo difficult to settle. She does sleep all night from probably 9pm-6am though.