Strange Machines

Sure I’ve read about it before but only over Chinese New Year did I realise its relevance and importance.

Most sleep experts say that a baby who naps more during the day sleeps better at night. It may seem contradictory but it had been shown repeatedly to be true. We managed a mini-sample over the weekend.

On the first day of CNY, we woke 2 hours early to visit my parents. The whole day got a bit messed up with us neglecting to take the 2 hour difference while scheduling his nap times. He woke several times that night, particularly in the first 2 hours when he woke every 20 minutes.

On the second day of CNY we took Bear to Uncle Hon Chung’s house where he slept 20 minutes in the car… late as well… at 2pm. He usually sleeps between 1-1.30pm. We left Hon Chung’s house at 5.30pm (late for his 5pm nap). He got grumpy, fell asleep in the car. I held him for about 40 minutes before he woke up. That night he woke several times over the first 5 hours, about every 20 minutes.

I was beat. On the third day, and this is sounding like that Christmas song, I got him to nap at 1.30pm. He slept for 20 minutes but was happily chasing Sparky the dog after. Next, he napped from 7-8pm. Odd yeah, but that night he slept better and woke only the first time after 2 hours.

It’s easy to forget a baby’s naptime till he shows signs of fussiness. It is possible that by then, it is too late.