When is it ok for them to stay awake
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Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=22572
Printed Date: 11 September 2025 at 9:28pm
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Topic: When is it ok for them to stay awake
Posted By: FionaO
Subject: When is it ok for them to stay awake
Date Posted: 19 November 2008 at 12:48pm
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Ok, there is a similar thread going but i didn't want to steal it Finley sleeps well at night, we get him up and down pretty quick and he goes down for 3/4 hours at a time which seems ok. Day naps, well vary massively sometimes he goes down more often than not he does not. His room has a black out blind so very dark, but he does stay awake a while, after a feed he likes to kick about and has a chatter and kick and stuff on his mat and seems very happy after he has been there a bit i get him and try to start settling him about 90 minutes after he woke but he won't sleep. Today he was awake from 6.45 - 11, ahhhh. Should i still be trying to get him up and down within the hour if he looks awake - does this vary for every baby. Are there tiredness signs i could be looking for earlier? So many questions i know but any pointers here would be great!! ------------- 
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Replies:
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 19 November 2008 at 1:09pm
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Daniel didn't show any of the "classic" tired signs at that age and we ended up keeping him awake for long periods of time 2 hrs + and after a while it really affected all areas of his sleep, not at first but it went that way.
Once we got him into an hour turn around routine everything settled down but it takes a few days - a week to actually get it going well I found. He never looked tired,especially when we began because once they get overtired they get adrenaline running through their system so they look wide awake.. but really they can be very tired. |
Posted By: Kellz
Date Posted: 19 November 2008 at 1:25pm
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Plunket have a 'tired signs' video they lend out.
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Posted By: LeahandJoel
Date Posted: 19 November 2008 at 1:50pm
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Joel starts getting loud and squeaky and bashing the toys on the play gym, when he does that I wrap him with one arm out and put him to bed. During the day he goes down with the curtains open, I only close them at night. -------------  
 
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Posted By: josephnia
Date Posted: 19 November 2008 at 1:53pm
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Totally agree with Stacey, I put Blake down after 90 mins now and he has been going to sleep so well even though to me he doesn't look tired at all (and I was watching him like a hawk for a yawn, rubbing his face etc and nothing) I thought that maybe I should be keeping him up longer but that definitely made things worse. -------------  
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Posted By: blondy
Date Posted: 19 November 2008 at 1:57pm
Natalie is now able to be up for about 90 mins at a time, but her tired signs have also become much more subtle - she starts moving quite jerkily, and then after that gets totally quiet, which is my big hint that she's ready for a sleep. I still have to 'lead' her into a sleep - by wrapping her up and going into her room which is dark, then rocking her a bit until she's sleepy, but putting her down awake still. Works most of the time. She's a 40min catnapper, so has 4-5 sleeps each day, so I get lots of practice!  I do tend to watch the clock too, especially now that the signs are so subtle.
Good luck! Once you get into a good pattern, I think they figure out that you mean business, and go down more easily. -------------  
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Posted By: emmakate
Date Posted: 19 November 2008 at 4:12pm
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this thread came along just at the right time! my little poppit has no tired signs either. it was getting frustrating because she has such a small 'window' before she gets overtired...then she's up for hours! am going to try the 90 minutes awake, then down for a sleep regardless...
thanks ladies x ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: happymumma
Date Posted: 19 November 2008 at 6:06pm
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I discovered that Ollie won't sleep - or takes a lot longer to get to sleep if I don't put him to bed quickly enough. I look out for slight grizzles and a clenched fist. As soon as I see either of those he goes to bed. He's almost five months now but he is still often ready for bed again within an hour to an hour and a half.
Like others have said, I use the Plunket tired signs but I also just go for a no more than 90 minutes policy too. |
Posted By: kmarie
Date Posted: 20 November 2008 at 9:23am
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I have to confess that I don't always 'put Bethany down' for a sleep. We like our cuddles! But I can almost guarantee you that once she hits the hour and a quarter mark, she'll either nod off or get a little scratchy. Either way, I just snuggle her and sometimes rock her slightly and that generally pushes her over the edge. She tends to have one big long nap in the day, usually early afternoon (but this varies!) and otherwise might only sleep for 20mins or sometimes and hour before being re-juvenated. And she's like that regardless of whether she's on me or in her own bed.
Fi, I think the best thing is to follow your own instincts once you've worked out his tired signs. Don't feel you have to put him into bed - snuggles and rocks work quite nicely to convince them that it is ok to fall asleep and they really won't be missing anything, lol. ------------- 
twins in heaven Oct07 Is 40:11 "He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart." |
Posted By: kmarie
Date Posted: 20 November 2008 at 8:48pm
PS for anyone who is interested in reading a GOOD book about babies and settling (one that doesn't try to tell you what you 'must' do)... try 'Sleeping like a Baby' by Pinky McKay. I just borrowed it from the library and got part way through it today - it makes so much sense!!! Plus it's easy to read  -------------
twins in heaven Oct07 Is 40:11 "He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart." |
Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 21 November 2008 at 7:11am
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Caden isnt all the interested in day sleeps now, he still has them but he will only sleep for an hour or so, smetimes longer, but Id say he is only having 1 or 2 day sleeps now!
But when he was newborn he would be up for an hour then back down. Sometimes he could stay awake longer but generally he would be tired again after a little while. His tired signs were, rubbing his eyes, a long winey cry whee his mouth would go into a oval shape and he sort o goes "ooww wahh oww wahh"(still does that), or if he is playing on his mat and he starts to lie still and just stare at the TV then I know he is tired, he also will turn his head to the side and roll his eyes a bit, or rub his face on things and he goes all red round the eyes. If he does any of that, off to bed he goes. ------------- |
Posted By: FionaO
Date Posted: 21 November 2008 at 2:40pm
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Thanks guys, i thik i have been letting him stay up too long esp during the day. He is a bit of a day catnapper except for the one big sleep anywhere around midday. Still the sleeps at night are more solid so can't grumble too much.
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