N.A.P.s Plan

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Mom and I have been on a constant quest to help Sarah Graves become a good sleeper.  I wouldn't say that we are completely there yet, but Mom came across this book several weeks ago and I do think that it has helped us along the way.  The book is called the 90 Minute Baby Sleep Program by Polly Moore.  I know what you're thinking, another book?  Seriously!  But each book seems to offer some extra tidbit of information.
This one is written by a neuroscientist who had a chance to put her knowledge to use when her first child was born and she was not a great sleeper.  The book's program is built on the theory of the Basic Rest and Activity Cycle (BRAC), which is present in all humans.  BRAC means that every 90 minutes we go through a period of time where we are most ready to fall asleep and then we cycle into a period of alertness again.  In babies, this cycle is felt very strongly every 90 minutes.  As babies get older, they begin to go through multiple 90 minute cycles before they need to sleep again.  As adults, we go through a number of these cycles every day before we go to sleep at night or lay down to take a nap.  When you are aware of this BRAC you can time a baby and have an idea of when they will most likely be ready to sleep again.  So when baby wakes up from a nap, you begin timing 90 minutes and make sure to have her in her crib or a place where she can comfortably sleep again at the end of that 90 minutes. 
So when Sarah Graves wakes up at 6 AM, I know that she is likely to be ready to nap again at 7:30.  When I lay her down at 7:30, she may sleep for any amount of time that she wants, usually between 45 minutes and 2 hours.  Whatever time she wakes up from her nap, I begin timing 90 minutes to know when she is likely to want to nap again.  Having this information along with watching her cues of rubbing her eyes, has really helped us make sure she gets the opportunity to sleep.  If she misses the opportunity at the end of 90 minutes, I usually wait for the end of the next 90 minute cycle and try again. 
It's not exactly a set schedule, but it does seem to help her go down easily for a nap and I can at least predict when she is likely to sleep next.  Now if only there were a way to keep that pacifier in her mouth while she sleeps...elastic, maybe?  I AM JUST KIDDING

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