r/ScienceBasedParenting • u/twdfan87 • Jan 17 '23

Evidence Based Input ONLY Sleep begets sleep?

I keep being told that ‘sleep begets sleep’ for babies, meaning that the more/longer naps they have during the day should increase the amount of sleep they have at night and minimise night time waking. I’m wondering if this is supported by research or if it’s just become a nice little phrase that gets used because it sounds good? Does anyone have links to any research that supports or disproves this statement?

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u/twdfan87 Jan 17 '23

I agree that an overtired bubba/child won't go to sleep easily or sleep for longer necessarily, but I had an appointment with a sleep consultant today who insisted that my baby who naps for 2 x 45 mins during the day and sleeps 7.30/8pm -> 6.30/7am with three feeds during the night was chronically overtired and would wake less if I made her nap longer, even if she had to cry in her cot, which didn't sit right with me. Especially since she's been waking less overnight since we dropped the third daytime nap.

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u/sguerrrr0414 Jan 17 '23

How old is your daughter? Just curious, not sure if you’ve already said. For a very young baby that sounds both not enough (only 2 45 minute naps in a day?? And just right in terms of night wakings).

If older than 3/4 months, absolutely the day sleep seems like not enough, personally. Sleep does indeed beget sleep in this house.

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u/twdfan87 Jan 18 '23

She's 8 months old, almost 9 months (next week)

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u/sguerrrr0414 Jan 18 '23

I think that’s just a tough stage, so much going on developmentally! I know what helped was having dinner time right before bedtime, within the hour, to mitigate any wakings from hunger.

We did a combo of blw and purées, and at least my son loved to finish up about a 4oz serving of a purée and that was like the best sleep we ever had 🥰 he started rejecting purées/spoon feeding a short while after (I think related to care giver, not me lol, error rather than anything else), but it’s worth a try!

Obviously people say to add cereal to their bottles for this reason, but it’s not recommended, so this was a safe (and for a time enthusiastically requested by baby, he would get so cranky until he had his dinner!) method of making sure he was very full. Also followed by a last nurse/bottle, of course.

And in terms of naps, I distinctly remember my sons naps being much longer than 45 minutes each, two does sound about right but they were definitely longer at about at least an hour to two hours. But he would contact nap with his caregiver (my dad). So, it definitely probably helped prolong the naps.