Sleep Journal

So I read a couple of baby sleep books to prepare for the battle. And so far most of the guidelines:

swaddle, put them down after 2hrs awake time, put them down drowsy so they'll learn to sleep on their own, sleep only in their cribs, no nightly snacks (which happened around 12-13lbs), start a bedtime routine (the 4 Bs: book, bath, bottle & bed), set an early bedtime....

have worked and they are able to sleep (almost, except for those pesky pacifier fixes) uninterrupted for 11-12hrs at night....yippeee!

i'm a firm believer, babies like adults, need a good night's sleep esp so, for growth and development.

Though, of course, there were exceptions:
0-2 months: slept exclusively in their bouncy seat with the vibration on (sometimes all night long!). Yes, lots of batteries spent but totally worth it! It was survival of the sleeplessness and it was how they slept best. not to mention being upright was good for their digestion (lots of gas issues) and i found it easier to rock/bounce them to sleep if they stirred and fussed.

2-6 months: napped exclusively in their swings. for naps, they never slept more than 30mins in their cribs vs 45-1hr+ in their swings. w/out a good nap, they would get cranky; and to be honest, it was easier to just plop them down on their swings and out they go.

now at 6mos, they do sleep exclusively in their cribs. and at all times, they fall asleep by themselves without the need to be held (another yippee!). though, i'm thrilled they're able to do this, i have to admit, i do miss some of the cuddling and rocking. awwwwww, they really only are babies for such a short time.

so why am i writing? cause they still nap SO sporadically. without the swing, they nap mostly 30min, rarely up to an hour. the length of time actually doesnt bother me as much as before since now, they are older and more alert, needing less daytime sleep. but it is the number of naps; they can sleep up to 4-5X throughout the day, still every 2hrs!

according to all the books (which i follow if i agree) at 6mos, they should be closer to two naps daily, ranging from 1 -1 1/2hrs. are the books wrong or are my kids going to be forever 'power' nappers? it would be so nice to plan an outing w/out having to pencil in a nap every 2hours!

any advice, let me know!