11 week old won't nap- help!

[Neetalu]

My dd will not nap unless she's in the car, which is ok except I don't gave a car during the weekdays.

She gets so tired but can't soothe her. Night times aren't a problem. She'll go to bed at 7ish and sleep for 12 hours approx only waking for feeds about 2-3/night.

Days are becoming so tiring and difficult. I have her in a sling to help soothe-it calms her but I can't put her down to nap, I have to be with her and holding her all day!

Anyone had a similar experience or any advice?

X

[noblegiraffe]

Does she nap in the sling? Can you rock her to sleep? Music/white noise? Pram?

The more tired she is the harder she will fight sleep, so about 90 minutes (maybe sooner) after she wakes, pull out all the stops to get her asleep again. If you have to hold her the whole time, then a sling at least gives you your arms free.

[Neetalu]

She does occasionally nap in the sling but not always.

I think you're right about catching her before she gets too tired. I think she's overtired before I try and get her to nap.

How long/often should babies be napping during the day?

[noblegiraffe]

She can only probably manage to be awake around 90 minutes (including feeding) before needing to nap, although babies vary, 2 hours probably the limit.

The baby whisperer suggests a nap for each feed, which I found helpful. She says Eat Activity Sleep, on a cycle, although I found Eat Sleep Activity worked better.

[HollyLowe]

My baby is exactly the same, she is 11 weeks and will only sleep at night. She is sleeping a good solid 12 hours at night though and only waking for 2 feeds. My baby is quite happy being awake during the day though. She either plays with a toy in her bouncer or we play together. She does get very tired and will nap but only for around half an hour at a time, 3 times during the day.
I don't understand the whole 'catching the baby when they show signs of sleep' thing though. My baby will most often get very grizzly and I give her a cuddle and she soon goes off.
If my child is having 12-13 hours sleep in a 24 hour period I don't think there's anything wrong with this? Am I wrong?

[wellieboots]

All babies are different holly but average amounts of sleep until about 4 months is 14-16 hrs a day apparently, then reducing to 13-14. My DD couldn't last 2 hours awake until she was about 5 months.

But if your baby is happy go with it!

[toomuchtooold]

OP how does she respond if you put her down in the same way as for bed, and can you make it properly dark in her bedroom during the day? At that age my twins went from being able to sleep anywhere to either a) needing movement, like your wee one or b) to be in their cots in the dark as if it was bedtime.

[Neetalu]

Hey

She starts to cry and at the most she's only lasted 20mins asleep in her cot. I have blackout curtain in her room. It's not as dark as night but still quite dark.

Ps twins?! I admire you....1 is tough enough!

[SpanielFace]

No specific advice but just wanted to say that my DS was exactly like this, right from birth really. He would only sleep in my arms in the day time - ideally attached to a boob! - or in the car/pram but only when moving, he would wake as soon as the motion stopped. Like yours, he slept ok at night. I pulled my hair out, and tried all sorts of things, but the most successful thing for us was to rock/feed him to almost-asleep, then put him down in his crib before he was fully asleep. To begin with this only worked occasionally (the rest of the time he cried, and of course I picked him up), but as time went by he would fall asleep in his crib more easily, although it wasn't until he was about 6 months that he began to do it regularly. White noise helped, as did establishing a very basic routine ie trying not to let him stay awake for more than 90 mins.

At 17 months he is a good sleeper, and naps reliably in his cot in the afternoon, so it doesn't last forever, I promise (although it felt like it at the time!).

[toomuchtooold]

Short nappers eh. I read Elizabeth Pantley's No Cry Nap Solution and she suggests going in when you know the wee one is likely to wake up (like at 19 minutes) and do whatever you do to get them off to sleep, so they are soothed back before they even fully wake. I don't know! Mine were so knackered by 11 weeks I think they were desperate for me to sod off and let them sleep!

What Spanielface says is true though - it does sort itself out. 11 weeks is still really little but about 4 months it starts calming down.

[Neetalu]

I do have to remember she is so small and everything is very new to her. I think perhaps more defined quiet time in her room is needed. It'll help us both!

How often and for how long do everyone Los sleep and nap for?