How to encourage longer naps?

[tulip87]

baby can sleep for hours in my arms but only 40 mins - 1 hour tops in cot. He has a comfort blanket/muslin and sometimes dummy for daytime naps. Once he spits out dummy he usually wakes to ask for it to be put back in so I have to wait by cot for entire nap incase it falls out! then he usually wakes after 40 mins and doesn't re settle. I've tried leaving him and I've tried sshhing him, any ideas? or should I just accept he likes little naps?

[firsttimemumma2014]

Mine is like this. The most he's ever slept in his cot at nap time is an hour. I've tried going in and shhhh/ patting when I can see him wriggling but he is boom! eyes awake. I've accepted that he is having shorter naps at the moment so am aiming to put him down more often, roughly 1.5 hours after he last woke. He's 13 weeks.

You don't mention how old yours is but if he is using a dummy, is he old enough for one of those clips that attach to him? So at least if he loses dummy during the nap he can find it himself without you. I was using a white noise machine with mine which helped but I've phased it out now. I read somewhere about creating positive sleep associations with something the baby can control rather than something that needs you. I've introduced a comfort toy and am making that part if the nap/ bedtime routine. Am hoping that when he gets a bit older, having the toy in the cot will help him go back off when he wakes. Is it worth trying to phase out the dummy so he isn't reliant on it? Maybe make more of the comfort blanket?

I'm confident they'll both start going longer when they get better at self settling. Good luck with yours!

[chocciechip]

DS won't take a dummy, but we bought one of these for DD to help her find her son her own.

www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/sp+sleepytot-baby-comforter-in-sleep-training-and-night-lights+b7842

[mrsmugoo]

40 minute naps for small babies is very normal!

I spent the first 6 months of DS's life utterly exasperated by his 30-40 minute naps.

On the dot of 6 months he just started sleeping longer - usually 1:15

Now at 10 months I have to wake him up after 2 hours quite often!

Catnaps are a developmental thing. There's nothing you can do to change it - you just have to ride it out. Knackering though, I sympathise!

[Jeans5]

My 12 weeks old baby girl is only napping 40min was trying to put her in a routine and follow all steps but nothing seems to be working at the moment hopefully will change soon !
Does anyone have any tips how to settle her down without drama during the day??? I find nap time to be very hard for her to settle in! Not sure why as evening we have no problems
Perhaps anyone has a good pattern
Thanks

[FATEdestiny]

40 minutes (ish) is one sleep cycle in babies. If you are not getting sleep longer than this it is because baby partially wakes at the end of a sleep cycle but struggles to self settle back to sleep.

Bouncy chair is great for encouraging longer daytime naps in babies under 6 months. It means you can foot bounce back to sleep after a sleep cycle. Also full tummy, warmth and dummy.

[mrsmugoo]

Mine was self settling at 4 months but still took until 6 months to lengthen naps beyond 40 minutes - it's a developmental thing.

[Alexmummy2012]

I totally sympathise with you, my son would always wake after exactly 45 mins & never resettle
I found a method called "wake to sleep" worked really well. Try googling it. It involves gently rousing (but not waking them) just before the end of their sleep cycle in order to start the cycle again.

Good luck xx