1-2hr work to get to sleep for 30 mins?

[Lelophants]

I have a 4.5 month old. I'm well aware he's right at sleep regression age, so if it's merely a matter of time then please tell me!

I also am firmly against any form of sleep training for psychological reasons, so would rather keep like we are for a year than do that.

Sometimes it's ok, but his napping skills are generally pretty bad. He'll show tired signs then really quickly start playing excitedly and then get upset. We can spend 1-2 hours trying all sleep methods and then once he's down, it's only half an hour or so. Sometimes it works if we stay with him but not always. Also means we're just stuck!

I don't like getting nothing done around the house but what I really don't like more is the lack of time for playmat, general playing and things like bathtime as everything centres around napping. Should I give up after 30 mins and go back to playing? I just feel bad about that as he is clearly very tired and we have had overtired baby before which is pretty inconsolable.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Are you trying to get him sleeping upstairs on his own? Could you try the first nap an hour after he's woken for the morning? Try putting him in the pram and going for a really long walk.

By all means try the next nap upstairs but for the third nap, could you go to bed with him in your bed?

Some babies do seem to nap better when they sleep somewhere different than where they sleep at night.

If you are having trouble getting things done, I know it's a cliche but have you tried sticking him in a sling?

[Lelophants]

The napping in the same place seemed to help a bit. Sling sometimes works but he can stretch out and get more annoyed in it. Does it need to be consistently in the same way each time?

[Haz1516]

If you have been trying for half an hour, I would definitely wait another half hour and have a break before trying again. It just becomes frustrating and obsessive otherwise. I also recommend downloading the huckleberry app, which used to help with nap timings at that age.

That age up until around 6 months was the most frustrating nap age for us though. Lots of 30 minute naps and fighting sleep. I think alot of it is developmental too.

[anonnancy]

My 14 week old only ever naps for 30-45 mins at a time.
I don’t understand how people can plan their baby’s naps either... I have to literally wait for tired cues before my LB will even consider going to sleep... and then once he’s asleep I have half an hour before he’s awake again for another 1.5 hours :(

[Lelophants]

We had almost 4 hours awake before napping this morning. It's harder when you're exhausted. Some days I definitely manage better than others.

[Lelophants]

@anonnancy it's because that's the length of their sleep cycle.
Anyone know when they start being able to sleep through sleep cycle changes?