Daytime naps - how to lengthen them?

[minesarioja]

My 4 month-old goes down well at 9am for about 45 mins, he's then awake for 2 hours and takes another nap close to 12. But this nap lasts only 45mins when it should be closer to 2 hours from what I've read on the topic. He wakes up screaming like he's had a fright and it's impossible to settle him back to sleep. The rest of the day is off kilter, he gets overtired and I end up putting him to bed way to early for his night sleep (like 5.30pm). If I take him out in the pram at 12.00 he sleeps for about 2 hours (broken) but it's not feasible to pound the streets every day so that he can nap there. And I've read that motion sleep is not as good quality. Any tips? Thanks!

can't remember exactly but I'm pretty sure DS was having three naps at that age, the extra one being 3-4 ish. There is no such thing as "should" when it comes to babies, they are all different. Don't know what the waking up screaming is all about unless its hunger maybe but so long as you get to him and calm him (I would suggest abandoning trying to get him back to sleep, take him back downstairs) it shouldn't really matter. If he has another kip late afternoon you should be able to push his bedtime back to a more feasible time of 6.30-7ish. They do change just when you think they have a settled routine they'll drop a nap or lengthen one or shorten one, or start waking up at night again. You might be entering the teething zone too which will disrupt things. Main thing though I think would be to sneak in a third nap if you can.
Good luck

Nap lengthening just happens on its own eventually. By 18 months you should be enjoying a nice long post-lunch nap. Until then just hang in there!

Excellent - thank you! Tried the controlled crying today which most certainly did not work so I'll hang in there and just get him up if he wakes.

I think that 4 months might be too young to stay awake any longer than, say, 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Until not long ago, my daughter (9 months) used to nap from around 5-6pm, then I'd get her up, bath, supper, in bed again for 7.30pm. She occasionally still does.

If he is really tired about 5-ish could you try putting him down only for a nap, and start his proper night's sleep a few hours later?

FWIW my friend's daughter only ever sleeps for exactly 40 minutes, no more no less. It's just an individual thing, I guess.

minesarioja - ditto my DD. She's now 9 months and still rarely takes a nap longer than 45 minutes, and until very recently (last week!) never anywhere other than the buggy.

Her naps are however very regular in timing. 9am, 1pm, 4pm. Then bath at 6 and feed & bed straight after. Has been this way since @4 months

So don't worry, some babies just take more, shorter naps.

DS was definitely on at least 3 naps a day at 4 months - didn't drop to 2 naps a day until 6 months. One day he just stayed awake longer and so 3 naps (morning, lunchtime, afternoon) became two (morning and afternoon). He's now about to turn 12 months and is slowly dropping the afternoon nap. Most days he still needs 2 naps but sometimes only has one.

Mine only did forty five mins til roughly a year old. Then as morning nap ended, was rewarded with lively long sleeps. Ds, 2.4, will sleep three hours of an afternoon if given the chance, which he isn't cos we have to pick up dd from school! But a sanity restoring hour and half nonetheless. (Please don't drop it when dc3 arrives!!!)

In case anyone else is having issues with their catnapping baby, I tried the "wake to sleep" technique today and tanked him up with a formula top-up half an hour before his supposed longer nap (He is fully BF normally).
The "wake to sleep" idea is that you nudge him just before the end of the first sleep cycle,say at 40 minutes and this encourages him to make the transition to the next without waking up. I didn't physically nudge him, just opened his bedroom door a little so that he stirred.
It worked and he had 1 hour 40 mins for the first time in 2 months. Or perhaps it was the extra food? Worth trying it all anyway!

Oh, it's so frustrating when they won't nap for long isn't it. How do you usually settle him? I've read that it's not a great idea to try controlled crying for naps as LOs aren't tired enough to give in - and it certainly didn't work for me. I'd use any method you can to get longer naps - dummy, rocking, feeding to sleep etc. They get themselves into a routine that suits them eventually. Have you read Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Baby? I personally am not a fan of controlled crying, but apart from that I found the book very enlightening on the subject of how sleep actually works for babies.

Bobby99- I actually bought that book as I'd read another poster who recommended it. I loved the case studies-made me feel I didn't have it anywhere near as bad as some folk. One quote which amused me was the couple who waited "in the den and held hands" whilst praying their baby would sleep!
My DS sometimes manages to stretch to 1.5 hours which is an improvement of sorts. Main thing is he goes down awake in his own cot for his naps at home and at bedtimes he no longer causes a fuss. He also sleeps ok at night (for now...)