Is anyone going to such great lengths, but getting few results?

[Consort]

I'm trying desperately to get my 4 month old to do more than cat nap. She used to sleep for quite a while in the sling and I could do things around the house, or even go out. Not once, not ever have I succeeded in getting her to take a proper nap in her bassinet. In recent weeks she really just wants to look around when I have her in the sling. The only way I have got her to nap lately at all is to walk, walk walk the pram around and around and around the park. But it is more a case of her sleeping for 20-30 minutes then me walking her for another half hour, fruitlessly, to get her back to sleep. She is pretty good natured but I keep reading that she needs more than a cat nap for her growth and development, and that not enough sleep could even impact brain development.
At night it takes me several hours of bath, feed, holding her to get her to sleep and she's up 4-5 times per night to feed. She gets 10 hours or less of sleep, on average so she needs naps if she is to get anywhere near the recommended 14 hours per day for her age.
Please help. Anyone else gone through the same? If you did, did you ever get your baby to sleep longer? Or did you find your baby was fine with so little sleep? My dad says I didn't sleep at all in the day but I think he probably just doesn't remember...
Any advice or your own anecdotes appreciated. I am truly frustrated.

What Iggly said, really. Catnaps at 3/4 months are really, really common. It's usually developmental and there's generally not much you can do about it.

The time when it changes varies - often 4 or 5 months but it can be later, or much later (I know some who suddenly started sleeping longer at 9/10 months, 12 months or even 18 months).

You do need to bear in mind that short naps = shorter awake times and more naps per day than a child having longer ones.

I used to worry lots about DS only napping for about 40 mins at a time (plus he wouldn't sleep in the pram or car), but by 6 months he was having a long lunchtime nap.

Fane hope DD is getting some sleep. My little girl is now 19 weeks and the nights have been crazy the last few weeks but the last 2 nights have been better. She slept without interruption from 11:30 to 5:30 on Sunday night so a solid 6 hours. I was awake all night checking on her! Tonight she had a real struggle going to sleep, although we know why, but was asleep between 8:30-9 then up for first feed at 2:30 am (feeding her now). Feels like a dream to have her sleep a solid block but who knows if it will continue!

Thanks for sharing your experience Angel DD took several cat naps again today but I feel better about it now that I know others have gone through similar stages.

Seems we have a new problem. I bathed DD as usual tonight, and gave her her nighttime feed, but before she was asleep DH took over as I needed to help DD1 with a few things (has her first GCSE in the morning!). I had already fed her for about an hour and DH had a bottle of expressed milk. She cried, cried, cried as soon as Daddy took over and only settled when I came back. DH rarely puts her to bed but the few times he has lately she refuses to settle, and just cries until I come back. She's 4 months, so too young for separation anxiety, right? We either have to figure this out, or I'll never get a break. As it is, she will only sleep if we put her down in a quiet, dark bedroom, and it takes 2-3 hours and requires me to stay with her as she has an uncanny ability to wake if I leave. So it really is a case right now of my day pretty much being hijacked from 6pm, but I guess this too shall pass!