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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

7 week old ds won't nap during the day

11 replies

NoisyBrain · 23/10/2013 13:55

Well, when I say 'won't' I mean nothing more than a 10-15 minute cat nap here & there until early evening. Is this normal?

He sleeps well at night, which I know I should be thankful for, but it's very wearing having to entertain him almost all day! There are times when I can tell he's tired and I try to help him drop off but he fights sleep, or wakes soon after being put down. He's doing it right now and is so grumpy. It makes going out difficult because I basically have to let him cry while I get ready, which I hate doing. Any advice?

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CreatureRetorts · 23/10/2013 14:00

What have you tried? Mine always needed quite a bit of help (rocking in a dark room with white noise if at home or stick in a sling).

Also look for tired signs - mine needed naps within 45-60 mins of waking in the morning and a little longer as the day went on.

Original poster

NoisyBrain · 23/10/2013 14:32

I got him off to sleep earlier by rocking in a dark room, put him in his cot, and 13 minutes later (I timed it!) he woke up and started crying. He often goes off to sleep well enough it's staying asleep that's the problem. Very occasionally he'll have a random 1 hour nap but I can't think of anything I've done differently when that happens!

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ChazDingle · 23/10/2013 16:40

probably not what you want to hear but i think some babies just need less sleep. My DS now 3.5 was the same as yours at 7 weeks, he never slept for more than 15-30 mins in day. Looking back i think most of the time he wasn't tired enough to nap but being my 1st and comparing him to other babies who need a nap every few hours at that age i assumed he also need sleep.

He did start having a longer afternoon nap of about 2 hours around the time he got really active crawling and walking so about 10 months on, but he dropped his day nap completely between 18 months and 2 years.

The upside is that now he sleeps quite late in the morning, till around 7.30 wheras alot of kids his age that still have a nap are up around 5.30 to 6.

Original poster

NoisyBrain · 23/10/2013 17:36

Tbh I feel better just knowing it's normal I don't want to try and force him to sleep if he doesn't need it.

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noblegiraffe · 23/10/2013 17:43

He will probably sleep longer if you don't put him down, or hold him for 15 minutes before attempting to put him down. Babies naturally wake up a bit around 10 minutes after falling asleep and if they find they aren't in your arms, it wakes them up properly. If you can get them through this, they normally sleep for 45 minutes, before waking again.

FruitbatAuntie · 23/10/2013 17:49

God, my DS2 was the same. It drove me insane as I never got a rest either! He didn't sleep much at night either - I couldn't believe a baby could cope with so little sleep and still thrive (which he did).

DS did have reflux though, so in the early days he would fall asleep as I fed him, then would wake after a few minutes on his back due to discomfort. He is much better now though, and will nap for an hour each morning and afternoon. Took a long time to get there though, he is nearly 15 months now.

fanjobiscuits · 23/10/2013 17:58

I second the possibility of reflux and getting past the light sleep stage by holding etc.

We use a sling with our refluxy baby to make sure he gets sleep and avoids the tired/wired state as much as possible.

Ours also sleeps well at night but I think because he 'crashes' after not enough sleep in the day which I'm not sure is healthy.

Original poster

NoisyBrain · 23/10/2013 18:44

noblegiraffe I do usually hold him for at least 10 minutes once he appears to be asleep, a lesson I learned from settling him at night. He still tends to wake from a daytime nap after a further 10-15. It's the random longer naps that confuse me. I did wonder about silent reflux, as he's also quite hiccuppy and gags sometimes. However surely that would consistently bother him, so he wouldn't occasionally nap for longer in the day and would show signs of discomfort at night? He's mostly a pretty happy chap, awhen he's not fighting sleep.

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beckslovestimmy · 24/10/2013 18:09

Have you tried swaddling. It was the startle reflex that used to keep waking DD up?

somersetsoul · 25/10/2013 18:57

My dd2 was like this. I put an extra blanket on her and she would sleep for hours! Could he be cold?

Original poster

NoisyBrain · 25/10/2013 22:07

Well, just to make me look like a liar, ds had a really long nap today!
I went to a friend's for lunch and he feel asleep in the car then slept through most of the visit.

He's not a huge fan of swaddling as he likes waving his little arms around. As for the temperature, that's a good question. I'm quite paranoid about making sure he's not too hot, but I find it harder to judge whether he's feeling a little chilly.

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