Can my baby really cope with this little sleep??

[naomilpeb]

My 12-week old (1st baby) will sleep very little during the day. It can be as little as three twenty-minute naps from waking up (between 8 and 10 AM) to going to sleep (about 9 PM - she then wakes twice in the night to feed too). I am usually putting her down or taking her out in the pram/sling when she seems tired (yawning, eye-rubbing), but often she won't go to sleep, but just lies there gurgling to herself. She doesn't seem to suffer from too little sleep, although sometimes she'll have a grizzling meltdown in the late afternoon that can only be remedied by an hour of the boob and cuddles (which I don't mind at all!).

Does anyone else have a baby who sleeps so little during the day? Is she really that odd?! I'm not into routines particularly, and since my mummy friends from my NCT class have all run headlong down the routine route, they find her sleeping habits strange. So much so that it has become a regular question when we meet up!

Thanks for any advice.

Not any more (DS is now 2!) but he did sleep very little during the day. And knowhere near as much as your little one seems to during the night. Really - she goes to bed at 9pm and doesnt wake till 8 or 10am with only two wakes?? That sounds fantastic for a 12 weeker!

I wouldnt worry yourself at all. She's doing her own thing - sleeping lots at night is brilliant so I wouldnt worry about the day - at least she's got it the right way round! . Chances are that routine will shift soon anyway.

Keep up whatever youre doing

I remember at this age my LO hardly slept either. Some days he would not sleep at all (no kidding) despite every effort i made. People thought i was making it up. It does get better though as they get bigger/more active etc. My LO now 22 weeks generally sleeps about every 2 hours from when he last woke up about 3 hours in the day in total.

Have to agree with lynniep though about the nightime sleeping is fab. Unfortunately we can't have it all

Ignore your NCT chums - i'm pretty sure it i s all a big competition about whose baby is the best sleeper

As long as she appears a happy sole don't worry

I agree too. My dd (now 2 years old) only had a couple of 20 min naps in the day - her nighttime sleeping was much worse than your lo.

She sounds very normal! Some babies just need less sleep.

sorry but i agree with the others that this does sound normal. DS2 sleeps more than DS1 but in the average day he only naps for about 20mins twice and then sleeps for about 9hrs at night.

I did find with DS1 that once he was mobile, he was a far better sleeper and these days aged 18months he sleeps from 6.30pm until 7am

I agree with fledtoscotland. When dd started to move around more her 20 min naps used to turn into 2 hour ones...bliss!

Thanks for the reassurances that I'm not damaging her by not forcing her to sleep more! The housework will just have to wait till she's bigger...

My DS was the same. He eventually settled down to a normal sleep pattern after several months, but didn't sleep through the night til he was 26 onths old! He was breast fed, so he'd nod off on the breast and by the time I realised he was asleep and put him down, I'd just about have enough time to go to the loo and then he'd wake up again! Plus he hated lying down, so basically I got no housework done for about a year...
By the time he was 2 DH & I were zombies, but it didn't seem to bother him much!