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4 month old - poor daytime napper - does this effect nightime sleep?

6 replies

polar515 · 17/01/2011 15:12

Apologies as I have posted on this before but as things develop with my DS (16 weeks old) any advice would be much appreciated.

He has never 'slept through' the night as such.

we have been putting him to bed with bedtime routine about 7pm from around 8 weeks. The best night we had for only about 3 nights was 7pm til 5AM (result, I know).

However, things have got progressively worse and I wondered whether his rubbish daytime napping may affect things?

He now goes to bed at 7 like an angel, has dream feed at around 10.30, we don't hear from him until 2 for feed but then at 4 ? for a feed - this seems to be the only thing that seems to settle him after cuddle, rock etc, and then around 5.30 when he is wide awake and seems to want to get up.

Unless in the car seat or sometimes pram when an hour nap may be possible, he only has very short daytime naps but these can be frequent. Could this affect nightime sleeping?

For example, today has gone as follows;

5.30AM wake
7.45AM sleep 30 mins bouncer chair
8.00AM feed (had been fed last at 4AM hence no feed at 5.30AM)
9.00AM 20 mins sleep in pram
10.30 30 mins sleep in pram
12.00 feed
1.50pm 30 min sleep bouncer chair - in quiet nursery, as dark as poss for day
3.00pm asleep now again in bouncer chair

He will not 'go down' in the cot in the day. I do monitor tired signs etc and try to encourage napping when he seems so.

Any advice please?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
offmyrocker · 17/01/2011 15:47

Hi,
Don't know how much I can help but just to let you know that my 20wk still has a feed at some point between 2am and 4.30am and I've just resigned myself to this fact.
When your DS wakes 2hrs after the 2am feed does he eat a lot? If so could he take more at the 2am feed? And when he wakes do you keep things very low key? ie no chatting or bright lights? At 5.30 does he scream to get up or could you just leave him for longer as he may conceivably go back to sleep on his own...
I would just try to leave him if he's calm (at the 5.30am) and see what happens, and if he won't fall asleep on his own I'd then (always low key, darkened room etc) hold him and see if he'll fall asleep on you, then put him back in his cot.
Anyway just a few suggestions.
Hope you have some luck? Smile

moflee57 · 17/01/2011 16:46

I have to tell you your nights sound pretty good! I feed mine every two hours and it is driving me crazy. He tends to catnap in the day too rather than have long stretches. 4 months is still very young and growth spurts around this time might account for lapses maybe. Have you tried just eeking the feeds out a little each night? By this I mean when your LO wakes to feed try rock, pat, dummy or whatever soothes for maybe 15 mins or so or until he is really wailing rather than clucking - then feed. If you do this over a few nights you may be able to add on half an hour to existing times and he'll feed more efficiently. Also 6am rise, even though only half hour later, psychologically is so much easier to deal with! Good luck - you're heading in the right direction esp if he's done a 7pm - 5am stint before....

moflee57 · 17/01/2011 16:53

God so sorry - just noticed you'd said that you'd tried cuddle, rock etc at his 4am wake - doh! Have you tried an extra feed in the daytime as he may be using night feeds to catch up during a growth spurt - sounds like it if he's suddenly waking up constantly at this time.

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moflee57 · 17/01/2011 16:53

God so sorry - just noticed you'd said that you'd tried cuddle, rock etc at his 4am wake - doh! Have you tried an extra feed in the daytime as he may be using night feeds to catch up during a growth spurt - sounds like it if he's suddenly waking up constantly at this time.

moflee57 · 17/01/2011 16:54

can you tell i'm tired? Grin

TheUnmentioned · 17/01/2011 16:56

Dd is 16 weeks and sleeps 7-7 usually with a dreamfeed at 11pm BUT she does not sleep at all in the day apart from on me for amyeb 20 minutes which is a bit of a bind as have a 4 year old too.

I am very very grateful she sleeps well at night but is it out of sheer exhaustion?

I dont have any advice other than to say things do improve, ds didnt sleep for a very long time then one day he just seemed to 'twig' and slept through.

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