Why does my 7wks old ds naps only for 30 mins?

[zuzkah]

Hello. I wonder if anyone would have a piece of advice on how to make my ds sleep longer during his naps. He can't make it longer then 30 mins. You can imagine how tired and grumpy he is after that. So hard to settle back to sleep, only in our arms and when put down he wakes after a while again. I tried to settle him after the 30 mins and he would drift off for about 5-10mins and up again. It's getting really exhausting and I can't get anything done.
Please help. I want my sleepy newborn back!

How long is he awake for at a time? If it's more than about 1hr - 1hr 15mins (incl feeding and nappy change and settling back down) could be overtired... doesn't take much at that age.
Other than that have you tried swaddling? Really helps some babies feel secure and sleep deeply. If you don't go back to him as soon as he wakes will he settle himself back down?

i know exactly how you feel as I've had the same problem since 6w (now 14w), I'd just get DD asleep (feeding to sleep bad mummy) and put her down then awake after 1/2 hr tops, so know how exhausting it is and how your heart sinks when you hear them awake again! We get 40mins on the dot, and have been told that very unfortunately it's completely normal and if nothing else works, you just have to wait for it to pass!

That takes me back I had the same problem if you type in sleep into the search for the threads there is lots of people with the same problem and loads of different advice. (just depends on your situation)

Good luck and it will get better

Have you tried a sling? Dd will sleep for hours in hers but only for about 30 mins if she's put down. Tough choice whether you want to have to spend your time resettling / soothing your baby or whether you want to have her strapped to you for hours at a time which can be restricting. I have a ds as well and have little choice in the matter! And i do worry about her forming sleep associaions with spending all day in the sling but plan to go with the flow and deal with the fallout later... We have a moby wrap and I can highly recommend it if you are interested.

Smile4me: he is usually awake around 1 hour - 1.30. But if we can't settle him it can go on for 4 hours! He doesn't settle himself during the day, I kept watching him without him knowing and he just starts to wriggle and then cry or wakes up with a full on cry. Wait for it to pass....so your dd is 14wks now? Has it passed for you yet? :-) sometimes we resort to going for a long drive in a car. Oh and swaddling sounds good but our climate is subtropical so not very convenient for swaddling. Any idea there? It's 30-32 degrees during the day.

Jayne266: thanks for the tip, I might have a look ... While I'm holding my ds in my arms sleeping soundly. :-)

Knockedupmell: I used a carrier to make him sleep a few times when he (and me) were so exhausted. It worked well and I might be using it more often. Thanks for recommending the Moby wrap, I ll have a look as my carrier is upright.

My dh and I are trying to teach him to settle without one of us holding him....well we'll see how that's gonna go. :-) If all fails I ll just go with the flow. It's good to know there are others out there with this problem. Luckily he sleeps well during the night! I find teaching your bub to sleep the most stressful job of all.

Hi zuzkah sorry but we still have huge issues with naps, it's got worse and worse! And yes sleep is definitely one of the most stressful things you have to deal with! You can swaddle in just a light muslin wrap if it's hot, nappy only. If it's hot you might find the moby rather warm too, although you could wear it with no shirt on around the house .

I've taken good night sleep as the trade off for terrible day sleep... I know DD settles herself during the night so why not the day too is beyond me . So we are just waiting it out, although I have a melt down about it at least once a week

Oh and there is also a wonder week at about 8 weeks, they seemed to be associated with our big sleep deteriorations, so maybe for you too? I don't know.

I have exactly the same. It means nothing ever gets done in the day, but as a bonus, at 13 weeks, still having short daytime naps, but doing really well at night, which must be linked, so look forward to this!

Smile4me, just read your post properly, I agree, it is so weird they will settle on their own at night but not during the day. Odd creatures, babies!

maybe let him sleep in your arms until he is a little older - that phase really does pass quickly, and you aren't creating a bad habit. I let DS sleep in the sling in the day until about 3 months - after that it was much easier to get him to settle in the cot. I found once they can see a bit further and use their hands (3/4 months -)_ you can leave them with a toy (or dummy which I also found helpful at that age) and they can comfort themselves playing etc.

I think at 7 weeks they are barely aware of anything but just want your touch for comfort. Go with it for now and it will get easier later to teach them to settle - when they feel more confident in the world and a little more aware of what is going on.

Ha. Your baby sleeps 25 minutes longer than mine did at that age! She would feed for 5 mins every 2-3 hours and nap for 5 mins twice a day. Didn't seem to bother her - she never once dropped weight and wasn't cranky. Some kids need more than others.

Read this and maybe take a look at this site.

Your baby is normal. Try buying a good sling (not a baby bjorn high street offering). Accept that this too will pass and your baby won't be little for long. Try to enjoy them if you can . Good luck!

Thanks to everyone for your posts. It's comforting to know I'm not the only one with a short napping baby. I held my ds yesterday for two hours just to give him a proper nap. I'll take each day as it comes. My theory is that during the day they are more awake and find it really hard to calm down to take a nap. I can see that when my ds is having a good day napping it's easier to settle him into another nap. If he struggles, he gets overtired and finds it really hard to fall into deep sleep. I can see how frustrated he gets and thats when the crying starts. His and mine, too....sometimes. :-)
Good luck to everyone with your little ones. :-)

Great links DeGlitter