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Original poster

How can I extend babies naps?

30 replies

PreemieBlessing · 22/10/2013 12:59

5 month old is sleeping 30mins-40mins but no longer.

I tried the wake to sleep method but it ended up waking baby up and I ended up doing pupd twice and letting baby whinge back to sleep. It took half hour for baby to fall back to sleep.

Is this really the most effective way to get baby napping longer?

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hettienne · 22/10/2013 13:03

The one sleep cycle nap is totally normal at this age, and I think mostly if they do start sleeping longer then they just do it in their own time. Does he self-settle to sleep at the start of the nap? Some children never nap more than 40 minutes at a time.

MummyKanny · 22/10/2013 13:03

Watching with interest as am in the exact same boat! Daytime naps are for around 40 minutes followed by screaming if not picked up. Resorted to the sling again just to save my ears Sad

Artandco · 22/10/2013 13:10

Pram seems to work well. After 30 mins / 40 mins try rocking pram slightly so they don't fully wake up.

Once you have reached the point of getting them to sleep through to over an hour then try stopping the rocking halfway and can try cot/ pram etc again without rocking

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Original poster
PreemieBlessing · 22/10/2013 13:18

Hettienne I usually put him in his cot awake and after some whingeing he falls asleep. If he cries I do PUPD till he falls back to sleep. I am managing to reduce his night wakenings and only giving one feed between 4-5am however I think because he doesn't have long enough naps during the day he is not sleeping through at night.
I have firmly stopped using slings, rockers, prams etc as I want him to sleep alone in his cot.

I just need to nail extending his nap to put him on to a good routine.

Thanks for everyone's input so far..

Any other methods?

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ceeveebee · 22/10/2013 13:28

Is the room completely dark? I find that blackout blinds, and also putting in sleeping bags helped my DCs sleep for longer during the day.

plummyjam · 22/10/2013 13:28

Like Hetienne said, 45 mins is about the length of a baby's sleep cycle. This doesn't tie in with what you're doing generally, but as I only have one 8 mo old at the moment, what I sometimes do is feed her to sleep lying down on the bed and when she stirs feed her again straight away. That way she will sleep for about an hour and a half and I get to lie down for an hour and a half (like now!).

Obviously this won't work if you have more than one DC or aren't BFing.

She will also sleep in her cot but not for longer than 45 mins.

hettienne · 22/10/2013 13:31

I used to do the same plummy - I'd leave morning and late afternoon naps as 45 minutes in the cot, but the after lunch nap we would both go to bed so I could boob when necessary Grin

plummyjam · 22/10/2013 13:36

Ha ha yes I call it boobing to sleep and co-napping - tried and tested method! Will be gutted to not be able to do it if I have any more kids.

WestieMamma · 22/10/2013 16:34

What's PUPD?

DS is 6 months old and has just gone from napping for around 30 mins to around 90 mins. This has been since he's dropped the number of naps to 2 (occasionally 3) a day. He naps in his pram. I can tell if he's had long enough by how he wakes. If he's happy and chatty he's had enough, if he's crying/grizzling he hasn't so I rock the pram until he goes back to sleep.

WestieMamma · 22/10/2013 16:35

Forgot, I have the hood up on his pram with a blanket over it so he's in the dark like a budgie.

MummyKanny · 22/10/2013 19:47

Westie, when you put it like that, you make it sound so simple!

PUPD is pick up, put down (I think!) I've had limited success with it so far but suppose it requires perseverance.

WestieMamma · 22/10/2013 19:56

I think much depends on the individual child. With my son, rocking results in instant sleep. With my daughter, nothing resulted in sleep. Ever. She's 20 now and still only sleeps for 3 or 4 hours a night.

IndecisivePramBuyer81 · 22/10/2013 20:37

Having a similar dilemma here so can't offer any advice bit watching with interest. I also assume he was still tired if he woke up grumpy and ready for another nap in another 30-45mins. .my health visitor suggested keeping him in his darkened room/in a calm environment until he's ready to go back to sleep but I'm not sure that's practical and would rather just get him up again! trying to soothe him off again after he's woken doesn't work at all!

BotBotticelli · 22/10/2013 21:23

Most babies only take 30-40 minute naps (usually 4 or 5 of them per day) until they are around 7mo when they naturally start to stretch them out a bit (usually coinciding with them dropping down to just. 2 naps per day, and suddenly being able to stay awake much longer in between naps).

Try not to stress about it: it's a developmental thig and your baby will probably take longer naps when he/she is ready.

Follow her cues, put her down for naps when she is tired, not when any baby routine books say she should be tired, and things will naturally fall ito their own rhythm between 7-8mo I think.

Original poster
PreemieBlessing · 23/10/2013 11:41

Hello all thanks for your input once again. . Yes pick up put down worked well for me but it's taken over a week to really get him to self settle especially at night. You need perseverance but if your dedicated and want to teach your baby good sleep habits I'd say go for it.

I may have found a way to make my baby nap longer. Basically last night after his early morning feed he rolled to his side and stomach was down. He slept through from 6-9am. I then waited for his sleep cues and then changed his nappy and put him down. Within few minutes he dozed off and had rolled to his side so I gently rolled him fully tummy down (now that he can lift his head properly). He has been sleeping almost an hour (fingers crossed).

If your confident baby will sleep safely on their tummy try it out...

Will keep you posted on how his current nap goes and how the next one goes to have conclusive results. .

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Original poster
PreemieBlessing · 23/10/2013 11:42

Sorry I should correct myself. .After his first feed and activity time I put him to sleep, nortimmediately after his early morning wake (which it may come across as in my last post !)

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IndecisivePramBuyer81 · 23/10/2013 14:00

How did it go? ?

Original poster
PreemieBlessing · 23/10/2013 21:29

Unfortunately he only napped for 30mins Hmm

Any suggestions please help!

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Original poster
PreemieBlessing · 24/10/2013 13:17

Ok people I just tried the wake to sleep method. .After exactly 20mins of my son napping I gently roused him by making a hissing noise and he opened his eyes ever so slightly and then I patted him back to sleep. He slept an hour

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Original poster
PreemieBlessing · 24/10/2013 13:38

Ok so he woke up still looking very tired and upset so I used pupd for 15mins roughly and ill try the wake to sleep method in 20mins. .Let's see if I can stretch the nap to another hour..keep you posted

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Artandco · 24/10/2013 13:49

Can you try not picking up? Pick up put down is what I would do if baby is screaming. If they just wake and murmur I would try just hushing gently next to him first. If this doesn't work then I would hush and gently pat/ hold hand on him for comfort. I would only pick up AFTER I have tried the above.

Mainly as once you have picked up and soothed its then harder to put down and settle again. If you can try first to settle them in cot/ Moses/ pram then it saves you having to resettle once down again. Does that make sense?

So think of it as the further from mattress they are, the harder to put back. And also it helps them learnt to self settle easier as not so used to being rocked etc.. All the while you are next to them and aren't letting them cry it out

Artandco · 24/10/2013 13:51

Also a short lullaby can help or phrase ie 'its sleepy time x'. Every time you put him down to sleep you can say this/ softly sing it or similar so if he does wake and needs resettling you can say again then whilst hushing gently and it can help him learn cues

Original poster
PreemieBlessing · 24/10/2013 14:32

I did the wake to sleep method. He didn't look like he'd come out of the sleep cycle otherwise he'd fidget so I woke him again. .This time with him opening his eyes again. I did shh pat and he's now stretched another hour of sleep. He's still sleeping so hopefully he's up soon and much more happier.

Will keep doing this for a week until I'm confident he can have an extended nap.

I will keep you posted x

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Original poster
PreemieBlessing · 24/10/2013 14:37

Thanks artandco. I will definitely try your suggestion to not pick him up unless he's really upset. Yes I always say 'aveer sleepy time' when I put him down. (My sons nameeis Aveer). Hopefully this will help :)

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Original poster
PreemieBlessing · 25/10/2013 14:59

Today I tried wake to sleep method for his first nap but unfortunately he woke at 45mins. For his second nap I did wake to sleep and he stayed asleep for 45mins but when he started waking up I could tell that he still needed sleep so I used a combination of shhh pat, rubbing his back, and put a heavy hand on him. He fussed for 10-15mins but eventually got back to sleep.

He's been sleeping another half hour since. It all seems pretty long winded but I can see some difference.

I've incidently also been sleep training him and he's gone from waking 3 times at night to once. He's also drinking less at night so I'm thinking of slowly giving him less and eventually giving water.

I hope he can sleep through after that. He's now sleeping a good 10 hours at night, 11 if I'm lucky.

Definitely recommend trying this if anyone is struggling with nights.

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