Naps at 4 months old.

[TheGirlAtTheRockShow]

DD is 4 and a half months old (3 and a half adjusted). We have a pretty good night routine sorted - she sleeps 7-7/8 with wakes for feeds around 2 and 5.
However day time naps are random and generally only short. Some days she'll have a 20 minute nap then be up for an hour then another 20 minute nap and repeat all day. Other days she'll manage longer naps (40 minutes) and be up for slightly longer.
She feeds to sleep at night but not every time during the day. I can spend an hour from her showing signs of tiredness (yawning and rubbing eyes) before she'll go to sleep. Then she'll wake after 20 minutes and i'll try to get her back to sleep but she just wakes up more!
At home I'll take her to the nursery, close blackout blimd and have all lights off except night light and rock with her in rocking chair till she's asleep then put her in cot. Same as at night. When out she just won't nap and gets herself worked up and over tired, but that's a whole other problem!
How do I get her to nap longer and less often?

My 4 month old is very much the same. The only way I can get him to nap longer is to hold him unfortunately. Also interested in any ideas others may have!

Same here! Watching with interest! Dd will sleep for hours on me only way to get her to have a good nap is to hold her for about 45 min then gently put her down she might then stay asleep for another 45 min to an hour she's 21 weeks

Park on the sofa with Netflix and let her sleep on you while you watch something or put her in a sling and let her sleep there while you get on with stuff. After two non-napping, non-sleeping DSs, I've given up on any other methods of getting longer naps in a cot. Life's to short to spend hours of your life in a darkened room willing a baby to sleep. And I have spent HOURS of my life doing just that with no success!

Both of mine were catnappers til they crawled then started taking two naps a day, at least one of which would be 1.5hrs plus. I didn't do anything different so I think it was just a developmental/exercise thing.

Like Elphaba I don't bother with naps in the cot for dc2. He takes his naps in the pushchair (previously pram) in the hall. Means that I can pop out with dc1 without having to get him up/wait for him to wake.

More - DD does NOT sleep in the pushchair. She is so nosey she would rather just watch everyone/thing else. If I try to cover the pushchair so she cant see, she gets upset.

Same goes for sling - she just wants to watch everything and wont sleep. Only way to ever get her to sleep is in a darkened room! Hence why I want her to sleep for longer and less often - so I don't have to spend so long there.
If I catch her when she is only just stirring and just rest my hand on her chest she'll sleep a bit longer, but I have to catch her at just the right time.

Mine pretty much gave up day time naps at that age! She's a child who doesn't need much sleep..

Both my DCs have been like this, DD is about the same age as your DD OP and a catnapper.

DS was the same but it did change at some point and his naps got more structured, but this was just in time, we did do a bit of self settling to get to sleep but this only worked if I got him before he got overtired, so the first hint of a yawn and eye rubbing I put him up and with a little crying he would go off to sleep. My DD is the same, if I get her at the right time then she'll go down albeit, not for more than 45 minutes.

If your DD is sleeping that well at night then I'd expect her naps will get better, don't get to worried about it too much!

Also WRT sling, I have shoulder/back problem so physically can't carry her all day. She likes to spend her waking hours on me too so try to give myself abreak for sleeping hours.
Nice to know she isn't the only one.

I'd just go for the sofa with Netflix option, then with tea and biscuits Way less tiring

Just wanted to say - same here ! Tried wake to sleep...did not work..tried going in and settling her again after she wakes using whatever method - rocking or nursing and IF she falls back asleep then she will usually sleep for an hour after this ! But the first time she goes down it's 30 mins on the dot.....Every time. I swear one day I put her down for like 7 naps. Maybe exaggerating but this is what it felt like ! She gets grumpy and tired after 30 mins of being awake but an hour after waking she is ready to go to sleep again. Same in pram...30 mins on the dot. And I have to keep walking with the pram or she'll wake up, if I go into a shop, a different environment or park up the pram and try and sit somewhere, she wakes up ! Now that she's so aware of everything she won't sleep on me anymore unless I lie next to her in her bedroom and let her sleep with boob in mouth (nursing nap) ..she has started self settling which is amazing but it means she expects to be put to sleep in dark(ish) room, in her cot, with music box so hard for me to do this when we are out and about or at someone else's house. Trying to get it so she will sleep in pram in darkened room when we're at someone else's house but it's only happened once. And even then she woke after 30mins ! One glorious Sunday she napped like a textbook baby and did 2 x 1.5 hour naps and 2 30 min naps and it was AWESOME. Then she never did it again. No idea why ! ARRRG. Slightly tearing my hair out as if she's had a bad night I have no chance to catch up on sleep in the day cos as soon as I start to fall into a deep sleep she wakes up from her nap. I really hope once she starts crawling and uses more energy she'll fall into a deeper sleep and have normal longer naps....she sleeps so well at night usually that I just don't understand why she won't go back to sleep after 30mins...she sounds like she is trying to...I often leave her for 15 mins or so to see if she'll go back to sleep (not crying but just chatting and moaning to herself) but she doesn't and starts crying. I can tell she's still tired but it takes so much energy and effort to get her back to sleep after this initial wakening, it doesn't always work and it means if I try this method am stuck at home all day in her bedroom trying to get her to take an hour's nap ! Maybe blackout blinds will help..that is my next idea to try !!

eepie it's annoying isn't it!? Sounds so similar to my DD. We have blackout blinds - they made no difference but I persevere with using them.

more I maybe am trying to get her to sleep too soon, I will try leaving it longer after she starts tiredness cues.

elphaba I do just let her sleep on me when it gets desperate - but even this has to be in a darkened room. Plus means even less attention for the poor neglected hound!

Another vote for long naps are normally on me I'm afraid although recently ds has been going to sleep if I lie next to him then very carefully and slowly move away. .. its a technique I've perfected over the last week

DS only sleeps on me during day but he goes to sleep of own accord anytime between 9.30-11pm until 8/9am.

Very rarely he will sleep in poddle pod with a white noise app but that's maybe like once a wk & only for half an hr whereas on me he could sleep 2.5hrs no problem.

Daytime nose are totally erratic & he fights sleep sthing shocking!

But I try not to get stressed about housework etc - he won't be a baby forever. Might try a sling though, gd idea!

Well I don't know what just happened but DD napped for nearly an hour this morning! Didn't do anything different.
FWIW - I don't want her to nap longer so I can do housework. Hate housework - any excuse not to do it. I want to be able to show the dog a bit more love while DD naps, and rest my back and shoulder. And drink a hot cup of tea would be good.

My DS decided to do an hour and 45 minutes today This is the third time in his 15 weeks that he's done that. On each of those three occasions I've had a pressing need to be somewhere at a certain time. I will start telling him every day that he mustn't sleep too long because we've got to be somewhere by X o'clock. Let's see how that goes. If it works, I'll write a book about it and make millions

Babies - never do what you want them too!
Actually I had no where to be so just hung out on the sofa with the dog. Was nice
Wonder if she'll repeat it tomorrow!