Nap extending - any success stories?

[CremeDeSudo]

I've posted in Sleep about Wake to Sleep which was unsuccessful earlier on my first attempt..

Anyone successfully managed to extend their DC's naps? How did you do it?

DD is now 13wks and has been napping between 10 and 40 mins since she was 8wks. It's driving me up the wall. DS was the same (although I don't think as bad) and didn't nap any better until I did some sleep training when he was 6 months. I know they say they can't consolidate naps until 5,6 months but I want to put encourage good sleep where I can!

Dd only ever slept for 40 minutes (to the minute!) until someone on here advised sitting with her for her naps and immediately re-settling her when she started to wake. I did that for about a week and it extended her naps to 80 minutes. I remember feeling so relieved. Good luck!

Yep, put down awake in the firat instance and settle in the cot.
Then watch like a hawk on the monitor and when the baby starts stirring then hold and shhhh or pat and shhhh in the cot. This can take up to 20 mins at the start but soon will be a 2 min job and then they’ll just naturally resettle.

I like that you've both said the same thing, that's promising! She'll be in the pram for most naps tmw but will be on this from Wed. I'm optimistic!

My DS was exactly the same which made him really whiny due to being over tired. I read somewere that if they wake before 45minutes then resettle them straight away.

My DS used to only go to sleep being cuddled and i think the problem was when i tried to put him down he woke from his deep sleep and cudnt go back off as well.

I started putting him in his swing or his pushchair awake when he started to get tired and set the swing away or push him in his pram. It worked a treat and he never sleeps any less than 45 minutes now. Yesterday he slept for 2.5hrs during his morning nap xx

I extended my sons sleep by putting him to sleep in the pram then rocking him back to sleep when he started to stir.

My eldest was like this. Would only nap for 30 minutes. But it was because he had reflux and was in pain. I would make sure you rule out anything like that before trying sleep training.

My youngest always napped better than my eldest. First off his reflux wasn't as bad. But I also started putting him up in his cot for naps from 6 weeks old with white noise on to avoid him getting woken up by his brother. Basically treated naps the same as bedtime. I know they say to keep them in the same room when they're little but I think they sleep better when they're not!

45mins is their sleep cycle, they have to learn to go back to sleep.

My LO wakes after 45mins, then goes back to sleep for another 45mins

I'm already doing most of what you've said, with the exception of the preventing the jolt wake up, so trying that next...I've been reading lots so I know all about the sleep cycles. I know she's too young for sleep training hence looking for what else I can do.

She's on gaviscon for silent reflux (DS had full on reflux quite badly). She wakes up after a short nap even in the pram or as soon as I stop moving, hates the swing and once she's woken, if I can get her off again I then can't put her down as she wakes immediately.

I never got my LO up betwren sleep cycles. I left her to chatter to herself and settle back to sleep, if she started crying too mich i went in and patted and shh.

I 'sleep trained' at around 12 weeks when she went into her own room

Out of interest did she have a dummy?

She's always had a dummy for naps, and we introduced a dummy for bed around 4 months because she started sucking her thumb

Off topic, but how did you find nights with a dummy? DS needed his replacing 10+ times a night by 4.5mo. I'm VERY nervous she's going the same way. Last 3 night's she's needed it replacing every 2 hrs whereas up until now she'd go from.7 til 2. I'd prefer she found her thumb!!

I don't want her sucking her thumb as its so much harder to stop it in the future.

She needs it replacing maybe once or twice a night but i don't put it back in her mouth, i give it to her as she can do it herself, and it's trying to teach her to find the dummy herself to put back in. This is only started happening since 6 months, before this she used to sleep 12/13hrs straight. Some nights she sleeps through, but i'm not too worried about getting up for 30 seconds to find the dummy for her.

DS only ever naps for half hour at a time, and he's now 8 months He just sits in his bed chatting away to himself, then eventually gets upset if I leave him too long.