Aargh - keeps on waking early from naps and VERY tired

[agirlcalledvicky]

This past week my 14 week old EBF baby keeps on waking early from naps, sleeping for 20-30 mins rather than his usual 1.5-2 hours and is getting really tired and cranky.

He is waking yawning and obviously still very tired and sometimes crying. I have tried leaving him to see if he will settle back on his own but he can't. I also try shushing / patting / cuddling / feeding him back to sleep, rarely with success. I then wait for the next nap opportunity and try again and so it goes til its late in the day and he's hardly slept and really cranky and unhappy. These short naps just don't seem to fo it for him, yesterday he was hysterically overtired by 4pm .

I have been making sure he has a full tummy, is warm and comfie and not overtired before his first nap. He's also given up napping in the car or sling and so I am struggling to get him to have any daytime sleep at all. Any ideas????

When do you put him down for a nap, out of interest? Timing can be crucial...

Watching with interest - have the exact same problem with DS 12 weeks. I can sometimes get him to go back to sleep but then he waskes 5/10 mins later!

this morning woke at 8.30am, I watch him like a hawk for tired signs, he yawned and rubbed his face about 9.40am, fed him til sleepy then popped him down he fussed for a few minutes then fast asleep by 10am. I have tried earlier and later. After that its impossible to know what to do as he's so tired. He gets frustrated after a while of cuddling / rocking etc and so I tend to go for a walk and try again in an hour or so. Still no more sleep yet today!

Anyone???

Katiecubs are you finding that it is knacking up the nightime sleep too? DS was sleeping a good 6-8 hours at the start of the night, last night he woke after 2 hours, not hungry just awake, kicking and shouting like mad!

Hi agirl, it's exhausting isn't it! We both are incredibky cranky by the end of the day. Like you i have tried all the techniques but they don't seem to be working - even the pram doesn't seem to do it anymore.

It's not affecting his nights though, in fact they are getting better.

Hi Ladies - sorry to hear the naptimes are becoming a nightmare.

My DD went through this at about the same time whereby she would go to sleep with some persuation (rocking, feeding or pram) but would wake up at exactly the 30 minute mark, no earlier no late. It is devestatingly frustrating as all you want is an hour to yourself and for him to be rested himself. I remember walking for miles only to have her wake half way through the walk and be a right grump on the way back home! As if I really wanted to be tramping the streets myself!!!

You could try methods such as a muslin cloth tucked in next to them - mine liked it over her face - yes her face!, or introduce a special softie which you use for sleeptime only and not use during the day outside the cot. I did find that I could sometimes encourage slightly longer naps by following the night routine minus the bath. If you put your LO's into their grobags, feed and give them softie you may find this helps. Also if you are cuddling/rocking/feeding to sleep, make sure you keep doing it until you feel your LO relax (and you will feel it) and hear a sigh - this means they are literally falling into their deep sleep so you should be able to put into cot safely!

Babies come into a light sleep after about half an hour and some can resettle and others cannot. In reality I had one that couldn't and wouldn't go back after this point despite being desperately tired. The afternoons were long and hard.

All I can suggest that it WILL change and at about 6 months she started sleeping for longer and now at home (she goes to nursery) at the weekends she will sleep for about an hour twice a day. She is now 9.5 MO.

I guess what I am saying is that if you accept that it might not work for you, then you won't feel bad that things suggested to you are not working. You may just have a cat napper and that is hard but if you keep on trucking it will all fall into place I absolutely promise you.

BTW poor naptimes can equall poor nighttime sleeping I beleive.

My DS did this and just grew out of it at about 5 months. It drove me nuts though. He had 4 naps a day for ages.

Now, though, he's 12mo and the best sleeper ever - 2 naps a day lasting at least an hour each, and 12-13hrs solid at night. Settles himself in minutes [proud]

We found putting him to bed really early helped. He still goes to bed at 6.30.

Thanks for your advice! Hoping thats its something he might grow out of but it's driving me nuts and is very tiring. I have will try the mini bedtime routine - thats sounds like a good idea fhuts. I think I might have to be on operation nap time for this next week and work on it as the nights have gone haywire (thats another story...!) and I think the poor dayime naps may be a part of that. Thanks again!

People sometimes reccommend Elizabeth Pantley's wake-to-sleep method for short naps. You spend a few days timing when LO wakes up from nap, then go in a few minutes before this, wake them a little and re-settle them. I think. I've never had the courage to try it but I know it's worked for some - might be worth searching for...

My 12 wk old DS is very similar.

He goes to bed at 7.30 after bath, feed and cuddles. He usually wakes at about 2 ish for a quick feed and then goes straight back down. He's started waking up at 4 am and staying awake until either I or DP bring him downstairs and put him in his bouncer at about 5. Then he'll nod off til about 7. The rest of the day goes rougly...

9 am - nap for about 40 mins. Wake up v grumpy. Has feed around 2 and goes down for nap (after me trying to get him down from about 12!) naps for about 40 mins. He then has next nap at around 4 - 5 ish, again after MUCH persuasion. Again this only lasts about 30 - 40 mins. Then by 7 when its bathtime he's shattered again.

I'm convinced his early waking is related to his crap napping but I'm not sure how to resolve it.

Mistress Ploppy - how did you get your DS to settle himself? IMO this is key as (from what I've read) the sleep cycles are roughly 30-40 mins and they can wake between these cycles. My 4mo DS also only naps for 30/40 mins and I'm also desperate to get him to go for longer.

And am in agreement with fhutts that the nightime sleeping is also linked.

Petifilou, yes, it does really help, but there was a brief time where he would self-settle but STILL have short naps, but only for a week or so, then it was sorted.

I used to cuddle and rock him until asleep, then v-e-r-y gently pop him in the cot. I just stopped the rocking and then began to put him down just before he was properly asleep, so he got used to going from really dopey to asleep on his own. Then I started putting him down sooner and sooner.

He sucks his thumb so this helps a lot.

When he was 9mo we went to stay at my parents and he obviously didn't like the new room/cot - I cuddled him 'til drowsy but he wouldn't self settle. So I did controlled crying - and it wasn't bad at all; I left him for 2 mins, then went in, stroked head, soothing words etc but NO picking up, went out. Left for 4 mins then repeat. Never got to 8 min, he fell asleep

Sorry, a bit long-winded! I think the secret is to do a stretching process from whatever you do, and then when they've nearly got it, don't be afraid to toughen up a teeny bit as they'll probably cope really well

We are improving! Bought Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child and No Cry Nap Solutions and following a few ideas from both of those and (fingers and toes crossed) it seems to be going a bit better.

I have been putting his sleeping bag on and lying down on our bed with him and feeding + stroking his head and he is nodding off quite quickly now. First few days it was taking 40 mins or so, this morning only took 10 mins. I then leave him with the monitor and listen out for any sound, normally 30-40 mins he starts making noises and I sneak upstairs and watch him from the door, is he looks to be waking I go back in and stroke his head +/- pop the boob back in and he goes back off. Yesterday he had a 2.5 hour nap and woke in THE best mood - result!

Next step is to get him into the cot and start a mistressploppy style getting him to self settle. I know this is probably a total faff if you have other kids (or a life!) but I am on operation nap and can spend the time at the moment. Plus as a bonus he is sleeping much better at night - managed a 10 hour stretch last night (smug). Will probably go tits up next week, hey ho!