only three 30 minute naps per day, help!

[bclaremums]

My 6mo will only have 3 or 4 30 minute naps per day, never in the cot, only on me or in the buggy - is this normal? Any tips on how to get better naps?

Mine's the same and she's nearly 10 months old now, she generally wakes up after 30 min and it can take at least that long to get her to sleep (only in the buggy or feeding to sleep, which I'm trying to phase out at least in the daytime). As you can imagine she gets tired and tetchy every couple of hours and needs her power nap - I'm not sure what's normal though, I keep being told "every baby is differenWt :)

Actually I just got her to sleep an extra half hour by catching her as soon as she woke up and rocking her back to sleep in the buggy. Sometimes she's clearly tired even when she wakes up after 30 min so it's worth making an effort to get her back to sleep. No idea why she wakes up so easily though... when we're out walking she will sleep for longer, but I can't spend my day pacing the streets! Appalling sleeper at night too, but that's a whole different thread...

Thanks, well it's good to know I'm not the only one! I know exactly what you mean about spending the day pacing the streets.

At night we let him grizzle for a few mins in his cot and then he puts himself to sleep, we just go and comfort him every 5 mins and it usually only takes 10 mins. But I have tried that approach during the day and he just gets hysterical.

I will try catching him when he wakes up though!
Hard work these babies ;)

i had this with ds1 - used to drive me mad cause i couldn't get anything done. soon as he started walking he suddenly started sleeping 2+hrs! still does at 2yrs 8months!!

have you tried the gradual retreat from the cot? i would put him in the cot and sit next to him - hold his hand, stroke his head and tell him it was time for sleep till he was settled. then i just sat there, then slowly crept away. sometimes he wouldn't even let me put him in the cot but i would always try so he started getting used to the idea that the cot was the place to sleep.

Mine is the same - only sleeps in buggy, generally for a max of 30 mins, a max of 3 times a day.

Thanks naturalbaby, great to know you had the same thing and it eventually resolved. Thanks Zimm good to know I'm not the only one.

I am trying to get him used to the cot in the daytime, but if I'm there with him he thinks it's playtime, and as soon as I'm not giving him enough attention he cries.

I am trying to make the most of my interminable buggy walking by talking on the phone with a hands free set, and am also going to get a dictaphone with voice recognition so I can 'write' stuff down when I am walking along!