Extending naps ... is there a way?

8 replies

sheeplikessleep · 11/02/2011 14:26

if so, please can i know the secret? ds2 is 11 months old and will not sleep for longer than 30 or 40 minutes in the daytime.

he is now sleeping through the night and i feed him for all sleeps until he gets sleepy (he goes in his cot awake but drowsy).

OP posts:

Chil1234 · 11/02/2011 15:34

If he's pleasant to live with, alert and healthy then he probably only needs 30 or 40 minutes at a time in the day. If he's grumpy, lethargic or constantly ill... maybe you'd need to do something. They're more work when they need less daytime sleep but at least you're getting peaceful nights... can't have both, I don't think. Good luck

Original poster

sheeplikessleep · 11/02/2011 15:41

hi chil, yeah he's fairly happy in the day (although it gets to 4pm and he's rubbing his eyes constantly until bedtime). i am grateful for my nights now (would be nice to delay the 5am start each morning mind :)).

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Chil1234 · 11/02/2011 17:15

Some of us have larks for children... I think that's a small price to pay for several hours unbroken sleep. I used to get up and do things around the house, deal with my finances etc. By 7am I'd have everything sorted and, you know, I've never been so organised before or since.

Original poster

sheeplikessleep · 11/02/2011 21:55

crikey, it's enough effort for me to get out of bed at 5am!

i still wonder whether he is getting enough sleep overall. he gets 10 - 11 hours at night and 1 hour in the day. he sleeps less than his 3 year old brother.

hoping he'll start sleeping a bit more soon.

OP posts:

Chil1234 · 12/02/2011 07:22

If he's not as active (walking?) as the the three year-old then he might not need quite so much sleep. And different people need different amounts anyway. He sounds perfectly normal to me.

Cosmosis · 13/02/2011 11:20

I have heard that putting a hand on their chest just before they normally wake can get them through to the next cycle, could be worth a try? the other thing I have noticed is ds often wakes but goes straight back tp sleep if I just leave him.

Original poster

sheeplikessleep · 13/02/2011 14:21

thanks cosmosis. i've tried leaving him and he just gets himself worked up. i keep trying cc in the daytime, but he just cries and cries.

i'll try the hand on him, thanks for posting.

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SconesForTea · 14/02/2011 15:45

Sheep I am in the same position as you and I was just going to post the same question! DD is 12m, and has only ever napped for 30-40 mins in the daytime. She too is clearly exhausted by about 4pm until bedtime (which I've brought forwards to 6pm to compensate). I'm sure she needs more daytime sleep but I'm at a total loss how to achieve it. Once she wakes from a cycle she has never gone back. Leaving her to cry doesn't work; she has cried for a whole hour before .

If anyone knows how to extend naps, a method that really works, please please tell!

Flip