Daytime naps - getting past the 30 min snooze tips anyone?!

[anotherbitofcake]

Hi

My 14 week old sleeps well at night (ie he goes off easily at 7pm after small bedtime routine of wind down at 6, bath every other day, lights low, lullaby on, feed, basket. Then wakes usually around midnight and 3 for a feed but settles back really well.) Wakes around 6am. Sometimes I get him in bed with me and he dozes off. Usually he is awake though at 6am.

My problem is I can't get him to nap well in the day and I'm sure that's why he's quite a grumpy baby! He gets tired again around 2 hours after waking so we put him down again. He will usually go off with some fussing - prob takes around 20 mins. We are trying to do the same routine - lights out, lullaby, basket. Minimal stimulation. But then he wakes bang on 30 mins later crying. We try our best to get him to go back into another sleep cycle but he just gets more and more upset. I end up usually picking him up. He will fall asleep on me within a few minutes.

Haven't quite sussed out the nap routine he has yet as he is so all over the place but usually he does just get tired about 1.5-2 hours after being awake. He tends to start fussing or getting irritable sitting in one place. Then we would see eyes rubbing, yawn, or if I'm holding him he will bury head in me.

I'm going to try a few days with nothing booked in and just watch him and try and work out roughly what his natural routine is and try and work within that. Also trying to mimic the nighttime routine more - he definitely seems to like minimal stimulation. However do find we end up pinning his arms down, placing hand firmly on chest or rocking him, plus shushing as this seems to help sometimes. I know picking him up and rocking and shushing will not help in long run.

Anyway, I can't seem to get him to go past the 30 min nap. I know if he could self soothe, or not wake up it would really help him as going by when i do rock him in arms to sleep and he has much more nap time he is much more happy when he is awake.

Does anyone have any success stories? I've googled and not found much other than waking to sleep - any success with this? or just leaving him - though he just never will go off on own - is it my fault as I have now always gone in and shushed/picked up?

Help! I just want to help him go back to sleep!

My DS was exactly the same until recently. I tried everything to extend the naps and I mean everything. It's only now that he's started to take a longer lunchtime nap. I think it's a developmental thing. Some babies do it sooner than others. From about 3 to 5 months DS survived on 30 minute naps a day I was really stressing about and used to spend more time trying to get him to nap than he actually napped for, very frustrating! Now at 6 months he's starting to do 1 to 2 hours naps at lunchtime. I am beside myself and not quite sure what to do during this time I'm not used to it!!

I was desperately trying to get into a GF routine (did manage it eventually and it was great btw). To get DS to have a long lunch time nap, I used to hold him on my chest in a darkened room when he woke after 30 mins, and sit like that for up to an hour. It was absolutely not what I wanted to do, but it got him into the habit of a long lunchtime sleep, meaning that I got 2.5 hours to myself most days!

I used to take him out in his pram for a walk between 4pm and 5pm, another guaranteed nap. Again, not necessarily what I wanted to do, but it did mean we went outside every day (so I always had to be dressed by 4pm at the latest!), he was a well rested boy, and meant I was back to pre-pregnancy shape by the time he was 6 months old.

Nothing I did could convince DS to nap for longer than 30 mins until he was about 6.5mo....until that age he just had a 30 min nap after being awake for 1.5/2hrs throughout the day.

He was also a pretty grumpy baby but I am not sure the short naps were a cause of that: I think he was grumpy cos he was frustrated and wanted to grow up quicker, and wanted to crawl/walk/talk etc...i almost think the short naps were part of that: he couldn't bare to be asleep for too long in case he missed anything! (he was very alert and nosy from birth!).

He started stretching out one of his afternoon sleeps around 6.5mo. I think this was due to a couple of things:

1. he started sitting up on his own around this time, which obviously used a lot more muscles than just lying there. So he was physically more tired.

1. He had a big developmental leap around this stage and suddenly seemed both more 'knowing' and more able to stay awake for longer....ie. as he naturally stretched his awake periods out towards 3 or 3.5 hours, the naps go correspondingly longer

1. He learned to roll over and sleep on his tummy. I think he slept deeper on his tummy (he also started sleeping through the night sometimes around the same age and I think this was due to the tummy sleeping as well)

1. I started weaning him on purees at 5mo, and by 6mo he was on 3 meals per day including protein and carbs. I think this made him feel fuller and this also contributed, I reckon.

SO basically I would say in our case it was definitely a developmental things and i just had to wait it out. If I had my time again, I would definitely chill out about it, and wouldnt waste time 'trying' to get him to nap longer in a dark room. Take advantage of the catnap routine: get out and about. Let him nap in the buggy on the way home from a baby group. Build your day around short frequent naps. Always keep a kindle in your bag so if he drops off for a catnap you can sit in a cafe and have 30 mins peave and quiet.

Your LO won't be like this forever. Now as a toddler DS usually has one 90 minute nap after lunch each day (textbook!)....he got there on his own, I just tried to follow his cues not that I had much choice he was so headstrong!

Thanks. I guess just at wits end. LO is v high maintenance, cries a lot and is hard work on general. I just want him to be a bit happier. I know it's not my fault but I often feel like I'm doing something wrong!

I am interested in GF - how did u manage to get yrs into routine?

Other than that guess I just need to accept how he is and try and enjoy rare smiley bits

We have started gf today! After me being sceptical to be fair so far it seems to be working. He seems to want to sleep and eat when she says so it's worth a try right?! Ds is 10 weeks today and normally only does 30 min naps but she says he should sleep 9-9.45 so making him wait 15 mins longer than he would normally seems to work... He's still asleep!!

My DS is 11 weeks and he does this some days (yesterday!!) fusses all day long sleeps 25 mins then is grumpy until next feed/sleep.

But generally after he has been awake for 1hr 10m that's usually the time I'll put him back to bed . He will usually have 45m-60m sleeps and then at around 1:30 have a 2-2:30h sleep.

I think if you put him to bed before he is rubbing his eyes and over tired then he will sleep longer , similar to when we are over tired we find it hard to shut off.

So I think it's a good idea that you have a couple of days recognising his sleep pattern and try to get him up to bed before he would usually be showing the signs .

My DS sleeps in the dark and in his cot for every sleep , unless we are in out in the pushchair obviously.

GF books are very good, I used with my DD, haven't read it again this time but have used some of the skills.

Ok am going to try. Just failed again. He is currently crying in basket. I'm crying in other room. I'm going to have to go in. Why won't he nap!!! It's driving me mad and making me feel really really down. I could try napping in sling I guess but he just doesn't seem to like anything for long and I would really like some time to myself.

Laura did u leave baby of he was awake after half hour?
Am also getting confused by timings as if he takes half hour nap then I'm trying for another half hour to get him to sleep and fail he's only got another hour or so before the cycle starts again. Sigh. Sorry am just feeling v confused and down. I feel like I don't have that maternal instinct everyone keeps banging on about

GF works great for some babies but not for others. If he is generally fussy could it be wind or something waking him? Lying on their backs can bring the wind up and make them uncomfortable. If this is the case the only thing I could suggest is going in after 20 minutes or so, picking up and winding him and then putting back down. Could also wake him up though is the only problem.

What do you mean leave him after half an hour?
Before we started the gf routine he would have 30 mins exactly and wake up the I would get him up and play then he would be tired again after an hour.
I've already learnt today that if he wakes after 30 minutes to just ignore him and he's settled himself back to sleep by himself both times. Then he can last longer before he needs his next sleep!

Ds was like this at that age, only his naps lasted 45 minutes. It would take 10-15 minutes of rocking him to get him to nap (was able to self settle at night). He would wake up crying, obviously still very tired. I used to extend his morning nap by bringing him out in the buggy and the afternoon nap I'd bring him out in the car. At about 20 weeks his naps started to improve. Hes 24 weeks and will self settle in the cot and sleep for 45 mins to 90 mins depending on how tired he is. Also has a fairly regular nap schedule. Think it's a developmental thing. Drove myself nuts trying different strategies to help him nap better. ...waste of time on my part! Only thing I found useful was keeping the first wake up time to an hour and a half. Best of luck, , things will improve