Catnappers and 'bad sleepers' support thread

[AwesomeSuperTasty]

This is inspired by this napping thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/sleep/2123505-Any-advice-for-daytime-naps A user commented that they wanted to start a catnapping thread, but seeing as no one did, I thought I might start a 'support group' for all parents of catnapping babies and generally poor sleepers. (I hope the user who prompted this thought will come forward to claim the credit!)

Anyway, it's really just a place to vent and maybe share experiences.

So, I will start. My 7 month old son still catnaps 30 mins at a time, something he allegedly should have grown out of. He also wakes every 90 minutes at night, and wakes up at 5.30 in the mornings. He self settles to sleep and has an early bed time but can't resettle at night. Basically, since he was born, I've not slept longer than 2 hours at a stretch. I'm sure I'm pretty exhausted but stopped registering it.

I do have some questions for anyone who'd like to share.

• If you have an older catnapping baby, how long does she/he go between naps?

-Has anyone managed to sucessfully implement some kind of a napping schedule, for babies who sleep only 30 mins?

And please don't tell me to get a sling...or co-sleep

mrs and pickle how did you get your DC to have so few wake ups a night?

Thanks for the link mrs, will take a look!

He still woke up multiple times but now he just settles himself back off to sleep with sucked fingers without needing to be cuddled/fed back to sleep.

He didn't make an "I'm hungry" grizzle until 5:30.

I've been treating his "I woke up and can't get back to sleep" grizzles as hunger, when they haven't always been.

Another good night here - I slept in the spare room and DH brought the baby monitor in when he went to bed.

Fed at 4:30 and he went straight back down in his cot. Wish I'd taken him in bed with me though as he was up for the day at 6:30. This will make naps tricky.

Sleeping in the spare room is such a revelation! My DH is a night owl so he is more than happy to supervise the monitor until 1 or 2am so I get quiet unbroken sleep until at least then.

Mrs, did the night wakings/ self re-settling improve once you did cc or was there something else you did? This is one thing I'm struggling with.

Also, sleeping in the spare room - do you think there is also the case that the baby re settles before you even hear them crying? I think I'm probably guilty of jumping up at every whimper.

Last night, woke up at 1am to see DS on his tummy, looking up out of the cot. Should I let him sleep on his tummy if he gets into that position himself? He's been rolling for a whole now but just started doing it in his cot at night

It was the cc that got him self settling. Once he was doing that consistently that was when I decided to try leaving him at night when he woke and imposing a time limit on feeds (none before 1am)

As it happened, he managed to get back to sleep by himself and hasn't needed to be fed until
3:30, 4:15, 5:30, 4:30 the last 4 nights from going down at 7:30.

Pressed reply too soon

Yes that's exactly it - I was getting him out to feed him every time he woke. He would always take a feed so I assumed he was hungry (even though he never cried!) I think he was just waking and not knowing how to go back to sleep and I was using boob as the only way I knew.

Experimenting with a different approach to naps today - scheduling them rather than going by wake times.

He woke at 6:30 but kept him up until 9 for his first nap anyway. Had to do a bit of distraction to stop him grizzling the last half an hour but he's gone down like a dream, much easier than usual!

Am going to try for 1 and 4 (or even later) for his other two naps (have given up on the idea of 4 sleeps a day - it never happens! )

To be honest, DS has "good" weeks and horrific weeks. We're in a stretch of ok sleep-DS did 7-11, fought his DF for about 25m (just caught him as he was waking from a cycle) then did til 330. Resettle with dummy took about 15m then down til 620, where no amount of resettling would work. This throws our eating/sleeping schedule quite a bit as he's already had his first nap (a whole 20m!) and will now be tired when he usually eats.

We're just out of a horrific three weeks where we were on between 6-20 wake ups a night. He had a really bad cold and that seemed to push his progress back.

I'm guilty of jumping up the moment I hear him but simply because if I get to him before he fully wakes, it's much easier/quicker to resettle, especially as I don't have to option of feeding. If I allow him to wake up and fully register his hunger, he's usually awake for between 1-2 hours anytime between 3-6am.

If you're offering a feed when he wakes, try cutting back. DS will only take (with a fight) two bottles at night: 6 oz at 7pm amd between 7-8oz and his DF at 1030. This sees him through until between 7-8. Might be worthwhile giving a DF before you go to bed?

As for the tummy position-I was always told that if they could get into it, they can get out of it. I'd leave him as he's clearly comfy. If you have concerns about him being on his front, why not try side sleeping? Roll up a towel and put it behind his back; part of the problem may be that he simply doesn't like sleeping on his back. Clutching at straws but if you're like me, you'll try anything!!!

We'll

We'll tod

Well today's naps have already gone out of whack! DD had a screaming session when I tried to put her down for her first nap meaning she'd been awake for over 2.5 hours by the time she finally fell asleep. It now means her feeds and naps will overlap for the rest of the day

He did 40 minutes in his cot and I'm trying for a 1pm middle nap

D

I've just put him down as his eyelids were drooping - he took a nano second to drop off bless him! 2.5 hours or thereabouts wake time.

Sorry, my iPad is playing silly buggers!

DD has put her naps back into some kind of semblance of a routine by taking just 25 minutes for her second nap. The problem is she fell asleep in the car seat as I was driving back from the shops and she won't stay asleep in it once we're back in the house. There's no point in trying to put her down in her cot for more sleep as she's wide awake

He only stayed asleep for 20 minutes :(

Frank - so annoying when they take micro naps in the car seat!

We've had a 45/45/1h nap day today. The hour nap doesn't really count as it included 2 wake ups but alas.

He's currently on his playmat and pulling the toys towards him with such force that the arch is bending dangerously. Think he may now be getting a tad too big for it!

We've had 2x40min naps. Safe to say it's been a disaster nap day.

Pickle- your descriptions of your DS really make me chuckle!

3rd nap was half an hour in the pushchair at 3-3:30 so we are now coming up for 3 hours awake.

He was sleepy and his eyes were drooping at 5 in the pushchair on the way home but when we arrived home he got a second wind when I tried to transfer him from pushchair to cot and suddenly he was smiley and chirpy.

He's just started to get a bit restless now but I think he'll make it to 7pm bathtime ok.

I was out with my SIL today who used to have a catnapper but she's now 6 months and is napping 2.5 hours, 1.5 hours, 1 hour most days. I LONG for that!

Yes, earth, I also laugh at pickle's stories!

We had some good naps today (90 min in the morning...Omg) but I doubt it will last. Still, easier to settle now that I figured the optimal wake time is 2, 3 then 3 hours between naps and bedtime.

How's everyone's bedtime been?

Bedtime was good today, after her bottle DD was asleep within 10 minutes! Naps, not so great - 50mins, 25 mins, 40 mins and 15 mins today. I laugh at those books telling me a 4 month old baby needs at least 3 hours of naps during the day!

Yeah me too frank - I'm lucky to get 2 hours out of him!

Bedtime was ok - he had a bit of a meltdown after bath just from overtiredness and it took me a while to calm him enough to latch him on.

He fell FAST asleep after only one boob (I lifted him into the cot completely floppy), but luckily I'd seen it coming and fed him both sides at 6:30 just before his bath so hopefully he should sleep through again.

Honestly, if I didn't laugh about the total freak show that is DS, I'd cry/throw him out the window.

I kept getting told by EVERYONE (HV/Dr/paediatrician) that it would get better at 3 months, 4 months, 5 months etc. Bollocks. From the moment DS came home he has never napped more than 1 hour at a go, except for the glorious vaccination day where he took 3 x 2h naps.

He's now almost 6 months. I too am hoping he just starts passing out without a fight but I'm not holding my breath.

The hardest thing has been accepting that DS doesn't fit the baby "mould". Before he was born I was absolutely set in the routine I wanted to get him in and thought it would just be a case of training him to comply. That went out the window by the end of week 1 when DS literally slept 4 hours in 24.

I don't know about you all but I loathe hearing about the progress of babies born around the same time as DS. Seeing how fresh faced the parents are yet complaining that they "only got 6 unbroken hours last night". Fuck right off.

Oh, your DC is 16 weeks and has started sleeping through? Fuck right off.

DD "only" naps once a day. Oh-I think I'm going to get along with you. How long is the nap? 5 hours. Just kill me.

Hi all!

Bit behind on the thread but yes Earth, partner does NOT get the importance of naps. I mean, if I tell him she needs to nap he will sort it but he wouldn't work it out himself because he isn't with her in the day so hasn't the same sensitivity to sleepy cues. I don't tend to be able to go for a nap myself without leaving a million instructions for both children!

Frankel, I know what you mean about the books and their suggestions for how much your baby needs at each age. Little lady is 15 weeks today.

I have started potty training DC1 today so baby has been ignored more than usual and I have been doing anything to get her to sleep, including resorting to a dummy. It's like 'whatever' to self settling as I frantically run behind the toddler with chocolate bribery in one hand and a potty in the other, making psshhh noises.

Went through 9 pairs of pants today. I am exhausted. Plus toddler woke for hours in the night. No idea why.

No idea how long she slept or when. We have no routine whatsoever when it comes to sleep because I just can't concentrate on her. Plus, she is having a growth spurt. Nights still good though so grateful with a capital G.

Off to bed now. Good luck to all. Don your capes of forbearance and grit your teeth.

Oh yes, I too hate all the books about progress and smug parents who wrote novels and whatnot whilst the baby napped (this is the reason why I hate some baby groups, except for my local sure start ones which are not smug at all). I constantly felt like the most incompetent parent, from day one, because I couldn't get DS to nap/sleep like everyone else.

On a positive note, a 7am wake up today, hoping it lasts...