4.5 month old naps? How much does your lo sleep in the day?

[fionnthedog]

Hello all,

My 4.5 month old DS's naps have got completely awry this week and I am questioning my instinct as to what to do.

How many naps did your LO tend to take at this stage and for how long? Up until this week ds was taking 3 naps a day each of 1-1.5 hrs long totalling around 3.5 hours in the day. This week he has fought all naps but the first and only averaged 2.5 hrs in the day in bursts of 30-40 mins.

I don't mind if his routine is changing I just want to see what others experience of this stage has been as I am a first time mum and never sure if something is normal.

Thanks.

My DS is 6 months and has only ever slept longer than an hour about 6 times in his entire life in the day. Usually it is 30-40 minutes.

It's been hard to never have any down time in the day but there's really nothing I can do to lengthen his naps.

I didn't know how much DS needed to sleep and had a very grumpy baby. Until I read that until 1- 1.5 years they required sleep every hour/hour and half. Once I read this and put it into practice my DS was calmer and happier.

The way I always looked at my DS when he was v baby was that he had more time INSIDE of me being comfortable and growing. Let DC cuddle abd sleep often. They're growing.

My 4 month old is awake for 1.5 hours then goes down begrudgingly for another nap. If I leave it any longer I have a major battle getting her to sleep. First nap of the day is within an hour of waking up ( although she's currently refusing to sleep for this one right now).

I usually make sure she has about 4/5 naps a day. But this is only because dd only sleeps for 45 minutes a time. Sometimes it's 1.5 hours which is total bliss as I can get cleaning done/sit on my bum.

I've read that at 4 months you should be moving towards 3 longer naps per day.

Sounds as if your dc is just going through something if sleep has been consistent, maybe growth spurt or beginning teething? Having said that at 10 weeks my dd was sleeping through and napping well and since 13 weeks it's been pretty awful, so I don't know why anymore, I just Invest in good under eye concealer and try and get more than 3 hours sleep.
Doesn't sound like your dc is doing too badly all!

Sounds like the 4 month sleep regression, we have it here too. Ds is 18 weeks and has always had three naps a day, totalling around 4.5 hours. Recently this has become a bit disrupted, with lots more waking after 20 mins and crying. However he will settle and go back to sleep with a good cuddle so I'm persevering, as he really does need the sleep and it shows in the evening if he hasn't had it. It's just a phase, it will pass! (do you have the wonder weeks app?)

Thanks everyone. Good to know it's not unusual and, yes, I do feel it might be related to a growth spurt as he's eating loads and has noticeably got bigger recently!

The change in his habits has gotten me confused as to when to try and put him down for a nap. I am very lucky in that he is able to self soothe to sleep but if he is either over or under tired then he won't sleep for long and then we end squeezing in 1 or even 2 additional naps because he just conks out in the late afternoon / early evening. When is it normal to transition to 2 naps? I assume not for a while? Or is it impossible to say as each baby is different?

Thanks...

I would say undertired so catnapping rather than taking a longer nap. Could try stretchinv awake time. My 3 month old can fo two hours between naps and isn't tired before then.