Baby tired after 45 min naps

[fatpony]

Hi, a few weeks ago my baby wouldn't nap in his cot but I've won the fight (for now!) and he generally nods off within 6-8 mins with no aid from me. Grumbles a bit but nothing major. Goes down fine at night too and sleeps about 11-12 hrs with a couple wake ups for milk-goes back down no prob. However he does wake after 45 mins and when I go to get him he two times out of three has a cry for a while and is then clingy for 20-30 mins after. This makes me think he is tired after the 45 mins and needs to sleep more....but how? I left him today for 5 mins once he woke to see what would happen but he cried in an escalating way. I've tried putting my hand on his tummy and stroking his head but he gets very stimulated by me being there.

Is there anything I can do or will he eventually begin to sleep longer in the day by himself. It's a shame as he should wake happy and rested from a nap but it doesn't seem to be the case!

Sorry can't help but have the exact same issue so I'm hoping for replies. He's so cross after less than an hour or so but usually just won't go back to sleep!

Just posed a thread about a similar issue. You have my sympathy!!!

Most babies have a 35-45 min sleep cycle and will stir after this. When my DS was alone without me he would wake fully at this but it wasn't enough sleep, he needed help getting back to sleep. You don't say how old your DS is but mine got like that at about 4 months and would cat nap in a very light sleep. I don't think hand on stomach etc would cut it, I had to do full on rocking cuddles etc. But he did do it for a while, and yes he was still tired as he was still too young to really control his sleep as in just sleep when he was tired, if babies did that we'd all be happier :) he's back to long naps two months later. I just held him for a lot of his naps as it made him sleep better and so we had longer and better wake times.

DS2 is 16 weeks and naps for 30mins. I wish he'd nap for 45 mins...!

There are a couple of tricks you can try to extend his naps. Basically you need to break his habit of waking fully and nudge him into the next sleep cycle. Try going in after 40 mins and soothing him with your hand as soon as he stirs at all. That may stop him from waking in the first place. If that doesn't work you can 'wake to sleep'. Go in half way through his sleep cycle and sort if nudge/ bother him enough that he stirs but doesn't wake. This should push him into a new cycle. The second if these worked for me. I also make a mega fuss when it is time to get up so she knows the difference.

Good luck. Longer napping has made all the difference here for her and me!

YY to end of a sleep cycle. White noise sometimes worked for us.

Thanks for the suggestions. Dorothea I'm going to try yours (if I feel brave enough!).

Similar to what is suggested above you can try timing his naps first, once you know how long they are, sneak up five minutes earlier, take video monitor if you have one (muted) then wait until first stirring, then do whatever it takes to get them back to sleep, I found with ds that I had used a sssshhhh to get him to sleep so he associated that with going back to sleep, so I'd hide outside his room and sssshhhh shhhh, and usually after 5/10 minutes he'd go back to sleep. Repeat this for a couple of weeks and you should 'teach' him to resettle himself. It's worth mentioning that if you can do all his naps in his cot for the next couple of weeks, you will have a lot more success.