How long can your babies stay awake between naps?

[cruisemum1]

my ds is 18 weeks and rarely manages 2 hours (usually 1.5hrs) of wakefulness before needing his next nap. He seems to average 3 naps per day two of which are in excess of 90 mins and the last one usually shorter and then he seems to be able to go longer until bath/bedtime. I am delighted at this development as up until around 1 week ago he could only nap in 30 minute increments but I am really curious as to what your lo's are doing because this doesn't seem long to be able to stay awake. Your views please.....

Cruise, that's interesting because my LO is coming up 18 weeks and has also just (in the last 3 days) started to extend her nap times after being a 30 minute napper. Think we've been on the same threads before. I haven't actually monitored her properly but naps sound similar to yours.

I always put her down about 1.45 mins after waking but she generally doesn't fall asleep until the full 2 hours are up. I dont know if I'm doing the right thing either so hopefully other mumsnetters will respond with their wisdom.

ginger - congrats! it is bliss isn't it - when they give you some much deserved 'me' time.... hope to get more responses tomorrow....

Hey Cruise and ginger!

Interesting!!!!

My DD is same age and just started to sleep a little longer during nap time.She gets grouchy after being awake for 1 and half to 2 hours and manages few short naps and a longer nap for about an hour or so in afternoon.

ds is 23 weeks and still can't go much longer than 1.5 hours without getting tired, at least in the morning (afternoons seem better). Sometimes after a long night's sleep he is only up for an hour before being ready for another kip, albeit a short one. He is pretty energetic when he is awake, though.

dd is 6m and still goes back to bed about 1.5 hrs after waking. even now it's unusual for her to go more than 2 hrs. if we're at home i can get her to have a long sleep in her cot - i go in 30 mins after she went to sleep and as soon as she shows signs of stirring i "shush" her back to sleep. it's taken a week or 2 of trying this but now it does work - she might then go for 1.5-2 hrs (hooray). hopefully she'll do it by herself eventually.

Thanks for all the responses! I know that 1.5 - 2 hours doesn't sound long but it can feel quite long when you are shuffling them between the playgym, bouncy chair, musical chair, arms and changing mat can't it! (or is it just me...). The reason I was curious is that the day seems to be one long round of getting them back to sleep before they get grumpy! I guess once they are on solids the naps consolidate into a morning and an afternoon nap. You would not believe that I have a dd too and have done this all before would you?! The years seem to have erased every memory of the trials and tribulations of early babyhood

dcb - are you referrring to the b/w technique? ds never naps in his cot but I really wish he could. Trouble is mornign nap is on school run, middle nap is usually out and about and afternoon nap is again on school run. Did you have to 'persuade' you lo to take naps in the cot or have you alwasy done it that way?

I've always wondered if a baby being more sleepy ties in with them having a growth spurt. My DS goes through phases of needing much more daytime sleep, but usually is like yours used to be cruisemum1 i.e. 30 mins max. At 18 weeks it could be the big 4 month spurt???

No Twinkle, please say this new development is going to last. I'm finally managing to get some other stuff done. Having said that, the first couple of times she's slept longer than 30 minutes I've sat on the edge of my seat thinking she'll be waking up any minute, which she didn't and therefore wasting an hour and a half!

I agree Cruise, sometimes 2 hours can feel like an eternity, especially now DD has started teething and can be really grumpy in between sleeps. I find myself clock watching quite a lot in anticipation of the next power nap.

Yeah sorry - that wasn't a very positive post was it? If it makes you feel any better my 24 week old has started needing 5 or 6 full feeds a day, little guzzler, and waking in the middle of the night, after being perfectly happy on 4 and sleeping through for 10 weeks. And he's already started on solids. Grrr!

Twinkle - Makes you wonder why anyone has children!! My ds was sleeping 9 hrs per night at 10 weeks but now has reverted to waking twice nightly . You never know if you are doing the right thing or nurturing bad habits. Either you pander to your lo or you neglect them - no middle ground in parenting
ginger - with you totally on the 'long may it continue' vein. I am sure it is developmental and not related to growth spurt . Mind you, Dominic alwasy seems to sleep better during a g/s so maybe....
IF ONLY THEY COULD TALK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Cruisemum - i've had to teach her this and it's taken a while though is worth it. she used to only sleep on the move or in pram in kitchen with dww/wm on or in my arms. she's a baby who knows her own mind so it has been hard work. i started a "sleepytime"routine on the advice of fellow mners. can't remember what the title of the thread is so will recap. 1) look for the signs carefully! 2) cuddle ( i also use dummy but currently trying to lose this so would avoid if poss) 3)start walking upstairs singing lullaby of your choice (same each time) 4) cuddle and start saying "sleepy, sleepy, sleepy time" 5) place in cot next to "sleepy monkey" and give him and her a kiss 6) if not settling do some shushing. might need to go back in 1-2 times. if we've been out a lot and she's been sleeping in pram/car then it might take a bit longer. she's quite good at it at the moment - hard work but worth it. i think the helping back to sleep might be like the b/w suggests - can't remember as read it a long time ago hth

dcb - thanks for that. I must start a nap in cot plan it just seems so daunting to have a fractious 4mth old who won't nap in his cot which is why I end up trollig around my local shops so he can sleep in his pram. Of course the bigger he gets the less comfy he wil be doing this. Did your lo cry a lot when you instigated your cot plan?!
Aslo, lo has reverted to waking three times a night for a suck/feed which is driving me bonkers! Grrrrrrr

ginger - does your lo nap in the cot? It seem such a basic request as a mother that your lo sleep whre there would be most comfortable but mine doesn't wanna know. I will have to try again cos I don't want to have to go out everytime he needs to sleep in the middle of winter or similarly during the summer when I could be sunbathing in the back garden! It just all seems such an effort....

she did cry a lot to start with - but i think i got better at watching her for signs of tiredness (after reading b/w especially) and that made it much easier. if she wasn't tired enough or too tired it would take longer. just trying to get rid of the dummy step as we speak - managed twice today although hard work. would def not start with a dummy if you haven't already. they're a great source of comfort but i think it's stopping her sleep well in the end and not worth it (for us anyway) she can't replace it herself yet

Mine is back to a 30 min power napper today Cruise She has also taken to waking up ALL the time at night since about Christmas time. Last night was a nightmare. I've just no idea what the problem is. We thought it was her eczema itching, then she had a case of worms so thought it was that, now I'm wondering about teeth but do teething pains happen all the time? We've gone from one feed a night to two or three with a lot of wriggling, fidgetting and unsettledness in between. She is really hard to settle and has already woken up about 4 times this evening and has only been in bed an hour and a half.

In answer to your question. No, she doesn't sleep in the cot during the day. She was doing until about a month ago when I decided that I was spending so long hanging over her cot trying to get her to sleep I was having absolutely no life whatsoever so I make a little bed on the sofa for her during the day (if I'm not out) and lay her down with her dummy and sit next to her or somewhere in the room until she drops off. I have the TV on lowish. She's much much easier to settle that way. I think she just prefers abit of noise and company. That way I can play on m'net or watch a bit of 'quality' day time telly. Not ideal but you do what suits you at the time don't you (no doubt I'll pay the price later.

admire your persistence DCB, I tried BW for a week with the shush pat, and pick up put down but by the end of the week we were both nervous wrecks so I started on the sofa idea. She cried and cried and cried doing it, it was awful. I'm not very good at letting her cry so it wasn't going to work for me. God, I hope it all gets easier. No one tells you the truth about how hard it is do they? Cruise, have you tried sleeping him on his side? My LO settles (slightly) better when on her side.

GM, my DD is the same!! was sleeping sooo well and now wakes more at night, have to go in at 4.30 am most days and give DD dummy, has also started to wake before her dream feed and has all happened since Christmas??? DD is 18 weeks, is this a normal phase do we think (please say yes!)DD was v hungry today so maybe a growth spurt but that wouldn't last weeks surely???

Also am getting worried DD is napping too much in day, was a mission to get her napping in her cot and now she seems tired all the time, still wants to sleep after every bottle so is having 3 long naps a day. I wondered if this was affecting her general sleep but I honestly can't keep her awake without meltdown!

ginger - tried b/w twice with ds for nighttime settling. What a disaster. He cried so hard I thought he would combust and I was drained beyond belief. Not for me thanks. Funny you say about reverting ot 30min naps. ds was like that yesterday but seems better again today. I am convinced it is due the the weekend where there is no fixed structure to our day whereas in teh week we have school run and so on. I really would love to do the nap in cot thing though as it would mean that I could actually get on with something rather than be out! It does get me down as dd was a brill napper and sleeper from around 12 weeks but I just don't know what I have done wrong/differently this time. Surely we, as mums, are meant to determine where and when they sleep - not the babies?! . I sometimes feel that I am not doing my beautiful boy justice by dressing him in coats etc, and carting him outside jsut so he can get some shuteye. It makes me feel a bit sad tbh. His sleep cue in the day is to get his winter woolies on! But, do I have it in me to persevere with a plan to get him sleeping in his cot in the day???????????? hmmmmmmm

justjam - It MUST be an age thing as mine is 18 weeks and sleeping has gone haywire! He settles far better at bedtime now and is in his cot by 7pm latest most nights but wakes more frequently. It does beg the question of weaning/development/growth/hunger coming into play. Maybe it is time to consider more substantial food?

JJ, I think good naps are supposed to equal good nightime sleep so I wouldn't worry about that too much. Given there are a few of us suffering the same with 18wk olds I'm hoping it's a developmental thing that will disappear soon(cross fingers). Mine has also started to wake before her dream feed (although I always woke her up for it so not strictly DF)thing is, she always always used to drop back to sleep immediately and never had her dummy at night. These days, the minute I put her down she starts scratching her ears and head and cries until she gets the dummy. Then she grunts and wriggles scratching at her face and pulling the dummy out. (this goes on for a few minutes until she settles.) Sometimes I have to physically hold her arms down to stop her thrashing about and knocking it out. Let's hope it gets better soon

The thing is cruise that DD hardely ever drains a bottle (apart from a couple of days every few weeks when having a growth spurt) and I am really trying hard to hold out to wean...it's so hard to know what to do. I don't envy you re trying the cot thing,I did find it hard at times but am glad now I kept at it. I think maybe we are to hard on ourselves and put pressure on ourselves when in the end all babies fall into place...my DH tells me I'm too rigid with my routine and that makes me
Excellent news about your 7pm bedtime now, you must be really pleased, see that fell into place, and so will naptime x

GM - my dd is doing the whole 'rub my hand across my face and yank my dummy out' thing...us lot should start our own mini development thread so we can compare notes!!!

I've had people suggesting weening Cruise but I was and am determined to b'feed exclusively a little longer, 'specially because she's got eczema. I'll just have to ride it. What happens if you curl up on the sofa with him and snuggle him 'til he goes to sleep?

no routine here

dd2 is 13 weeks. Can be awake for 4 or 5 hours at a time during day and doesn't usually seem grouchier for it.

Some days a power napper, 10 minute sleeps here and there. Today slept 3 hours straight this afternoon.