Urgent nap advice need - feel free to be direct!!

[singingpinkmonkey]

Hello!

I desperately need some help or advice on where I may be going wrong with naps for my 12 week old. With the exception of 3 ten minute catnaps my son has been awake since 8:30pm and I'm dreading bedtime tonight as he will be so overtired.

I am hoping that if I write what today has been like maybe someone can spot what I'm doing wrong or what the problem can be.

I will add that he had his 12 week immunisations yesterday and is formula fed.

So the last 24 hours have been:

6:20 - bedtime routine of bath, bottle, massage and story. Baby settled to sleep after some crying shush /pat in his Moses basket.

7:10 - baby asleep

Slept through until 6:30am

6:30am - Bottle and back to sleep until 8am

8am - up for the day

10am - attempted nap in Moses basket with lights off, lullaby music. Lasted 10 mins

12pm - 15 minute nap in the car - woke up and would not go back to sleep

2pm - 15 minute nap in the car

3pm - took him out for a walk in the pram but just keep screaming so after 1 hour I brought him home, fed and attempted the mini nap routine in his Moses. Screamed for 20 minutes while I stayed with him.

Tried using a dummy and Ewan the dream sheep but to no avail.

This is the worse day we have had instead of naps and we have both been in tears. It's been awful. I just want to know how I can make it better!

Any advice is appreciated as always!

Honestly? He is sleeping 11 hrs straight overnight, and then going back for another hour. He sounds like a dream!!
You have given him opportunities to sleep, following what works at night, for at least 2 of them.
See what tonight is like, but if he does another mega sleep overnight, you may have to sacrifice day time sleeps, tho if you can stretch them to 40 mins (on you?), Your days would be matching my newborns.

Agree with pp - sleeping for that length of time overnight at 12 weeks is amazing! None of my three were anywhere near sleeping through for so long until they were nearly 12 months! I know it's hard when they seem tired and is a struggle to get them to nap but are you sure it's actually tiredness causing the distress in the afternoon? If you think the afternoon nap is necessary the how about trying to extend bedtime until a bit later, say 8pm to see if that helps?

Mine is now 5.5 months and was very similar to yours at 12 weeks. She was a great night sleeper (she's ebf so would need a feed earlier in the morning but would still average 11-12 hours total) and refused to be put down during the day.

Everyone tells you how wonderful and lucky you are for the nights but when she was up for 4+ consecutive hours, she was extremely irritable, grumpy, clingy and very overtired. I certainly didn't feel lucky during the day - it was truly exhausting. Awake time at 12 weeks should be 90mins then they should be ready for a nap and like you, no matter how hard I tried, she would be wide awake.

I have just about got her in a routine over the past 2 weeks and she wakes twice a night right now for feeds but it is a million times easier dealing with a couple of night wakings and her napping consistently (plus being happy all day compared to an undisturbed night and an overtired baby).

I'm sorry I don't know what the answer is at 12 weeks, I've only just resolved it with sleep training (which your one is a little young for still) but you have my sympathies right now, it's really tough.

Mine was doing 12 hours at night but short sporadic daytime naps at 12 weeks (since 8 weeks). Then it went wrong day and night lol with multiple wake ups but for 2xweeks now (she's currently 17 weeks) she's back to nailing 12 hour nights, a 1 hour 9am nap and a 2 hour 1pm nap. Just roll with it. The routine has emerged of its own accord and I remember with all my others it did around this stage. Right now you've still got the 3-4 months sleep regression to get through so just enjoy good nights while you can!

You get either a good napper or a good night sleeper, you can't have both, that's the rule😆

why not try leaving more time between 8 am and first nap. then aim for one additional afternoon nap

He sleeps through the night at 12 weeks?!?!

riddles26 my dd was just like that too, she just didn't sleep much during the day even as a toddler she didn't really nap, I don't feel like I have much advice to offer, it all went in a blur for me die to a constant tiredness, she wasn't even grumpy from tiredness either, and now she's 7 she doesn't sleep well at night and can sometimes be awake until 9:30pm-10:00pm, it's exhausting especialy with her 5 yr old sister too

Oooh I would have loved 12 hours straight at 12 weeks

Could you get him up for the day when he wakes at 6.30am? Then try for a nap at 8.45 which may go on until 9.30/10? Then lunchtime nap 12-2 and afternoon nap 4-5?

Easier said than done I know!