Bloody 30 minute naps! Help! Please!!

[AnxiousRenovator]

DS is 16 weeks old and a delightful baby when he's well rested. He sleeps like a dream at night: bedtime at 7.30 after story and milk, put down awake and talks/ sucks his hand to sleep. Has done so since 7 weeks. He generally sleeps through til 6am but occassionally wakes in the night but nearly always talks himself back to sleep again, rarely he'll wake up and 'shout' for his milk.

So... why, despite being tired, can't he do this during the day? I am at my wits end. I put him down having picked up on his sleepy cues and sometime he only makes a little fuss before sleeping but more often than not its a complete meltdown before he goes off and then only sleeps for 30 mins at the most waking up wide awake but still grumpy. I've tried going in before he wakes, pat shhh rock etc but he still wakes up and wont go back to sleep.

He used to sleep for hours in the sling but now again only 30 minutes. He screams in the pram and his bouncer if he's tired and will only sleep for 30 bloody minutes. Why is daytime napping so different to bedtime? What am I doing wrong? I'm currently on yhe bed rocking him asleep and have been for the last hour so he's semi rested and I can make tea. Please, advice, help or just virtual rocking snugs!

30 minute naps are normal for this stage of development. All you need to do is reduce the amount of time between naps so that he has more naps per day.

A good approximation would be 1h awake time. So if it takes you 10 minutes to get him to sleep, start settling him 50 minutes after last waking up.

The next developmental stage comes when baby learns to link sleep cycles in the daytime. Having naps in something that offers rhythmic movement can speed up this development to extended naps.

Until then, limit awake time to avoid over tiredness. No point fighting a losing battle extending naps before baby is developmentally ready. You'll just get yourself stressed for no reason whatsoever.

I would always attempt a resettle when baby first starts stirring awake. But don't hold any expectation it will work each time yet. In time, the resettles will work more frequently and in even more time won't be needed at all.

In short, you have yourself a normal baby, doing normal baby things. So don't fret.

Really? He's ok just napping for 30 minutes a time? I have been told this that and the other about him needing longer naps to grow and develop... my health visitor even suggested sleeping him on his belly to get him into a deeper sleep so he'll sleep longer. I was a bit taken aback as I thought that was pretty much a sin... we've not tried it. I've been falling to bits stressing about his daytime sleep. To be told he's sleeping normally is such a relief.

Really really definately really.

Long naps are usual in the "fourth trimester" newborn stage since sleep is still passive, as it was in the womb.

Short naps when sleep matures out of passive sleeping. It becomes active and develops into cycles.

Then as sleep further matures and babies learn to link cycles, naps her longer.

Basic biology. Your baby is just being a normal human. No idea what your hv is on about, but sounds very much like she needs ignoring.

I came on here to start a similar post looking for some sympathy!

My DD2 is also 4 months and will generally only sleep 30 min at a time during the day. She will only sleep longer in the sling - 2 hours then but only in the morning. Unfortunately she's awake every 2 hours at night as well!

Like fate said it is developmental. My DD1 was exactly the same and then suddenly at 8 months started to sleep longer - around the time she started to eat more and become more active. I don't know if there is a link.

I'm going insane at the moment putting DD2 down for 6 x 30min naps a day. It's relentless! But having read fate's post I think I'll try putting her down sooner so there may be another nap - it just feels it's all I do all day, as no sooner have I tried to resettle, changed and fed her then it's time for another nap! And I have a 2 year old to occupy in the afternoons as well!

My DD slept through from 6 weeks but only catnapped in the day. It's just the way it was. DS doesn't sleep at night and will sleep every 90 mins in the day for 45mins. Both are developing normally- DD has a normal bedtime regime now.