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Sleep

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Original poster

4mth ds naps in day pls help

16 replies

mum2oliver · 05/07/2004 23:40

4mth ds wont nap longer than 45 mins.
How can I get him 2 sleep longer as when it gets to his tea time feed @half 6ish he is so overtired even though he hasnt actually been awake that long.He ends up not feeding & sreaming outragasly.
He goes down 4 naps really well.gets tired every 1 half to 2 hrs.There is not enough time in day for him to get enough daytime naps.pls advice.

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twiglett · 05/07/2004 23:45

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Original poster

mum2oliver · 05/07/2004 23:57

I have to feed him 5 times a day as he cannot seem to consume more than 6oz a feed,ongoing prob(see feeding column)
I feed @6.30-7am 10-11am,2.30-3pm,6-7pm &10.30-11pm.He is a touchy baby & if I dont put him down when needed he goes crrazy & then relies on a dummy to get to sleep!!He has never been good from dday 1 with a dummy.I find myself running up & doewn stairs puttin it in.
Thanx for reply.

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twiglett · 05/07/2004 23:58

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Original poster

mum2oliver · 05/07/2004 23:59

soz forgot.I have tried leaving him to go back to sleep nut he ends up crying more & more for me to come get him.Iv left him crying for nearly an hour before.when I go in to try & settle him he smiles @ me and wants to play.

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Original poster

mum2oliver · 06/07/2004 00:31

Iv tried to encourage thumb but dont they find it themselves.When iv tried to put his thumb in he pulls his hand away and pulls a funny face as I think when Iput it in it scrapes or scraches his gums,he is teething.

OP posts:

tabitha · 06/07/2004 03:27

My dd only started napping at all during the day when she was 3 months unless she was in the car, being rocked or pushed in the pram.
What worked for me was putting her in a darkened room and just leaving her. She grizzled for a while and eventually seemed to get the knack of falling asleep herself.
Does your ds sleep when he's in a pram or in the car? If he does and your happy to do it and you really want him to sleep to stop him getting over-tired, it might be worth taking him for a long walk/drive just to make sure he gets a decent sleep. Or what about trying him in a sling? This works for some people although they can get bl;8dy heavy after a while and my dd had an amazing knack of waking up as soon as I tried to sit down.

morocco · 06/07/2004 03:39

hello
my ds is 4 months old too and neither he nor his brother ever slept more than about 45 minutes at that age during the day and leaving him to cry wouldn't work I don't think - though not tried it - he gets hysterical after about 2 minutes without being picked up. he also stays up about the same length of time as yours
anyhow, I've now decided the 2 hour nap is a myth!! or at least for my family - lower expectations equals happier mummy in my case
so what I do in the evenings to keep ds awake but happy is take him out in a front carrier somewhere interesting - this is macdonalds at the moment but I'm sure you have a better idea - he likes to look around him and perks up a lot then I take him home, settle him down and put him to bed

Ghosty · 06/07/2004 04:38

When DD was born she slept all the time, but from about 10 weeks she started this 45 minutes at a time malarky and she was having 4 or 5 short naps in the daytime. Sometimes she would have a long sleep but not often.
It was only when I started to introduce solids at 11.30am at 4 and a bit months that she started to sleep longer in the middle of the day. I honestly think she was hungry before that.
I still have to go in sometimes after 45 minutes and pop the dummy back in but she will go off again after that.
HTH
G xx

Original poster

mum2oliver · 06/07/2004 21:24

I do agree,I believe that solids will help when its time.
It is a pain but at least he sleepsm thru the night.I should be grateful.
Thanx everyone.

OP posts:

marsup · 07/07/2004 00:58

I had this problem with 45 minute daytime naps, mum2oliver! and at around the same time (ds is now 6 months). We tried a couple of things: swaddling for naps, blackout curtain lining; when he woke after 45 mins we walked him around his room saying 'shh, shh' - he went down to sleep for the beginning of the nap really easily, but it was really hard getting him to go on with it; and I took him for some 2 hour walks in a babycarrier to get him used to sleeping that long at the time we wanted him to sleep. He still often wakes after 45 mins but we can usually get him back to sleep without too much trouble and sometimes he sleeps through to 1.5 hours or even 2 hrs at a stretch now. Hope that helps, and good luck!

fefifofum · 14/07/2004 19:07

My ds, 13wks, is exactly the same, 30-45 mins max naps every 2 hours - but I have the added joy of v.little sleep at night, I was up every hour from 2am til 7am last night (only gave him one feed at 4am - the rest was water or turned him on his side). I've not had a full night's sleep yet, hope it will come with maturity. Little 'un has been drooling for about a month, could that mean teeth coming thro?

Original poster

mum2oliver · 14/07/2004 21:15

Ah bless you fefifofum,
I cant understand why your ds is awake so much at night.
Is he feeding eenough in day?
Is he colicky?
My ds is STILL having problems which has been labelled with colic!!
Iv actually managed to persuade the doctors to refere him to a paedatrician.
He was always very settled in evening & at night.He grunts in pain goes rigid,screams in pain.He stopped doing this when I changed the milk to Omneo comfort at 10 wks but it came back at 15 wks! He is now 19 wks.
Sorry this is completely irrelevant.I just needed to get it out.Im annoyed with doctors.
Maybe your ds is uncomfortable.What is he like when he wakes at night?
What do you think he wants?
What is your opinion of sleeping on front?
Maybe he would be more comfortable?
My ds has dribbles since 6wks old.On ONE of my many visits to the doctors it was confirmed that he was & must still be (no teeth yet)teething!
How much does your ds weigh?
Maybe he doesnt realise day & night yet.Do you make it obvious when it is day & night?
Lots of questions!! Sorry.x

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Chuffed · 15/07/2004 10:28

fefifofum my dd at 15wks has been doing the same for the last 2 weeks, she basically feeds every 2 hours during the day, max of 45min naps during day and at night goes down from 7.30-11.30ish then wakes every 3 hours from then (for the past 2 wks). We think she is teething as she seems to be in a bit of pain and when we put bonjela on her gum it comforts her a little.
We have given her infadrops the last 2 nights before bed to see if it is the pain waking her up and she has slept 7.30-3.30 both nights.

webmum · 15/07/2004 10:39

I hate to tell you this ladies, but some babies just have trouble sleeping, no matter what you do!!

You should still try of course, but I know babies who never slept properly until 1 or 2 years old!!!

Having said that, my own dd started having a long nap in the afternoon after she was started on solids, which was at 4 months at the time, but I also know of babies who found solids quite difficult and as a result slept worse than when on milk only.

Don't want to scare you too much, but some HVs and baby books sort of assume that if baby diens't sleep its the parents' (mum's) fault, and I knwo for sure a friend of mine was made to feel like that even though she tried just about everything...

Lots of hugs and good luck!!

twogorgeousboys · 15/07/2004 11:04

Had v similar problem with ds2. I managed to solve it by using one of those electric/battery operated cradle swing things. Was lucky enough to borrow one from someone. It was a life saver, he would sleep in it during the day for exactly two 1.5 hour stints. Had tried v dark bedroom etc, all the usual stuff to no avail. I'm not advocating rushing out and buying one brand new, but can you borrow or buy one second hand?

fefifofum · 16/07/2004 23:00

Had a comparatively better couple of nights (11pm to 4pm, small feed, then sleep to 7am) but days still dodgy, this afternoon ds couldn't sleep for longer than 10 mins. I'm knackered!
Mum2Oliver: He's not colicky, but definitely tired. He is about 15lb, and doesn't seem to be hungry (often doesn't finish his 6oz bottles) and I've never put him to sleep on his front... I'll give it a go (tho I will undoubtedly bite my nails to the quick whilst he naps)!
I have occasionally managed to get him back to sleep, if I'm there when he starts to wake up, but he's often too quick for me. I'm going to try being persistant and keeping him in his crib for longer (hour/hourand a half), at the mo I pick him up once he wakes (once I've tried for a few mins to get him back to sleep- stroking, shushing, dummy as last resort), maybe that is sending him the wrong signal - how about you mum2oliver, do you pick him up once he wakes or do you keep him in his crib for longer?
It looks like it's a common thing, and as webmum says, maybe we just have to sit it out.

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