Naps

[ew1990]

My DD is 9 week old on Friday and I haven't a clue about naps in the day. She currently just cat naps as and when she wants but she's been really bad with screaming these last 2 nights and I don't know wether it's coz she's over tired.

What age should you start to introduce a nap routine in the day? She's my first so it's all new

Routine starts earliest 4 months, normally 6 months.

You just got to roll with it at the mo but phases can be short. Do you think is a pain scream or a frustrated scream?

Lots of people will giv you lots of different advice, but from experience with my DD; she just napped every 1.5 hours during the day for approx 30-40 minutes until she was over six months old.

Lots of people suggested trying to get her to have two or three longer naps, but I just went with her preference for cat naps and worked around it.

Being shouty at night due to being overtired is the worst, I remember sitting holding a screaming DD in the dark living room, desperately trying to talk her into shutting her eyes for just a second, which would be all it’d take for her to fall asleep. She just fought nighttime sleep hard for a while.

The screaming could be overtiredness or it could be something like wind, if it’s the latter you’d see her pulling her legs up towards her chest or writhing to get away from her sore tummy. Does she settle and stop screaming straight after she’s been fed? She might be hungrier than usual if she’s about to go through a growth spurt.

Thank you, I'm quite happy just rolling with it. I don't think it's a pain cry, she gets good wind up during and after a feed. If I stroke her nose her eyes start to go and then she will sleep but the minute I stop she's wide awake again.

@AnonEvent these last 3 days or so if I take the bottle off her to wind her she screams till I put it back in. She's currently on 6oz but these last 2 she's drained the full bottle so I'm thinking it's a growth spurt, she's had nights of screaming due to trapped wind and there's no settling her when that's the cause

Have you tried white noise? We use the sound sleeper app and still use it for DD (more to cover up our noises of going to bed).

The sound sleeper app used to work really well with the womb sound but even that doesn't work anymore, I just think we may have to ride it out, in the daytime she's such a happy baby always smiling and sounds like she's trying to chuckle so it's awful seeing her cry like she does. I might try 7oz in her next bottle and see if that makes a difference

Good luck. Unfortunately there’s never a set answered that these things but fingers crossed it’ll be a short lived phase x

I accidentally discovered that lightly covering my nephews eyes with my hand when he woke up at night at a similar age (8 weeks) prodded him back to sleep. Sil cottoned on to it and used it every time he woke up. Worth a try. Only problem is he’s 3 now and can’t sleep any other way lol

I'll try anything. She's currently lay awake cooing and smiling away which is an improvement I suppose, last week she was sleep 11-8 with a wake up for a feed.

in the daytime she's such a happy baby always smiling and sounds like she's trying to chuckle so it's awful seeing her cry like she does this is horrid isn't it? It's like they turn into a completely different baby. I remember looking at purple-faced-shouting-DD thinking, 'I don't even know you' vs. the lovely, babbly, smiley little girl she was during the day.

It will pass. Just when you think that this is it, this is your new-normal, you will never have a peaceful night again, and resign yourself to living like this FOREVER, she'll switch it up and be on to a new phase.

So long as she's fed, winded and well, there's nothing more we can do other than roll with it until it passes.

I know I just keep telling myself "this too shall pass". She finally went to sleep at 5am and slept till 10, so we both got a good 5 hours

I had the exact same issue (baby is 19 weeks currently), the only way I can get around it is constantly getting him to catnap - I read this and found it really useful for the age and reassured about not forcing a routine that just wasn't working.

www.babysleepscience.com/single-post/2017/03/20/Nap-101-Post-1-Does-my-baby-have-a-nap-problem

I think the trick is get through to bedtime with enough short naps they don't have a meltdown, because they are so upsetting. Doesn't make a difference to night sleep for me but really helps me get through the days.

I think (hope hope hope) it's developmental and it will pass!

I hope it is too as last week she was sleeping really well, I'm at my mums now she's just settled her to sleep so hopefully she'll have a decent nap

I've read that newborns basically fall straight into a deep sleep and as they mature they start having sleep cycles, like adults only shorter so they wake slightly every 30 mins or so and have to learn to stitch the cycles together, hence why it can change so much. It's so frustrating I know!

That article was really useful, she's only had like 2 20 minutes naps today and slept in the pram to my mums and back again 15 minutes each way, last night at 3:30 I just had to lie her on my chest she went sleep straight away I waited about 20 mins then put her down and she slept, I'm beginning to think it's deffo a growth spurt thing she's having 6oz of formula every 3 hours in the day

We will get there she just likes to be held I think that's all and she's only 2 month old so I could never leave her to just cry

Dd would only sleep on me for the first 2 months and only napped on my until 6 months but slept with me holding her feet rather than on me at night. But 6 moths she went in her own room and was fine. She’s 3 now and the only think holding v her back is major FOMO.

What's FOMO? I'm gunna remind her of this when she's a teenager wanting to sleep all day 😂😂

She looks so peaceful too when she's asleep she melts my heart

Fear of missing out

Fortunately if she’s up late, she’ll take a lie in. Very lucky in that dept!

Ooh right, thanks for all your advice and for Sharing your experiences

I feel like a shit mum, she's been much better these past 2 days after going from 6oz of formula to 7oz, I don't think she was feeling full enough, she's still not going to sleep till like midnight but at least the days are better

Don’t feel shit, I’ve done the same, I’ve wondered why DD was suddenly grumpy and then worked out the poor little beast was hungry, their wants and needs change all the time.

She’s absolutely gorgeous, by the way. I’d give hat lovely little face a good squidge!

Ahh thank you

I remember one night at about 3 in the morning she was screaming I'd changed her cuddled her winded her and nothing was working then in my sleep deprived state I thought shit she wants a bottle

Not a shit mum! You made her happy, you tried all the options. A shot Mum doesn’t try. You’re doing great. I promise you won’t even remember this in the not too distant future