Wake to Sleep - how do you know if you've roused them enough?

[CremeDeSudo]

I've just tried Wake to sleep for the first time in an attempt to extend naps. She made a little sigh sound and dummy sucking changed frequency a bit - does that sound like it could've been enough? I'm currently watching the monitor and flinching at every move she makes - I so want this to work! The catnapping is driving me up the wall!

No sooner have I posted than she's woken up. Ok, any tips?

How old?

Apparently catnaps aren't so bad though I appreciate a bit annoying sometimes.

www.bellybelly.com.au/baby-sleep/catnapping-answer-to-better-baby-sleep/

Thanks for replying. She's 13weeks. I know it's common for catnapping at this age but she's regularly waking up then ready for sleep again 10-20mins later so clearly she needed more! I feel like I'm spending my days trying to get her back to sleep. It's exhausting.

That article is interesting but seeing as I'm finding she's tired again so soon I don't believe it!!

That's what I did with mine. Sometimes I'd just notice his breathing pattern change & others I'd have to dive to the floor in case his eyes opened. Each time is slightly different with regard to how much they stir but do continue. This method saved my sanity!

Definitely needs sleep? Could she be bored? Or hungry? My second is now 17 weeks and until around 15 could only stay awake for 45/60 mins. And only sleep for 40-45 if full of milk. It was relentless but now he can do 1.5-2 hours awake and I'm trying to stretch it as long as possible. You could try walking her about outside when grizzly for a while. As per the link we often think they're tired when they're actually a bit bored.

What happens if you go out with the pram and keep going for 1 hr or are out all day with baby in a sling? I found it interesting recently that my then 16 week old would doze for 20 mins then again 20 mins later in the sling at certain times. 3-5 months is a bit all over the place though for sleep. Hang on in there it does get better when they stay awake longer.

Yes some of that rings true, I can see that sometimes she could be bored but if she was bored and not tired, would she go back to sleep so easily?

Mine catnapped for the first year of life - the only time she slept longer than 30 minutes was when she had jabs.

How are you getting her to sleep?

All babies are different. My first screamed through nappy changes. My second slept through them.

I replicate bedtime but no bottle. So dark, white noise, swaddle, dummy, sing, down awake but sleepy. She will go off to sleep on her own initially, it's the extension of the nap that I struggle with. To get her off then I'm jiggling too. If I put her down she wakes up.

There's no right or wrong way to do sleep and naps, personally I prefer the school of thought that naps should be in natural day light as much as possible (I tend to mix it up though - sling, buggy, fed to sleep on bed, cuddled, what ever works) so that their circadian rhythm stays put plus fresh air breeds sleep.

Could you pop dummy back in? Iirc they at some point stay asleep for longer naturally though,

That's the first thing I try usually!

I was going to start today but we've all come down with stinking colds and had two awful nights. She has napped for hours though, albeit on me! Lol

Oh no poor you!

Actually when I think about it I wasn't able to put him 'down' reliably (at all!) from 3 weeks till 15 weeks unless in the pram in the move. And definitely at 12 weeks he often only could stay awake about 45 - 60 mins. Ds1 could stay awake longer I'm sure.

Also ( no idea why I didn't include this!) the majority of naps in the house were therefore on me - certainly till 10 weeks when school hols hit, then it was car, sling, pram. I had an elcs so was getting as much rest as possible plus he likes to take ages bf, and would be half asleep through most of it.

Now big is back at school he's done a couple of epic naps only on me though with top up milk half way through. Also doing the 4 month only sleep for 20 mins thing at other times. 2 weeks ago it was a reliable 45-50 mins!

My point is in a way they change all the time and life has to go on - don't worry too much about it. Illness always fucks it all up anyway!

If you read that link they do make the point that being outside, busy, lots of stimulation helps them to feel really sleepy, and often what we think are sleepy sounds of whinging could be boredom and to try to stretch out baby's awake time by changing to a different activity (I find walking around looking at the garden always good one.) of course if baby is ballistic with exhaustion that won't work but it's worth trying sometimes. Maybe when a tad older.