40 Minute Naps AGAIN

[Rowlie]

DS only did 40 min naps from 6 weeks old, so was having 4/5 a day. When he was 5m, the first nap extended to at least 1hr 20 (2x sleep cycles) very consistently. When he turned 6m we had a glorious few weeks of 2x long naps (at least 1hr 20 for both morning and lunch nap), plus an afternoon catnap of 40 mins, depending on how long the lunch nap was and when he woke up from it.

DS is now 7m 2 weeks and we are back on 40 mins for EVERY nap. Won’t be resettled. Is yawning as soon as he’s up and grouchy/whining all day. I have tried playing around with wake windows. He is yawning an hour after getting up in the morning, but I can’t put him back to sleep so soon so try to at least stretch to 1hr 45, although all the books say his wake windows should be at least 2 hours. He can self settle although funnily enough I’ve actually found when I give him a bottle before his lunch nap and he falls asleep he actually sleeps longer?! Naps are in cot, white noise, blackout, sleep suit. Will sleep in car/pram but only for 40. I dedicated a lot of time and effort to extending his naps in the cot and thought I’d cracked it.

Could it be his teeth? Feeling unwell? Developmental? He is not crawling, can only roll one way and can only just sit up unsupported.

I know it sounds dramatic, but I was only just starting to enjoy motherhood, knowing I had the predictability of those naps. I could plan my days and know he was getting the rest he needed. I now feel back at square one and very low about it. Night sleep also not as good.

Just to add I’ve read SO much on naps and general consensus seems to be they should start to extend from 6-7m, not go the other way again!

I mean this in the nicest way but you are being overly precious here. I wouldn't call 40 minutes a catnap. That is a decent nap. Babies haven't read these childrearing books. They do what suits them.

I have 2 who had an hour morning and afternoon, and another who never slept for longer than 20 minutes during the day. I fear you may just need to accept this.

OP my DD usually has 1hr+ naps unless she is teething. It's like she's too uncomfortable to resettle.

Same as PP, sorry, when I had DC1 I was obsessed with how long where and when the naps were. DC2 just gets dragged along and sometimes he’s a bit miserable but.. he’ll sleep eventually. I wish, really wish, I’d done that with DC1 rather than make myself miserable with it.

I couldn’t tell you how long DC2 sleeps for just that sometimes he looks tired and he’ll probably go to sleep soon. There’s the odd occasion I look at the time and go ‘god that’s been a while’ but other than that I’m not fussed.

My husband tells me the same… HOWEVER I do feel he needs more. He’s unhappy on a 40 minute nap and a delight when he has longer. I guess that is just the nature of having a baby

Totally totally agree with PPs -go with the flow.

I tried every trick in the book to lengthen DDs naps, and it just didn't happen. She's now 2 and still has one 40min nap a day.

I wish I'd not bothered with all the worry about extending them, and worked with what she was programmed to do.

I don’t doubt you’re correct Rowlie, you almost certainly are because you are with them 24/7 you will know above everyone else BUT the amount of hours spent worrying/stressed/trying to get them to sleep is much better spent doing something fun with an occasional cranky baby.

I bet you crawling is around the corner. Also possibly hungry?
can you try and do something like this:
7am wake and milk feed
8am breakfast
9.20-10am nap
11.30am lunch and small bottle
12.15-2.30 nap
2.30pm milk feed
if lunch nap is only 40 mins then do a catnap in the pram or car 15-20mins at 4pm
5pm dinner
5.45pm bath
6.15pm milk feed
6.45pm bed

@LapinR0se

Quite possibly hungry as slow to weaning although I continue to offer (mixture of finger foods and purees). No teeth yet. But I am offering him bottles every 2-3 hours so he is getting a lot of milk.

My daughter was the same with the 40m naps. I found that if I crept into the room at around 35 mins and gently patted her she would stir and go into the next sleep cycle, therefore sleeping another 40 mins. It didn't work every time but you have nothing to lose if you know they are going to wake up anyway.

@Rowlie theres your problem. Too many milk feeds

@LapinR0se could you explain how that’s my problem and how that would be affecting his naps? If he won’t eat then surely he needs the milk?

I keep being told ‘food is fun until one’ and as the majority of food to start is fruit and veg anyway surely he isn’t getting enough calories? I was under the impression milk would continue to be their main source of food until 1

food is fun until one and the fruit and veg thing have been discredited.
YES milk is very important but it is not more important than other high quality sources of nutrition, in particular iron.
It sounds like your baby is in a “snack & snooze” routine now where they are having milk and small naps like a younger baby. It’s not easy to reduce milk and up solids but it does make a huge difference.

@LapinR0se How many small baby spoons of porridge/purees should he be having per meal? If he won’t eat and I don’t offer milk my worry is that he’ll then make up for it at night. We have got to a stage now where he either sleeps through at night or wakes once for a feed. I think if I reduced his milk and struggled to get him to eat then he’d be up hungry. He was doing 2x 1hr 20 naps a day until two weeks ago. Thanks

He doesn’t need any night feeds now.
I would not count spoons at all. I would make something like porridge for everyone at breakfast and offer the baby a small bowl, at lunch make for example salmon fillets, broccoli and tiny pasta shapes and again give the baby some and for dinner a risotto. All good that the baby can eat and so can the rest of the family. A wonderful purée is banana and avocado puréed up together - extremely nutrient dense and babies find it irresistible

My 10 month old has only ever had 40 minute naps so I can't imagine how it would be to have long naps disappear. I am just used to having short windows to rest or get the chores done, usually choose the former!

40-45 mins is a sleep cycle for a baby. Normally babies who cannot link cycles are fed, rocked, or driven/pushed in a pram to sleep.

@LapinR0se thanks. I don’t actually think the naps are anything to do with the weaning but I could be wrong. I will preserve with offering him food but I don’t want to make it worse by turning it into a battle.

Absolutely no food battles! Just give it a go and see. My hunch is that he’ll develop a new skill and then go back to nice long naps again

@LapinR0se thanks. That is why I continue to offer as much milk as I do because otherwise he won’t be getting much at all! But I will keep trying. I agree that once on three meals a day he definitely doesn’t need a night feed. But i thought one per night was pretty good going compared to some!

it’s not bad at all! Keep going!

Get yourself a sleep consultant - life changing for us!

Thanks @PatientlyWaiting21 he sleeps through he night so I’m not sure we really need one. He can self settle etc etc although I’m not sure any of that stuff actually makes a difference. It’s just short 40 min naps we’re stuck on, but it seems common.