Baby won't stay asleep during day

[CT123]

My 3 month old ds used to be a real "gina" baby during the day - sleeping 40 mins at 9am, 3 hours over lunch and about an hour late afternoon. Recently, we started putting him to bed at 7pm instead of 10pm, as the evenings were awful! He now goes down earlier (after some persistence) but it has completely thrown the daytime sleeps. He's tired, and I can get him off (car / pram / bouncy chair) but he wakes after just a few mins. Now the days are awful instead! Can anyone suggest anything to help restore the naps?

Hi CT123

My daughter was also a "gina" baby and they dont like change.

I would keep going and maybe try and get him off after a meal when he is all contented.

I wonder whether he would do better if you changed his time slowly rather than forcing him all at once.

Cant remember but what does the book say

If you're using motion to get him off, it's no wonder when the motion stops he's waking up. Try pick up/put down or shh-pat or something that has him going off lying down, or else hold onto him for a good 5-10 min after he drops off before moving him. Also, the vertical distance they move between being held and being laid down (when falling asleep being held) is what wakes them. If you can, minimise it. DS used to sleep in a Fisher Price rocker and we'd put it up onto the bed to transfer him from arms and then move it onto the floor afterwards.

Thanks for your replies. pinkie08, I'm afraid that I wasn't clear on my post - the routine came from my ds, it wasn't enforced by me, he just ended up doing what looked like a "gina" routine during the day. I only enforced the 10pm bedtime, now 7pm, but I take your point about not liking change. ches, I also see your point that when the motion stops he wakes, but it never used to happen. He always got into a deep enough sleep that he stayed there when the motion stopped. Perhaps he just doesn't have as big a sleep deficit during the day now, due to more sleep at night, so can't go down so deeply.

"Used to" is completely meaningless when you're talking about a 3 month old! They start out for the first 6 weeks almost like moles, hardly able to see anything. 6 weeks later the world is way bigger, their senses much more heightened, etc. etc.

Unfortunately, I think it's true what ches says, things seem to change HUGELY from week to week- even from day to day sometimes- with such small babies. My own DS is 16 weeks old, a bit older than yours, and he's gone through many different nap patterns & night-time sleep patters. He is now going through a phase when he's sleeping 45' tops at nap-time. He too used to have longer naps. I don't feel there's much I can do to change this, I'm trying my best but it's not working, so I just remind myself that this too shall pass! It'll pass with your LO too...