How do you get a (very tired) baby to sleep for more than 30min in day?

[cat811]

My ds is 4 months, and has always fought against getting to sleep, even when he gets exhausted. He's been a bit better at getting to sleep when put him in cot during day recently, but he always wakes up after exactly 30mins-which would be fine if he weren't still tired when he wakes up. I;ve tried leaving him (he starts getting cross, and then gets crosser and crosser...!), I've tried running up at the first hint of stirring, and stroking his forehead (works very very rarely) but I don't know what else to do. He sometime sleep for longer if he's been out in the pushchair, but still often wakes after half an hour, even while I'm walking. What can I do to get him to either stay asleep, or go back to sleep, so he's not getting more and more tired as the day goes on?
Thank you!

Hi, I had exactly the same problem. I ended up napping with my DS during the day so I was there to get him back off to sleep when he stirred and also gave in and breastfed him back to sleep until I was happy he had slept long enough (ie he woke happy rather than screaming). Not sure if that is much use to you though.....

My DS's napping got a lot better once his sleep patterns matured - yesterday he had a mammouth 3 hour nap. I tried to wake him after an hour and a half and he crawled back onto his bed, rolled over and went back to sleep!

A good book recommendation is the No Cry Sleep Solution. I found this had some good ideas (and was sympathetic to my 'problem').

My DS was the same, would not sleep in his cot during the day and we both just got more and more upset about it. What worked for me was taking for a walk in the pram, he had a 30 min kip, then if i carried on walking he would nod off again and wake up the minute I got home and undid his pram cover (pretty noisy wioth velcro and 2 zips!). Randomly found out that if i undid the pram cover as we were walking up the road and still moving rather than waiting til we had stopped he would stay asleep 9 times out of 10. Might be worth a try, if nothing else it gets you fit!!

Both mine did/do this (dd was 27mins - even if walking round park !). Time. And letting them sleep with/on you worked for me. By a year, dd and I were having one lovely long lunchtime nap.

agree with preggersplayspop re: 'no cry sleep solution' i would also add the ferber book on sleep b/c it explains why children wake after 30 minute intervals. as i recall everyone wakes after 30-45 but just fall back asleep without realising it. some little ones have trouble doing this. my son was [and is, to some degree] a pretty awful sleeper and we had the same problem. while he was little, co-sleeping was about the only thing that ensured a long sleep.

also, for what it's worth, i absolutely obsessed over his sleep; read every book, tried all sorts of techniques and really the only thing that helped was co-sleeping and my baby getting older. i'm not sure how much one can do so just go with it. having said that, the two books i mentioned are useful for coping with it all.

Have you considered just not worrying about it and letting your lo fall in and out of sleep as they like and where they like. (what do suppose happened in the womb?)

Trying to battle this out at this age and during this pretty difficult stage in their development imo just causes stress for everyone.

Alternatively, you could put your lo in a sling or keep him on you.

My baby does exactly the same! Though has been known to stretch to 40 mins. I spoke to a dr about it (French, and a bit old-school) who told me not to worry about it at all - if I 'forced' him to sleep longer (by taking him out in the pushchair and walking for hours, which is what I used to do) then he might end up sleeping less at night. That goes against all the good naps = good nights advice you get in books, but does seem to be working for us. Plus, we're all more chilled out! Hope that reassures you a bit?

I've just reread your post and I see you're concerned that your son is too tired - could you maybe just do lots of 30 min naps? Especially if he's getting easier to settle?

I like this book on sleep

It has sections so you can just dip in to the one that applies.

Wait.

Until they are about 9-12 months old.

And until then, let your baby have more frequent naps, so that the total daytime sleep is enough.

Just because the books say they should have 2 sleeps a day/1 sleep after lunch for 2 hours doesnt mean your baby has read it. It took me a very long time to realise this.

Tired at the end of the day is, if you turn things around a bit an try to find the positive, a good thing. You want your child tired in the evening. It means they will sleep at night.

Teatime is always the witching hour, no matter what age child you have - if you read about the boards here 5-6 has to be the most gruesome hour of the parenting day. Thats why so many people sit down with a glass of wine once children are in bed. They need the reward.

My DD was like this and now my DS, 14 weeks, is just the same. And I agree with the other posts. You could spend your days battling with them or you could just accept it and know that it will change. DD, now 2, has a lovely 2 hour nap after lunch now and has done since she was 1. DS has 5 or sometimes 6 x 30 mins naps a day. Infuriating I know as you're up and down like a yo yo and they do get v tired after only being awake a short time. DD was a great night time sleeper and DS is getting there too. The short naps never caused a problem at night as many of the books inc the NCSS suggest. Just go with the flow. It'll all change the minute you get used to it anyway!

We have this too but DS is 2 months old. He's horrendously tired but just will not go down to sleep and works himself up into a major tizzy. Previously I've found if I let him cry for 5 mins he'd then go to sleep, but not today, oh no. It's peeing with rain so I can't take him for a walk. Maybe I'll sit next to his cot and hope he calms down enough to go to sleep. it's bl**dy miserable when he's like this, esp as my 7 yr old is off school sick and so far today I've spent precisely no time with her. This is when I get resentful and start to lose sympathy with DS.