Extending lunchtime nap

[ChocOrange05]

My DS (14 weeks) is a GF baby and very happy and alert during his awake time. For his am and pm short naps I take him out in the pram and he sleeps well.

For his lunchtime nap he settles himself really well - in the cot with a lightshow on and usually asleep with very little or no crying within 20 mins. HOWEVER - he wakes after 45-60 mins and I cannot get him to go back to sleep. Even if I sit with him and shhh him it doesn't seem to help and he just cries, I don't like to leave him on his own to cry but TBH it doesn't seem to make a difference if I am there or not. He has a clean nappy, room is good temp and I am confident he is not hungry. I have tried getting him up instead of trying to get him sleep but he is knackered and his eyes barely open so I know he needs more sleep.

Has anyone else successfully overcome this issue? Advice greatly appreciated and needed!

I remember this phase ... and it's only a phase.
In retrospect, I wished I discovered slinging earlier as I would've worn my DD in a sling and she probably would've slept for longer

hth

My DS1 started off and a gina baby but at this sort of age he did what yours has done and woke up early from the lunchtime nap.

I decided to go with it and let him find his own routine. for a few months he had lots of short naps in the day, then as he got older he had fewer, longer ones.

Damn, so there's no secret recipe??

FeelingLucky - how long does the "phase" last???

don't think you want to know ... with dd it was until she was about 6 months I think.
I remember walking for at least an hour hoping to get DD to sleep in pram, now just wished I'd pop her in a sling and carry on with what I was doing at home.

I'd go with the flow, it's far less stressful and they do learn to sleep for longer periods when they get older.

I think i kind of alternate going for a walk in the pram (guaranteed to make him sleep) with putting him in the cot, so his body 'remembers' to expect a long nap at that time. obviously for morning and afternoon naps it doesn't matter if he wakes after a shorter time as they're shorter naps, so he has them in the cot almost all the time.

I also discovered he would often have a super long afternoon nap if he had a short lunchtime one, and it never affected his sleep.

When they start moving around they sleep fot longer. GF says cut back morning nap at this age to 20 mins to help with longer lunchtime sleep. DS ended up with 2X 1.5 hour naps between 4 and 9 months (930-11 and 2-330)because I couldn't bear to wake him in the morning. i would usually have him in his pram for one of them.

Hmmm - maybe I should give him the two shorter ones in the cot and do the lunchtime one walking then??

the walking with pram thing is annoying, but once your DS is asleep, you could come home and park him in hallway, then just before he reawakes after 45 mins, go out again to help him settle and park him in hallway again.
means you can get on with things at home