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Original poster

Gina Ford Lunchtime Nap - Can You Help?

27 replies

CazzaW · 30/03/2009 15:28

I have had my 11 week old on a flexible version of Gina Ford for the last 6 weeks and it has always worked well, but the lunchtime nap has been tricky to establish. I did have this worked out so he wwas sleeping for about 2 1/2 hours but for the last two weeks his sleep at lunchtime has been pretty much non existant. I have been able to get my baby to settle to sleep but he will wake after about half an hour and pretty much refuse to go down in his cot. However, if I am out and he is in the pram he will sleep for 2 - 2 1/2 hours He is sleeping for 45 mins at 9.15 and around 20 at about 4.15.

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions? I miss that precious 2 hours!!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

moondog · 30/03/2009 15:30

Yes.
Ignore the book and the schedule.
He's a baby, not a robot to be controlled and managed.

teabagtea · 30/03/2009 15:36

Sorry, I have to agree but not so harshly. Go with the flow it is just too precious a time to mess up worrying about routines. Your precious baby will grow up well whatever. There are far more important things for your baby's welfare than a lunchtime sleep. Let it go and have faith in yourself, not in a book (whoever wrote it )

MyEye · 30/03/2009 15:37

I'd keep trying... don't sprint to get him when he wakes up and blithers after half an hour, give him a chance to resettle if he's minded to. Take it room is dark etc.

He'll probably click back into it eventually.

That 2 hrs is a sanity saver.

Trinityrhino · 30/03/2009 15:38

I second moondog

MrsMattie · 30/03/2009 15:39

It's better to learn to read your baby's cues to see when he/she is genuinely getting sleepy than to try to enforce a rigid nap time, I would say.

Some days my DD has several shorter naps, sometimes fewer longer ones. However, the overall amount she sleeps in the day usually tallies up to about the same. I think the trick is to get used to their little patterns and go with them. Your baby may well settle into his/her own little 'routine' (I have noticed my DD having her longest sleep in the afternoon, now).

2cats2many · 30/03/2009 15:46

I'm in the 'don't force it' camp too. 6 weeks is far too young to establish any kind of routine IMO. You'll only end up wasting time trying to get him to sleep when he doesn;t want too.

Instead, put him in the buggy, push him
to a nice cafe and sit down with a book for an hour. If he goes to sleep, great. If not, well, it won't seem such a problem if you're outside doing 'normal' stuff.

StarlightMcKenzie · 30/03/2009 15:53

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LillyA · 30/03/2009 20:44

We have been using the Gina Ford routine since our girl was 5 weeks old. She is now seventeen week. We have always been fairly flexible with it and have just used it as a guide more than a rigid routine. At first I used to get really stressed out by the routine, worrying it she didn't sleep at nap times etc....But after a while I realised that there's no point in worrying. If she doesn't manage the lunchtime nap in full she just has a bit longer at the 4pm sleep. She did go through a spell of not sleeping well at lunch but I stuck to it. She now goes down at 12pm, sometimes wakes up after 40 minutes but she will eventually go back of. I've just stop worrying. She does something a little different each day and you just have to tweak the routine to fit. I have always stuck to one rule and thats the 2 hour rules just because I have learnt that she can never really manage to stay awake for any longer without needing a sleep even if it's only 15 minutes. Stick with it and don't worry your little bundle will be doing something different next week {smile}

feralgirl · 30/03/2009 22:03

I lie down with DS at lunch time and have a nap or read a book. He settles himself quicker or I can re-settle him if he wakes and I'm there (and it means I have an excuse for not doing any housework ).

GF is bollox. I used it before I knew any better and found the same as you; to start with DS slotted in perfectly but he goes through phases with his sleep because he's a baby and that's what they do!

Pannacotta · 30/03/2009 22:13

Gina Ford's routine is a very generic thing, she doesnt know YOUR baby after all...
I'd try and go with the flow and let your very young baby sleep when he is tired, rather than when GF says he should.

ChocOrange05 · 31/03/2009 12:18

My DS (20 weeks) had the lunchtime nap well until he was about 8 weeks old when started doing exactly what your DS is doing. I was desperate to find a solution as I knew he needed a longer nap than 45-60 mins (crying but couldn't resettle himself and if I woke him up he would be very bleary eyed and tired). What is working for us is static radio - a station that plays fuzz IYKWIM? I put it on when I settle him for his nap, quite loud (louder than if they were crying), and leave it on throughout and it has extended his naps to 2-2.5 hours and I wake him.

Touchwood this has been the case for the past 3 weeks and my house is finally clean again but as LillyA says I expect him to throw me another curveball soon.

Good luck!

Pruners · 31/03/2009 12:30

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mears · 31/03/2009 12:32

Why not put him in his pram to sleep?

Pinkglow · 01/04/2009 22:03

Ive also been following GF losely - the lunchtime naps a funny one, I keep meaning to try whitenose too but need a radio.

At the moment sometimes he wakes up and if he doesnt settle back then I just get him up and he makes up for it by having a longer nap in the afternoon.

Im finding that hes more likely to sleep for the whole 2 hours the older hes getting (hes 20 weeks now)

r4h · 07/12/2009 13:06

Read the Gina fords 'The complete sleep guide for contended babies.' I found it very useful and she gives some really good advice including how to get you baby to have a longer lunch time nap.

GuardianMummy · 07/12/2009 18:22

Same as Pinkglow..............my son sleeps the lunchtime 2 hours happily now he's a little older.

He's 22 weeks and used to wake halfway through that nap and be unhappy about it. I could fairly easily settle him back off to sleep (hence it was obvious he needed it - his sleep cues were there) and then he'd wake an hour or more later happy again. However, now he's a few weeks older he sleeps solidly through that 2 hours (mostly) so go with it for now and he will get there in time if it is what he needs

Good luck to you fellow Gina-follower (however loosely!)

almostreal · 07/12/2009 18:37

Cazza don't have the book to hand but vaguely remember the routine. Maybe shorten the morning nap to 30mins and put him down a little later if he still seems very awake, if he sleeps for the 2 hours then I would miss out the afternoon nap so he is sleepy for bedtime.
You say he sleeps well when out and about, if you bring him home does he wake up? If not then why don't take him out for 30 mins to settle him.

StarlightMcKenzie · 07/12/2009 18:39

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StarlightMcKenzie · 07/12/2009 18:41

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anjlix · 08/12/2009 20:26

I found that with my twins lunch time nap stopped working for perhaps 2-3 months somewhere near 8-10month or so. Which means that some days they would only have 30-45minutes. I just had to dtop worrying about it and help them compensate sleep with a longer afternoon nap or early bed time. However I followed the routine loosely and now at 1 year they consistently have 1.5-2hr nap in the afternoon and perhaps 45 minutes in the morning. I guess in the early days routines are to be taken as guidelines but the real pay off is much later. So keep following the routine and learn to adjust it based on the babies needs. You will start seeing the payoff.

meercat71 · 06/02/2010 15:04

I loosely still follow Gina now and my two yr old has just started to drop or reduce her two hour afternoon nap.. I do miss it - yes it's a bit selfish but nice to have a few mins to do errands etc.

One of my friends has got a small baby and she;s just ordered a blackout pram cover that is supposed to help them sleep when in the pram. It's on Jo JO - snoozeshade I think - cute name and if we have another one (fingers crossed) I might well invest if in one it works ;-)

Mumgenius · 06/02/2010 20:17

We're a Gina family (flexible with it, like you) and DD is now 11 months. I agree with LillyA and ChocOrange, it won't always go to plan. Stick with it and I'm sure you'll find it will come good again. Goodluck!

Moondog Have you ever heard the phrase 'if you can't say something nice...' Other people have differing parenting techniques to you, get over it. The OP didn't post in AIBU, she is looking for helpful advice to support her chosen method of parenting. If you can't say something helpful then best not say anything at all.

BoysAreLikeDogs · 06/02/2010 20:21

urgh another revived thread

Mumgenius I fear that you have been suckered into berating Moondog for comments made nearly a year ago

Ivykaty44 · 06/02/2010 20:24

go out with him in the pram - as he sleeps then and will keep to this rota

Mumgenius · 06/02/2010 20:28

Oh no!! I've just seen the date on the thread - never think to check that!! Grr!!

Still, think Moondog is an utter PITA for her delightful advice.

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