Need help sorting out 8 week old EASY

[Erin M]

Regarding the 30 minute naps -- while 30 minutes can often be an overtired nap it can also mean undertired or overstimulated.  I found with mine that I'd have to look at how they woke -- if they woke up fairly happy, then they were most likely needing more A time before the nap.

Extending A time -- I'd find that I would have to do some wanderng around, changing scenery somewhat often when I extended A time or they would just try to fall asleep on me early!  It's hard when they're that little -- sometimes it's really hard to keep them up!  Is it too cold to go outside where you are?  Sometimes getting out as we were getting towards the end of A time helped extend it a touch.  Otherwise we'd look out the windows and walk around the house, talk about what we saw, etc. 

The consistent 30 minute naps does sound like an ot/ut loop.

[Eva's Mummy]

Well doing a wee bit better today.

WU 7:30
A  1hr 15mins
S  8:45 - 9:30 (45mins)
A 1hr
S 10:30 - 11:18 (48mins)
A 1hr 7mins
S 12:25 - 13:00 (35mins)

So I'm guessing i'll try 1hr 20mins for her first A time tomorrow. I though an 1hr for her second today as she only had a 45min nap but maybe I could have went 1hr 5mins. The next nap 38mins she wasn't really happy so I think OT after 2 short naps. I went just over the hour because she could have managed a bit more at the last one but I'm guessing several short naps catches up on her as the day goes on.

Is it best to just concentrate on getting the A time right for the first nap before working on the others?

PS Its not so much cold her but always seems to be pouring of rain so not ideal for taking her out in for her last few mins of A time.

[Eva's Mummy]

Well it is all magically falling into place today was:

WU 7:40
A 1hr 11mins
S 8:51 - 10:42 (1hr 51mins
A 1hr 8mins
S 11:50 - 12:35 (45mins)
A 1hr 6mins
S 13:41 - 16:08 (2hrs27mins
A 2hrs 22mins
BT 18:30

I see that  after a 45mins nap she still needs around 1hr 5mins to take a good nap. He second A was a bit too short. However BT took forever, I got her down at 17:30 but she kicked around for ages then started crying so it took till 18:30 to get her to sleep. Her day is really short as BT is usually around 17:45pm but I put her to bed at this time she doesn't wake. So she must know its BT I tried waking her after 45mins once to make BT later but she just cried and cried until I put her back to sleep. But do you think this is why its taking so long for her to go to sleep at BT?

She generally sleeps through the night with just a DF at 10:30pm or sometimes she will wake at 5:15am for a feed. 

[Erin M]

Wow, you're making great progress!!!

As far as bedtime goes, I always found the end of the day to be the hardest!  I think the tiredness and stimulation from the day really builds up and makes it hard for them to fall asleep!  Are you doing a bath before bed?  Moving that around a little can make a difference sometimes -- also a longer or a shorter winddown.  Sometimes you just have to shift things around and find out what works.  It's ok if your BT is on the early side if she's going down and sleeping -- it will eventually get later. 

[Eva's Mummy]

Spoke too soon. For the last 2 days all our naps have been 36 -38mins. What on earth is a 36/38min nap? We have just had our 3rd short nap today and I don't know when to put her down for her next nap. She is getting grumpier and grumpier as the day is going on.

Yesterday was:

WU 7:28
Nap 1 8:39 - 9:05 / 9:05 - 9:18
A
Nap 2 10:27 - 11:05
A
Nap 3 12:15 - 13:45 (long nap as we were out in car)
A
Nap 4 14:53 - 15:29
A
Nap 5 16:37 - 17:13
A
BT 18:15 - 18:25 then 18:37

WU 7:25
A
Nap 1 8:36 - 9:12
A
Nap 2 10:22 - 11:00
A
Nap 3 12:05 - 12:41

[Erin M]

What's she waking up like from the naps?

[Eva's Mummy]

She always wakes up happy but can get grouchy 30mins into A time.

Today has been

WU 8:58
A 1hr 17mins
S 10:15 - 10:54 (38mins)
A 1hr 10mins
S 12:04 - 12:37 (33mins)

I'm now hoping she is going to nod off him her swing, if not im not sure when to try for her next nap since I keep getting it wong?

Oh I tried W2S yesterday at the 20min mark, I stroked her cheek and she moved her arm then continued to just wake right up 

[Eva's Mummy]

Our last few days have looked like this.

WU 8:57
A 1hr 18mins
S 10:15 - 10:47 32mins
A 59mins
S 11:46 - 12:30 44mins
A 1hr 15mins
S 13:45 - 14:47 1hr 3mins
A 1hr 12mins
S 15:59 - 16:37 38mins
A 1hr 11mins
BT 17:48

WU 8:28
A 1hr 19mins
S 9:47 - 10:51 1hr 4mins
A 1hr 15mins
S 12:06 - 12:50  44mins
A 1hr 20mins
S 14:10 - 14:47 37mins
A 2hrs (was hoping she would fall asleep while we were out)
S 16:47 - 17:22 35mins
A 1hr 1mins
BT 18:23

WU 8:58
A 1hr 18mins
S 10:16 - 10:54 38mins
A 1hr 10mins
S 12:04 - 12:37 33mins
A 1hr 5mins
S 13:42 - 14:12 30mins
A 1hr 8mins
S 15:20 - 15:47 27mins
A 58mins
S 16:45 - 17:00 15mins
A 55mins
BT 17:55 - 18:21 26mins / 18:24 - 18:40 / 18:55

WU 9:29
A
S 10:52 - 11:28
A
S 12:46 - 13:22

That was her last nap, we went out in the car, tried in the swing but she was fighting it so much then BT was 18:55

I pushed her A time to 1hr 30 this morning and got a 30 min nap, so tried a 1hr 25mins A time for the next and got a 33min nap.

[Erin M]

I think your key is that first A time, esp if she's waking up like that.  It does take them a few days to settle into a new A time when they're adjusting so don't be afraid to push another 5 minutes or so -- what's her temperament (as far as you can tell)?  After a short nap, try cutting your A time by about 15 minutes, so maybe around 15 minutes less and see how it goes -- otherwise you get stuck in an overtired/undertired loop.  Also, it's entirely possible that your second (and third) A times need to be longer than your first -- mine all did their longest A time first thing in the morning, but some babies do their shortest there.

So, try to keep that first A time close to 1 hour 25/30 minutes -- if she short naps then cut the second to something closer to 1 hour 10/15 minutes and see what happens.  You sound like you've got the right idea in playing with a times.