Hi Claire, wanted to post a reply earlier but life has been so hard. MY DD has had so many NW and I feel so exhausted. But we are doing better on naps. Why can't I have both??
What we do to get a long nap is to sleep nearby and pat immediately to prevent completely waking up. Her crib is next to my bed. I pat and shh her to sleep, with her side lying (I put my nursing pillow behind her back, when she is asleep, I take it away, and she will lie on her back then), and I also lie down with arms around her, and my leg gives some gentle pressure on her legs (so awkward to find a comfortable pose at the beginning). When she is asleep, I take my leg and arms back, and I just took a nap as well, as I am so sleep deprived at night. Then around 45min, at her first stir, I just go back immediately and pat+shh her. sometimes it was very smooth, but more often she would wake a few times before she is completely asleep again. From my observation, if she is asleep after the first 45min, she usually sleep longer than 45min.