Short nappers- Just accept it?

[Nickie18]

The rest of the day was a mess- please tell me tomorrow is another day and it can all start over again. I think it was a disaster from the beginning. Does 1h30m sound reasonable?

[weaver]

please tell me tomorrow is another day and it can all start over again

This is completely true, always.  (())

Try 1hr 30.  You're there with her, you can see how she's behaving.  Trial and error and we will get there.  Maybe she's high sleep needs?  I'll ask someone with experience to pop along and have a look.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

What Anne meant to say was do you think she is low sleep needs? My DD3 is and we had short naps for ages until I pushed her A time majorly. I was lulled into a false sense of security by those first few sleepy newborn weeks (she was appearing to be an angel baby but is for sure more spirited than angel now!) and once she woke up she needed major A time to get a good nap. We went to 2 naps by 4 months and one nap by 7.5 (which sadly I am now capping to keep her nights good  )

I don't remember precisely the A times we used at that age as with 2 older kids I really had to learn to roll with it but I am sure it was at least 1 hr 30-45 min give or take. I did do a lot of apop for naps up until 3-4 months (either in a wrap or holding her) as she was not settling well for naps and had chronic 45 min wakes which gradually resolved as I increased A times (to levels I thought were so age inappropriate that I kept her on a routine that just was not working for her!).

We rarely got tired signs, she might yawn now after being up for 5-6 hours but that is it! Other wise she is happy to go go go. It is a bit of a drag having a baby awake so long but if I need to get things done I pop her in a carrier (still do housework with her on my back!).

[weaver]

What Anne meant to say was do you think she is low sleep needs?

Oooops.  Sorry about that. 

[Nickie18]

Thank you- I think you may be right. But she is so hard to read! She was so sleepy those first 6 weeks that I assumed she would be an angel too:) She has been at 1h15m for a while, so we increased to 1h30m today, but she lulls you into thinking she needs to go to sleep sooner as she gets all sleepy and closes her eyes, but we put her down at 1h15m for second nap and she had a 45 min nap after a perfect first nap at 1h26m! Let's see how she does now...

If she has low sleep needs, what does that mean for her nights? Will she sleep less? right now she sleeps from 8-7:30am (with 1-2 wake ups)

My DS went to one nap at like 8 months, so maybe it is the same? She was born 3 weeks early so I assumed she would be late to change her schedule, but I guess not?

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

For nights I find we get better ones if she has less day sleep. She usually has at least 11.5 hrs at night, the odd time 12 and any less I try and apop in the morning! Basicaly now she has nw or ew if she gets too much naps as I finally tackled the last nf about 10 days ago.

Sounds like she will be similar to your DS! Not sure on the three weeks early though, I would have thought the same as you!

[Nickie18]

When would you change her to a 3.5 EASY? Seems like she could do it now given her A time but she only takes 4 ounces a feed or so... Worry at 1.5h A time her naps will be pretty short if she fusses at all... She so far seems mad when I put her down after 1h25m. Would it take awhile for her to get used to it and stop fussing at the start of nap (ie crying:)

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

DD3 was ebf at that age so I did a split feed - one on waking and a snack feed about a half hour before nap time as her A times did not allow a normal EASY really - she would have woke in the middle of a nap from hunger! You could try 3.5 and see (I assume she is bottle fed?) if she takes more oz and can last that long or do a split feed.

[Nickie18]

How long would you let your Lo nap after the 1.5h A time? Stick to the 3 hours between feeds? She is bottle fed...

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

She never really did many long naps at that A time, but if she had I probably would have woke her after 2 hrs max. Thing is you want to gear towards 4 hr feeds by around 4 months (regardless of A times and naps with a lsn baby-  I was still splitting feeds as at 4 months her A time was over 2.5/3 hrs so naps were again during feed times so we did EAEAS). She is finally on a proper 4 hr bottle routine just in the last month or so

[Nickie18]

So we have been trying 1.5A time and mixed results. Yesterday am went great long nap. But then doctors and shots and missed naps and yesterday was a mess. She slept the night and woke only once for feed at 4;15 after bed at 8 and woke at 7:30!! But then did 1.5 this am and got 45 min nap though she seemed happy. Second nap also 45 min and a fairly happy baby. Just fed her at 1:30 and put her down at 1:50 as she was up from 12:10. So far ok but any ideas? I cannot imagine a longer A time for her??? At least she is not doing 30 min overtired naps... Could she be overtired and not showing it? She is not cranky at all really...

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

With having shots and a bad day I would maybe give the 1.5 hr A a bit longer to see, the short naps might have been ot carried over from the day before. Hope the night was okay!

[Sarah - Enfys' Mum]

I agree. After shots, all bets are off for a day or two. Hope she's okay.

[Nickie18]

So two days after the shots and both days went the same. Wake her at 7:30, A time of 1.5h, 45 min first and second nap (she seemed happy and awake), then third nap 2.5 hours! Then feed at 4:30pm but she is hard to wake and sleepy. Last three nights only one NF, but nit sure if this is good. More A time due to the 45 min nap or is she just a 45 min napper? Is the long nap from being exhausted? She still has not woken after her 430 feed yet...

Maybe this is her nap preference- 2 short naps, a long nap, then catnap?

[weaver]

Maybe this is her nap preference- 2 short naps, a long nap, then catnap?

Could be.  Definitely an improvement, isn't it?  Well done!  I'd probably let it settle for a week or so, see if the pattern sticks, and then if you want to try tweaking it, do.  But I'd definitely let it settle first.