15 weeks

[1sttimemamma]

Hi - quick question.

My little one has always taken short naps, but he's starting to take a long morning nap. Yesterday I let him sleep for 2 hours (but he had a break with waking and resettling himself). However, the rest of the day was terrible and he flat out refused his last nap.

So, since he's 15 weeks, I'm thinking of moving to a 2 hour awake time - at least for the first nap. If I get a long nap (1 hr 30), I will continue to aim for a 2 hour awake time. However, if I get a short nap (30 min to 45 min) do I cut down the awake time? How much?

[Sarah - Enfys' Mum]

Yes, you do. I do half an hour less a time. Conversely, if we have a really good nap (2 hr) I would maybe do a few minutes more.

[1sttimemamma]

Well, I can't figure it out. He took a 40 minute nap and woke up happy - I left him alone, but he didn't go back to sleep. I put him down 1 hour and 20 min later and he's wide awake having a good time in his crib. It's been almost 20 min now. He does this often. I cannot figure out A times!!!

[1sttimemamma]

And now he's refusing his last nap - this would be the 2nd day in a row. He's been awake since about 2:30pm.

[Sarah - Enfys' Mum]

*hugs*. I always found figuring out a times after short naps incredibly frustrating. Actually, everything about short naps us frustrating .  Would you mind posting your routine, for the whole day, like this
Wake 7 am
E 7:15
A
S 9:15-10 am
Etc until bedtime.

This is a tough age but we'll help you figure it out.

[1sttimemamma]

Thank you! I would love to be able to put something down about his routine, but I can't. It's all over the board. Yesterday he woke at 6:45am, today he woke at 5:45am (and actually I think it was earlier, but I let him fuss around in his crib for awhile). The problem is I have an older to take to school, so regardless of his wake up time, he won't get a nap until 8:30am at the earliest.

So yesterday was:
Awake: 6:45am
Nap : 8:45 to 10:30 (that was a good one!!)
Nap : 12:45   to 1:30 (I tried to get him down earlier, but he just played around in his crib)
Nap: 3:10 to 3:40pm (I had to wake him because of an appointment)
Nap ; 5:45pm to 6pm (again, had to wake him because we were in car on the way home)
Bedtime: 7:30 or 7:45pm
Woke 5:45am

It's nutty. He's waking earlier and earlier and I can't do a nap any sooner.

[1sttimemamma]

So today we came home and he slept for about 30 minutes  - he woke around 5:45am and didn't get his first nap until 8:45 and woke at 9:15am. Now, normally he's waking crying, but he's totally happy and talking. I put him down for a 2nd nap and he fell asleep around 10:45am and work about 40 minutes later - totally happy!!
I have read about "wonder weeks" and he seems to be in this.

[1sttimemamma]

I don't know if anybody will see this question,b ut I will try. He's 16 1/2 weeks. He has bad naps - back to 30 min's all day long. But, he wakes up happy and talking, so there is no way to extend them. If i let him lay in his crib, he will be happy and chatting for 30 min. Eventually he will get fussy and so I go in and get him up.

Today he woke at 6:30am - he was fussing around, so I fed him and laid him back down. I have no idea if he slept again, but I doubt it.
Nap - put him down at 8:20 and he fell asleep at 8:35am. woke at 9:05am.
so I will put him down at 10:30.

I generally have him awake 1 hr 30 min after a 30 min nap. It still doesn't lead to a long nap. I have kept him awake for 2 + hours (on accident)  and it results in him really fighting sleep and crying and then a 30 min nap.

I cannot get out of the short nap cycle and they even used to be 45 min - but we are back down to 30 min.

[Sarah - Enfys' Mum]

It's tricky when you have another one to look after too .

Have you tried wake to sleep?  Because he wakes at 30 minutes, you go in at 25 minutes and start shhing and patting up until you go past the 30 minute mark. Do it for three days.  A lot of people find it useful.

[1sttimemamma]

Is there an article about wake to sleep? I go in and do the patting all the way thru? I thought I just sort of woke him a little and then left?

[Sarah - Enfys' Mum]

You can do it several ways. Going in about 5-10 minutes before the wake up time and giving him a stir, going in about the same time and patting through the transition, or going in and physically holding them down when they jolt themselves awake at the transition. I've only ever done the first two methods.