Talking instead of sleeping - for how long?

[mayamom]

Hello - I have been pat/shushing my dd for weeks to try to get her to fall asleep.  She is currently 14.5 wo.  When I put her to sleep, she will fuss for a few minutes, rub her face in the sheets, suck her thumb, get mad and roll over from her stomach to her back.  This then makes her more alert.  So, I would flip her back over and pat/shush her.  I would also usually have to hold her down from rolling over again.  It would take anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes to get her to sleep at night. 

Recently, I noticed that she has more of a mantra cry than an 'I need you cry'.  So, the last few nights, I didn't go in and roll her over.  I just left her on her back.  The problem is that she will sit there for 45 minutes to an hour talking to herself before she falls asleep.  There are no toys or mobiles in her crib so she is not playing with anything.  Is this too long for her to fall asleep?  I know she is tired b/c she is falling asleep taking her bottle and rubbing her eyes when I lay her down.  But, when she rolls over, she thinks it is time to play.  Will it eventually get shorter and shorter for her to fall asleep?

I would also like to 'just let her be' for naps too but I am afraid she will talk and play and never nap.  If she is not crying, should I leave her alone?  What if it takes 30 or 45 minutes to fall asleep?  Then, she will not have a lot of time to sleep before it is time to eat.

What do you think?  How long should it take them to fall asleep?
Thanks.

[*Nicola*]

I would say that if she isn't crying then leave her be.  If you intervene when she doesn't need you then she might just get used to having you there and decide she likes it Try it for naps and see how she goes.  Rolling is obviously exciting right now, but the novely will wear off.

My only thought is whether she is tired enough to go to sleep when you are putting her down.  Could it be that she needs to extend A time and the routine needs a tweak?  At 3 months the average is time is 1.5 hours followed by 1.5 hour nap

[mayamom]

Thanks for the response.  I guess I just needed reassurance that I was doing the right thing. 

The 2nd night went much better.  It only took her 15 minutes to fall asleep.  I have been playing around with her A time.  Sometimes she can go 1.5 hours and sometimes less.  I have been trying to stick to a 12 hour day and 12 hour night.  Usually, she doesn't nap very good so she is really tired by 7pm, especially if she won't catnap.  She will fall asleep as she is taking her last bottle, so I burp her and put her to bed.  Then, she tries to sleep and can't and rolls over.  Hopefully, she will fall asleep quickly tonight! 

Last night, I also had the problem after her 4am feeding.  She talked in her crib for almost an hour before sleeping (I have a video monitor and kept watching her). 

I guess as long as she isn't crying, then I will let her be. 
Thanks.