Spirited baby - how to extend naps past 45 minutes

[2Kats]

My DD is almost 3 months old and has hardly ever taken a nap longer than 45 minutes (unless she is being held).  I just don't know what to do anymore.  I have tried all different awake times but nothing seems to help.  When she wakes up after 45 minutes she is all happy and wide awake so I don't know how to try to get her back to sleep.  She is tired and will fall asleep in my arms but I won't hold her while she sleeps anymore.  When I put her into her crib her eyes just pop open and she stares at anything, even her plain pink and white bumper.  To get her to sleep at the beginning of her nap I have to hold her legs down and cover her eyes, but that doesn't work when I try to extend her nap.  Any ideas?  I don't know what to post for my routine because it is all over the place right now but I try to put her down for her first nap after 1 1/2 hours.  She will sleep 45 minutes and I will shorten A times the rest of the day to make up for short naps.  By the end of the day she is impossible to get to sleep and she still wakes up about 4 times per night.  If only they made baby blindfolds! 

[brenda2]

LOL at the baby blindfolds. 

is she falling asleep at the beginning of her nap independently now?  how long has it been since you stopped holding her to sleep?  if she's used to a prop to sleep this may be causing her short naps (she's waking during the transition phase at the end of the sleep cycle instead of transitioning herself because she needs the prop).  you should be trying to put her down in her bed before she is asleep, don't let her fall asleep while you are holding her - not sure if you are doing this?

you have the right approach to shorten A times and fit in more naps if they're all short.

at 3 mo it's possible she's not ready for 1.5 hours first thing.  often this one is shorter than the rest.  what happens if you try putting her down at 1 hour 20 min first thing?

[2Kats]

I haven't held her while she sleeps in about a month.  That used to be the only way I could extend her naps but now I just get her up after 45 minutes since she seems so wide awake and won't go back to sleep.  I guess she is still learning to go to sleep independently.  I have been trying to put her down more awake but it has been hard since she falls asleep before I even get one short book read to her.  What I do for wind down is swaddle her, give her the pacifier, sit in the rocking chair and read her a book then take the pacifier out and put her in her bed.  So she has a pacifier for wind down but not for sleeping.  Do you think that could be a problem?

I tried putting her down at 1 hour 20 minutes this morning and she woke up after 30 minutes.  I did manage to get her back to sleep which never happens, but she woke up in a couple minutes to poop.    So I'm not sure if I should try that again tomorrow or try a different A time. 

[brenda2]

your winddown sounds good, i agree with no paci to sleep if she doesn't need it.

since you got her back to sleep after the 30 min nap this is a good sign.  repeat the 1 hour 20 min A time tomorrow and continue with it for 3 days and see how it goes.