Wake to Sleep - Success? How much intervention is too much?

[Otownmama]

After going through a period with 30 minute naps that was just deadly, I decided to try wake to sleep. I've had some pretty good luck with it, extending three naps to over an hour. I've had no luck with the last nap of the day, but it seems to really help with the first two. After 20+ minutes I've been going in the nursery and that is enough to get her to stir. I put my hand on her chest and usually give her the paci and hold her arms gently to help her get through the jolts. I'm curious how others have used wake to sleep - how long did you do it? What tactics did you use? Did you offer the paci? My concern is that I'm perhaps intervening too much and could become a prop. While I'm thrilled to be getting some success with this instead of fighting to get her back to sleep after she wakes, I'm spending a lot of time in her room in the dark...

[nevinsmama]

when i used this with a combination of staying through the jolts and watching the A time (my trouble now!A is out of control!!) it worked pretty well. I would go in at about 20 minutes, jostle. then go back in at 32 and stay with hand on chest and rolled up blanket on legs to keep him from getting worked up,  or hopefully even really waking, until sometimes an hour! after a while, well a couple weeks!, i could duck out at minute 47 and MOST of the time we got a decent nap.1:10-1:30.  short naps are rough!! HTH.! oh and sometimes staying beyond when i thought he would go back under helped and we would get another 45 min. i didn't find with this method for it to become a prop, until our A's went off the charts he was great at putting himself back to sleep. Nevin has never taken a paci, so don't know there. good luck!!!!

[~Lori~]

I am considering trying this for naps.  My 3.5mth old wakes up at 35 minutes on the dot, regardless of how short/long A time is.  I know what you mean about it being "Deadly".  I wouldn't see it as becoming a prop, no more than shhh-pat would be.  It's something helping them learn to get back to sleep.

When you did the Wake 2 sleep at 20 minutes, did you find your little one did as big or many jolts compared to if you didn't do wake 2 sleep?

[Otownmama]

It seems like the key is just being there when she stirs, but unfortunately that means hanging out in the nursery for most of her nap. I give her the first 20-25 mins alone, but if I miss that first stirring it's all over. I got DH to try on Saturday and he went in but her legs were already up in the air - no luck getting her back to sleep at all. But I'm finding that she has several jolts/stirrings and they don't seem to be limited to the 10/20 min time frame BW talks about. I have to apply gentle pressure on her arms to keep them away from her face, legs aren't such a problem. Trying to limit the paci use. Also, I'm having very little luck getting more than 1 hr 10 mins out of her no matter what! Certainly nothing like the 2 hrs she supposed to be getting on 4 hr EASY - so we're still languishing in the 3.5 hr range...

[nevinsmama]

how old is your lo? sorry typing with one hand! is she swaddled? my y time went down to 20 minutes per 4 hr round for a longg time during this phase! we were on 3.45 easy for a while and did ok.  my lo still hardly ever goes over 1.5 hr nap, don't know why, maybe just him! in hindsight, i know it is rough but sometimes i would just say "hey, there's always another nap"
' get  him up and try to just laugh and let it go, otherwise, I just really got down about it. HTH!!