30min naps advice please!!

[Shiv52]

Just see how you go.  Even just add 5 minutes to it.  Going down so easily suggests she's ready to sleep but the continued 30-35 minutes nap suggests UT especially seeing as the shorter A times were getting short naps too so I don't think OT was the cause IYSWIM? 

If you go to the bother of extending those naps (which takes amazing patience) I would just let her sleep even if it means passing her next feed time.  The extra sleep time will help combat OT and you'll prob find with extending naps you only ever get an extra 30 -50 minutes anyways so she shouldn't pass her feed time by much.   Would just give you a bit more time to yourself too.  So long as she still has the same number of feeds/amount of milk in a day it shouldn't affect her night sleep at all. 

Keep up the hard work!  Hope the weekend goes ok!!

[gilly37]

Aww brilliant thanks we'll give it a go. I completely forgot it's my friend's little girl's birthday party tomorrow and we have to make an appearance, she lives a 15min drive away... Not sure how it'll go to be honest, can't tell her we can't come now but so worried about the routine!!! I think we'll just have to go straight after her feed and stay for an hour then get back home again, LO isn't a big car seat napper anyway so she might stay awake.

Gxx

[Shiv52]

Now you know what you're doing and getting well into the routine it shouldn't upset things too much so go and enjoy and just get caught up when you are back home!

Siobhan xx

[gilly37]

Hi again!

Update on the A times... First day was Saturday, her first nap of the day after a 2hr A time lasted 42mins, yes 42!!!!! When she woke I couldn't for the life of me get her back over so popped her in her gym for 15mins and she was ready to go back to sleep again. This time for 35mins, then it was feed time. The following A time was 1hr 50 like we agreed on, but this time she only napped for 28mins, she woke crying and the rest of the day proved a real challenge after this. Anyway yesterday was roughly the same with the second nap a real struggle. This morning she's managed 41mins after a 2hr A time, I'm thinking this must be roughly her sleep cycle and she's just having trouble moving into the next cycle? Either way it's better than those short short OT naps, it's a start.

Anyway must go, I thought I'd managed to get her back to sleep there but I can hear her again.... Keep you posted.

Gxx

[Shiv52]

Definately a start.  42 minutes!!  WOW! 

I'd stick with 2 hours for first A time, 1 hr 50 for rest for 2 more days and we'll see how she goes.  If short naps don't improve might need to think of 2 hours for whole day but don't want to push it too much at the minute in case she ends up exhausted and really OT.

Keep trying to extend the naps if you can and remember if you do get her back over just let her sleep even if it goes slightly past her feed time.  The sleep is more important at this stage and she won't sleep much beyond the sleep time.  Or is there a medical reason she needs to feed totally on schedule?

You could also try wake 2 sleep at 35 minutes for that first nap as it does seem she has bother getting through to the next sleep cycle.  So you just very gently stir her slightly and then stop and she should resettle and that will get her through to next cycle.  If not ssh-pat should be easier started as she'll only be stirring. 

How'd the rest of today go?

Hope you all enjoyed the party at the weekend xx

[gilly37]

Thanks we had a lovely time at the party and the weather held out too which was a bonus!

The rest of today was actually really chilled and went pretty well, after the first nap of 41 mins when I'd heard her crying I went in and tried to extend (failed again, she seemed absolutely wide awake), eventually took her out of the cot and had a little cuddle with her in the room, sang a song and bang she was sleepy again, I can't believe I'm about to say this but she slept for 55mins!!!!!!!! Then I gave her her feed and went along to baby massage, come out of there and it was perfect timing for another nap at home, she only managed 35mins this time and wasn't for going back to sleep but we just kept things very low key in the house and she made it to the next feed without any fussiness, she had another small nap at 5pm (half an hour) and made it to bedtime! I'm happy for her to catnap in the afternoon if she gets some decent sleep in the morning as it sets her mood for the rest of the day, if we have a bad morning the whole day's a write off!

Gxx

edited to add: I forgot to say no there's no medical reason for her having to feed bang on 4 hourly but I like her to as 1. she's never been the best feeder and would happily go 5 hours without a bottle and still won't finish it when it comes, and 2. it keeps everything on track i.e. bedtime etc, it means she'll get a full bottle at bedtime rather than a top-up which I like for the previous reason I mentioned.

[Shiv52]

That sounds like a successful day!  Good for you!!  Wow for the 55 minutes after extending!!

Hope tomorrow goes as well! 

Keep me posted! 

[Shiv52]

How you getting on today?

Just wanted to add that I only ever did ssh-pat for 10 minutes as my sanity couldn't handle much more.  How about doing it for a short time and if she's not looking like she's going back over get her up and watch her as that seemed to work yesterday.  Once you get the naps extended (however you do it) you can back track a bit and get independent sleep sorted IYKWIM?

[gilly37]

Hi well we're having no such luck with naps today! It has been a bit of a disaster so far, first A time 2hrs as planned, then she slept for 40mins, wouldn't go back over, got her up, she stayed awake for an hour though because each time I tried to put her back down (twice in that time) she just woke up even more. She eventually went down again for 45mins, her feed was a bit late, she would only take 4oz for some reason, fussing and pushing the bottle away so I abandoned it. She was acting completely OT and by 1hr 30 after waking up she was crying her eyes out, she's teething at the moment so I gave her a powder but it didn't calm her down at all so I just did the only thing I thought would work and put her down again half an hour early. She must have been OT right enough as she only went down for 33mins until 1.30. She has just gone back over again, feed should be at 3.30 so she'll probably wake at the right time for that. Had to really work not to resort to AP and shove her in the pram or cuddle her just so she'd go back to sleep for a little while. Just when you think you're getting somewhere eh? So the A times have been royally messed up today, I really don't know why she was so tired in that second A, do you think it could have anything to do with the teething, or maybe the fact that she was awake for an hour during what should have been her sleep time this morning?

Sorry to be pessimistic but I'm struggling to believe that these naps will ever be sorted out, I'm beginning to think I may have to live with the fact she's a catnapper. But where would that leave us with the routine?? Is it even doable or would I just have to follow her cues and put her to bed for 30-45mins 5 times a day? Please no!! LOL...

Gxx

Gxx

[Shiv52]

You know hun, it could be she is a short napper for the meantime.  With all the effort you are putting in and still not seeing significant results I think I would be inclined to accept the short naps for the meantime (sorry!).  Naps here weren't totally great until 5/6 months and naps were varying lengths and to be honest I rolled with it as best I could and they seemed all of a sudden to get better. 


How about taking a break?  Watching her cues for a few days and just putting her down when she's tired.  Do push the A times and try to resettle naps for a maximum of 10 minutes and then just get her up.  Keep a rough track of your days but don't clock watch.  So don't be thinking 'oh its already 1 hr 50, I should be getting her down', just watch her and put her down when she's tired.  I used to be surprised at the A times my LO could handle and it helped me overall sort out a routine that worked for us.

Had to really work not to resort to AP and shove her in the pram or cuddle her just so she'd go back to sleep for a little while.

When dealing with short naps I think its fine to AP a longer nap.  I at times used to feed my LO (I bf) to get her back over and it worked to help extend and stop OT setting in.  You do what you have to do especially when dealing with short naps so don't be afraid to do what it takes to get her more sleep.  As long as you are aware it is something you'll need to fade eventually I think its fine!


Ultimately if she sleeps during the night and you find the day manageable and are working toward longer naps then you are on the right track. 

What do you think? 

Siobhan xx

[gilly37]

Ahh do you know what, I actually feel relieved reading your post!! I thought maybe it was something I was doing wrong, and for a while I started to get a bit stressed about those naps and really, stressed is not me! So I'm relieved to hear that I can chill out a bit and know that it's actually ok. Alright, the short naps are a pain but I can live in hope that she'll get over them, and if not well that's just the way it'll have to be and I'm sure we'll manage. I do enjoy having a routine of sorts though so I hope there's still a way we can follow EASY (or EASASY as the case may be )  Oh and great about APing some naps, I would only do it if I knew she would struggle later in the day or if we have to go out and I won't have time to extend or get her up and wait for her to be ready to go back in the cot.

Thanks for all your advice it's been great. Who knows, maybe I'll be on here next week or next month telling you the naps worked themselves out on their own!!! Fingers crossed...

Gxx

[Shiv52]

You know I checked with some others who have short nappers and they reassured me that following EASEA or EASAS is still following the BW principles and you'll get there in the end.  Take the pressure off yourself and enjoy your LO and hopefully the naps will get better in a few weeks.  Sometimes all it takes is a bit of growing up on the LOs part.  In a few weeks she'll be ready for more A time and you may very well find that will be the key to getting longer naps. 

HTH!  Let me know how you're getting on xx

[gilly37]

Yeah thanks shiv that really does help! We've had a lovely relaxed day today, put her to bed this morning 2hrs after waking and she went down for 45mins (I think the change of A time has really helped sort out the 30min naps anyway which is a bonus), within 15mins of being up she went down again for 40mins, so hey at least she's getting the sleep time in, it's just staggered slightly! I always get a bit more relaxed for the afternoon if I know she's done well out of the morning, start as we mean to go on and all that... So this afternoon she just napped in the pram at a weaning fayre we went to, couldn't believe she actually slept through 45mins of babies crying all around her, then came home and napped again in her cot. All good!

Gxx

[Shiv52]

Sounds like a great day!  And that morning nap (even with the 15mins up) was great.  Keep an eye on A times in the morning.  In a few weeks she should be ready for more A time so you may find with the extra A time she'll make it through the 45 mark and you'll get that nap all together!!!

Good news on the sleeping in the pram too! 

{{{hugs}}}