W2S question

[tpetrali]

Ok, so what is the difference at the w2s if I go in and stir him or if I wait until he stirs to pat/sshh him.  If I stroke his cheek or something to stir him should I still pat/sshh or let him settle himself?

DS is 6 weeks old and can't seem to break the 45 min naps consistently.  Seems like he has before but it is gradually getting worse... is that normal?  I'm sure he is OT from all the lack of sleep.  Awake time is usually about 40 minutes before I try to get him to nap which sometimes takes an hour.  Today for his 2nd nap I was there to pat/sshh him as he stirred during the transition.  He settled quickly but never made it back to deep sleep and he was in bed for another 30-45 minutes.  I would think he was and walk out and 10  minutes later he would be grunting and waking up again.  Any advice would be great!

[~Sara~]

Hi there!

Wake to sleep is done so that LO doesn't wake at all.  The technique "resets" their sleep cycle and helps to get rid of a habitual waking.  It's up to you if you want to leave him for a while to resettle.  Some LOs will on their own.

However, all of that said, I think your little guy is actually taking undertired naps.  This means that his body doesn't feel tired enough to go to sleep after only 40 minutes, and can result in fighting the nap (check) and 45 minute naps (check).  At 6 weeks, the average A time is ~1h to 1h15.  I would wait until the 50min/1h mark and then do the wind down...you might be surprised   Give that a shot for a couple of days and see how he does.

If he suddenly jumps to 30 minute naps and fussing/crying upon waking, then it was probably too much A time (every baby is different so it's really just learning what works best for your LO).  If you get a kind of nap shorter than ~1.5h, then reduce that following A time by 20-30 minutes to avoid OT at the next nap.

Hope that helps a bit   Keep us posted!

[tpetrali]

Ok thank you. That makes sense.  I guess I just assumed he is OT because he hasn't been getting a good amount of sleep so I was trying to compensate and put him down earlier. I have also been keeping as little stimulation as possible to avoid OS.
Usually I wake him to stick to the 3 hour EASY, but if he wakes on his own he is always screaming.  Is that normal?  I guess I always figured it was but maybe not? I have thought about stretching to a 3 1/2 hour EASY but didn't know if I should. 

[~Sara~]

Usually I wake him to stick to the 3 hour EASY, but if he wakes on his own he is always screaming.  Is that normal?

Does he scream after a 45 minute nap, or after a longer nap?  If it's after a 45 minute nap, he might just be sleepy still.  He's still very little, and while I'm trying to think back that far with my own LO, I don't think it's totally abnormal...he could just be really, really hungry and that's why he's screaming.  At this age, they don't really have another way to communicate other than to cry.

Let me know how the slightly longer A time goes