Waking up after 45 minutes...?

[Gooders]

I am sticking to such a rigid routine, I have now designated at least 2 weeks to implementing it so my LO does not get OT. But today after 45 minutes (more or less spot on) of napping he wakes up screaming his head off. I have to resist running in because it is a heartbreaking cry and after 5-8 minutes he goes back off to sleep. I have to turn the monitor off and walk out into the garden until 5 minutes has passed. I have found that if I go in to re-settle him he is actually worse.

Why is he waking aftre this time? Is it due to him coming to the end of a sleep cycle or something else?

LO is 11 weeks today!

[anna*]

If it's a real heartbreaking cry, I wouldn't leave him to it, it sounds like he really needs you. Is it his mantra cry? 45 mins can be transitioning sleep cycles, or can be UT although probably not if he is going back to sleep.

[Gooders]

I don't understand what a mantra cry is?

[~Sarah~]

Here you go http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64160.0

Also, does your lo have reflux or have you suspected it?  Both of mine had issues at the 45min mark even when they were on the correct easy time frame.  They would be in too much pain to transition sleep cycles.

If not reflux, you could post your easy to let us see if we can help you get the timing right.

[Gooders]

He does have reflux but seemingly controlled by meds. He gas been doing it today too but only for a short period of time, less than 5 minutes.

[deb]

Yes, 45 minutes is the end of a sleep cycle.

Have you read this? http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=649.0

[Gooders]

I have now thank you Deb! So are you saying that I should wind down a little earlier and maybe a light feed? He normally only wakes at 4am at night after going to bed at 7 and gets up around 7am. I tried a DF last night thinking it would push him through but he still woke at 4.11am and actually woke 20 minutes early (first time in weeks!) so I feel reluctant to try this again. Does it take a while for the effects of a DF to kick in?

[deb]

Not sure what your current EASY is, but as I gradually stretched out the A time and wound Josie down, she got tired enough to sleep longer - once we got her thru the habitual waking. The trick for us to extend the naps was to be there in the nick of time to get her back to sleep before she really woke.

The DF took us a while to get the knack of, had to fiddle with the timing. And then once we'd got it, just like that she stopped taking it no matter when we tried. But when she woke at 4AM after that, I was usually able to get her back down with just the paci, and after a while she didn't wake any more because she was apparently getting used to waking w/o the paci and not caring any more. LOL That's my theory at least, 9 years on.

But the light feed also was to get more daytime calories into Josie so she didn't NEED any more at night, so phasing out the DF once her 3-month GS was finished worked out great.

[Gooders]

This is my little boys EASY.

E&A: 7-8
S: 8.15 - 9.45/10 (THIS IS NORMALLY SHORT.. we have to go out at this time, normally only for around and hour but if he is asleep I do tend to pan my job out so that he can have at least 1.5 hrs)
E&A: 10- 11.15
S-11.15 - 1 (maybe 15 before)
E&A: 1-2.15
S: - 2.15 - 4
E&A: 4 - 5.15
S: 5.15/5.30 - 6 (THIS SEEMS SHORT AND HE ALWAYS FIGHTS THIS ONE!)


HE then has a bottle and a bath then I put him in his cot where he cries for 10 mins and then sleeps through until 3/4am and then again until 7am...

[deb]

Yeah, that A time *might* be a bit on the short side, although if he's short-napping he's probably going to give you cranky cues at around an hour. I'd see if you can gradually extend it by a few minutes here and there, even adding 5 minutes every couple of days gives you a start at pushing those times. And then if you are able to get him to extend naps on his own, soon he'll drop that catnap at the end of the day, leaving you with 2 longer naps and a third nap that might be 45 minutes (our 3 naps were all 90-minute naps once we sorted it), sort of its own catnap.

Also, topping up the daytime calories will help, although you've got the 3-month growth spurt coming up, so don't let it catch you by surprise - it's a biggie! But if you can get him to sleep thru that 4AM waking, or get him back to sleep before he wakes fully, the plan is that he'll wake up more fully rested when he does wake for the day.