How much 'A' time after LO is already OT from previous nap?

[lhanson7251]

I'm struggling with getting my LO to nap longer than 30-45 min. ALL day!  He is STTN 11 hrs. but as soon as he wakes after 30 min from his first nap he's OT the entire day, it's a vicious cycle!  I can't figure out if I should try to keep him up for the whole A time he would normally be up for or if I should put him down earlier to try to catch up.  Does this make any sense?  He is usually so worn out that he starts to doze off while taking his bottle.  He is a touchy baby and doesn't really show sleepy cues until it's to late.  The only sign I can usually pick up on is he starts to kick his legs alot and gets like hyper active.  I'm getting so frustrated with these catnaps, please tell me it gets better. 

[RebekahDSC]

Hi and Welcome to Baby Whisperer!  Those short naps are rough, I know from experience!  I recently asked a similar question and here's a link to the answer I got!
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=226976.0

How old is your LO?  And how long is he awake in between sleep?  Let's see if we can come up with a plan to help avoid those short naps in the first place!

[lhanson7251]

He's 3 months.  Right now he get anywhere from 1-1 1/2 hrs awake time.  He will start to fuss so I'll head to his room to start our wind down but as soon as I lay him on his changing table he's wide awake and all smiles.  So many mixed signals.

[RebekahDSC]

Have you seen this link on A times? http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64158.msg476652#msg476652
Generally 45 minute naps are undertired (UT) and 30 minute naps are overtired (OT).  It's a vicious cycle, as you say because one short nap can lead to an OT day!  I found that getting my DD on the right A times really helped.  About the tired signals, it is important to watch your baby and not just the clock, but they can be confusing.  Are you sure he is tired when he fusses?  My DD fusses all the time, often just because she is bored, or wants to be held, or whatever.

BTW, it does get better!  I started my DD on EASY around the time she turned 5 months.  Once I got her A times right and had the routine going, I still had to help her extend her naps a lot of the time but she often did go back to sleep with help!  And I think she sometimes slept straight through on her own!  Also, around 6 months babies often naturally start sleeping longer on their own... we dealt with the short nap monster for FOREVER but now (at 8 months) she takes two nice long naps almost everyday!   You're at the hard stage, but hang in there and life will get so much better!

[creations]

Great advice coming from Rebekah.

Just wanted to pop in and say hang in there, short naps are very common and often improve around 6 months as Rehekah says.

I'm getting so frustrated with these catnaps, please tell me it gets better

By the time he's a teenager you won't be able to keep him awake

I would watch the clock a little more closely perhaps and offer a more consistent A time (say 1hr 20) for a while.  With an A between 1hr and 1.5hr some of those naps maybe UT (ie putting him to bed too soon) and some OT.
If you're unable to extend the nap just make the most of the A time you have together.  It can be very draining and frustrating to have short naps but if you accept that's how it will be for a while then life feels just a bit easier.  Maybe a nap out and about would prove to be longer and you could get some fresh air and a change of scene too?

xx