Patting to extend naps

[SukieCat]

DS is 6.5 mo.  He used to only take 30 - 40 min naps (A time is 3hr).  Now that he's decided to be a tummy sleeper, I'm able to extend his naps by patting him on the back.  But I have to do this for almost every single nap, or he'll be up after 30-40min. Is that to be expected at this age?  When might he be able to get through sleep transitions on his own?  Am I going to make him dependent on me patting his back to take long naps?

[Aishi]

Hi hon

It can be normal for Los to need help transitioning between cycles. Does he fall asleep independently? If he does, it could be developmental and he just hasn't learnt to transition yet. How long have you been patting? You could try patting for a week and then stop and see what happens?

Could you post your easy in E A S  format just in case you need a routine tweak? 30-40 min nap is a wide window. 30 min naps are classic OT and 45 min are UT...hth

[SukieCat]

Thanks for your reply Aishi.  He does fall asleep independently, usually.  Occasionally I have to pat him to sleep for a nap.  I just realized I could pat him back to sleep within the past week (when I've tried in the past it hasn't worked), so I'd say I've been doing it for about a week now.  It doesn't work every time, and he doesn't need it every time, it just seems like he's starting to need it more often than not.

I've got another post going on this board where I've posted our recent days in EAS: 6.5 mo short naps - A time?
I'd love for you to take a look and let me know what you think.

Thanks!!