4 month old What a mess!

[fizzyliftingdrink]

My little big guy will be 4 months old in 1 week. 
He has short 30-45 minute naps, and I have gotten so tired of such short naps I put him in the swing for his afternoon nap.  He will nap 2 or 3 hours in the swing (so bad, I know).  He will wake up after 30 minutes and then get himself back to sleep.  I know that this his horrible, and he's almost too big for the swing now (20lbs), so I need to start getting him to nap in his crib.  Plus, I feel super guilty about being such a horrible parent!
Here is our routine:

Wake 8:30
Eat
Activity
Wind down (quiet time in room, low lights, swaddle, snuggle) 10 minutes
Sleep 10:00 He's able to be put down in his bed and gets himself to sleep
Wake 10:30
Activity
Eat (I try to keep feeding 3 hours apart, I'm worried he's getting overfed)
Sleep 12:30 (In swing, usually 2-3 hours)
Wake 3:30
Eat
Activity
Sleep 5:00
Wake 5:30
Eat
Activity
Eat
Sleep 7:00-  Sometimes we have some difficulty at bedtime, I'm not sure if he's over tired
Wake 10:00 or 11:00
Then he wakes every 3 or 4 hours, and he usually nurses.  He sometimes falls asleep on the breast and wakes up when put back into the crib.  A pacifier will usually help him get back to sleep.

These times are obviously approximate.  Sometimes he has difficulty staying awake and happy for longer than 1 hour and 15 minutes. Sometimes he wakes up earlier.  I have a 4 year old as well, and sometimes she is pretty noisy in the morning while getting ready for school.  If he wakes up earlier, there's usually a second 1/2 hour morning nap in there too. 

[fizzyliftingdrink]

I want to add that sometimes he'll only nap for 30 minutes in the swing as well! (Today, for instance)

[*Kara*]

First, I wouldn't worry one second about overfeeding.  Babies know what they need.  So long as he will go 3 hrs between feeds, no need to worry.  If he demands to nurse every hour (for example), it might be comfort driven and not hunger.  Remember though that there are many growth spurts in the first year and he will likely want to feed more frequently when that happens.  4 months is actually a massive spurt!

30 min naps are almost always OT related... how is he when he wakes from a 30 min nap?  Happy/crabby - fine for a bit, then spirals into crabby baby land?

[fizzyliftingdrink]

THanks for your response!
He's usually happy for a while then gets super grumpy!  I thought I was supposed to try to keep him awake longer now that he's almost 4 months, but his cues tell me that he's getting sleepy between 1 hour and 1 hour and 20 mins.
He really jerks awake after only 30 minutes, and I try to shush him, or pick him up to get him back to sleep, but he's wide awake.

[*Kara*]

He's UT.  30 min naps will mean UT if A times are way too short for his age... which 1hr - 1hr 15 mins is...  that's appropriate for a 2 month old.

Here is a link to A times based on age:
Is my baby ready to increase his ‘A’ time? (incl. 'A' times for younger babies)

1 hr 30 would be a good place to start with him.  We don't want to push too hard yet... after a few days with this A time, increase to 1 hr 45 and remain there.

As for appearing tired, this is likely his body clock as he is used to sleeping at those times... though he isn't really tired enough for a good nap.  Also, now that he isn't a newborn, being bored can also show as tired... so can overstimulation.  What do you do with him for his A time?

[fizzyliftingdrink]

I've tried keeping him awake for 1hr 30 mins, and it's been much easier than I thought it would be.
During A time we do diaper changes, tummy time, look at books, sometimes go for a walk (if the weather is nice), play with toys, and he's just started using the exersaucer and Jolly Jumper.  We don't do ALL of these things during one A time. 

He napped for 45 minutes this morning.  Should I do pu/pd when he takes such a short nap, or should I give it a few days with the new longer A time to see what happens?

[*Kara*]

Was he happy when he woke up?  If so, he was still UT... push his A time to 1 hr 45

[fizzyliftingdrink]

He's usually pretty happy.  We've gotten it so he's staying awake for 1.45 sometimes 2 hours but still short naps. If I go into his room at about 30 minutes I can shush him back to sleep, but that's not every time. And I usually have to stay pretty close by after that because it never seems like he's back in a fully deep sleep and I have to keep shushing him.
Should I just keep doing this?

[*Kara*]

If he won't go back to sleep for very long, he is still UT.  Push a bit more

[fizzyliftingdrink]

Okay, thanks!
What's the longest I should push it?