A question about wake to sleep

[heyyou9999]

I am trying to extend my LO's nap by using wake to sleep.  His sleep cycle is only 30 minutes long.  So I assume that I should come in and stir him at 20-25 minutes.  I know that I have to experiment with the time to get it right.  My question is, "Do I come in 20-25 minutes after I stir him the first time to get him to go for another 30 minutes?"

It is recommended that infants his age (7 wks) take 3 X 1.5 hr naps and one catnap, but this is based on a 45 minute sleep cycle making him sleep only for two cycles.  If my LO's sleep cycle is only 30 minutes, then does he sleep for three cycles in order to cover the 1.5 hour period?  Or is the emphasis on the number of cycles he sleeps through?

Another question, my LO is constantly yawning, even after a long nap.  What does this mean?  Getting him to nap is always a struggle (Is this normal amongst infants?), but he will eventually cave in (after 10 minutes or so), but I do not want to struggle with him if he does not need to go to sleep.  Does yaning always mean that he is sleepy? 

Please advise.

[Colin Macs Mom]

My question is, "Do I come in 20-25 minutes after I stir him the first time to get him to go for another 30 minutes?"

That is a very interesting question! What I would do is stir him the one time and then see what happens for a couple of days. Then you will get a sense of how the first try will affect him. Maybe he will only need one W2S, you never know.

It is recommended that infants his age (7 wks) take 3 X 1.5 hr naps and one catnap, but this is based on a 45 minute sleep cycle making him sleep only for two cycles.  If my LO's sleep cycle is only 30 minutes, then does he sleep for three cycles in order to cover the 1.5 hour period?  Or is the emphasis on the number of cycles he sleeps through?

I'm not sure I understand this question.

Another question, my LO is constantly yawning, even after a long nap.  What does this mean?  Getting him to nap is always a struggle (Is this normal amongst infants?), but he will eventually cave in (after 10 minutes or so), but I do not want to struggle with him if he does not need to go to sleep.  Does yaning always mean that he is sleepy? 

What exactly do you mean by struggling? Crying? Fussing? 7 weeks is still very, very young and he's still got a lot to learn about sleeping and especially how to sleep independently. So yes he's still in the learning curve and that's normal. Yawning doesn't necessarily always mean sleepy - I mean, I yawn for a bit after I wake up even if I'm well rested and babies do the same.

[heyyou9999]

Thank you for responding and answering my questions. 

I have been unsuccessfully using the W2S method.  I might not be stirring my LO noticeably enough because he still wakes up at the end of his first sleep cycle.  I would tug on his swaddle blanket and it would startle him.  Then he would make this grunt and continue sleeping. I thought that would be enough, but I guess not. 

When I said "struggle" I meant that once I swaddle him and hold him to help him wind down, he would start to whine and cry after 2-3 minutes or so.  He would squirm and try to break out of the swaddle.  I would hum and pat him on the back.  After a few minutes of squirming, whining, and crying you can start to see his eyes getting droopy.  Then I would put him in his crib where he would continue to squirm, whine and cry for a few minutes more before dozing off.

Is there a better way to help him wind down to avoid the fuss?  If I just held him without the swaddle he would never fall asleep.  He would just look around.   I have a very curious baby. 

[Colin Macs Mom]

Ok I see... can you post your full daily routine? That may help identify any adjustments that might be needed.

I have been unsuccessfully using the W2S method.  I might not be stirring my LO noticeably enough because he still wakes up at the end of his first sleep cycle.  I would tug on his swaddle blanket and it would startle him.  Then he would make this grunt and continue sleeping. I thought that would be enough, but I guess not. 

When you say startle, was he actually waking? Or more of a moro reflex thing? I wonder if maybe trying something more subtle would work?