Catnap Question

[*Nicola*]

Hello again

So we've cracked ind sleep, 45 min naps, 45 min wake up at night time etc etc and now we are tackling the catnap ... or lack of it 

Callie is on a 3 hour EASY, and most naps are now 1.5 hours (extending with W2S).  Her A time is about 1 hour 20 mins. 

In the early days we could only get to catnap on me whilst BFing in evening.  If we put her down she would scream and become really distressed .  Now she doesn't want to sleep on me and doesn't do the fussy evening feeding stuff she did when she was little so we have been trying to get her to catnap.  Without success!  The last few nights we have put her down and she just talks and squaks, trying out all her new noises and will not settle for a sleep.  Last night she was down for 30 mins happily squaking to herself! 

She ended up being awake from 4pm til 7pm but was perfectly happy 

Any thoughts?

[Aly Mac]

What is the rest of her day/night like Nicola?  can you post the routine?

thanks

[*Nicola*]

LOL was hoping I'd get away with that!

OK, we vary regarding the times but roughly ...

E 8am
A nursery run
S 930am - 11am

E 11am
A nursery run
S 1230  ish (usually a bit sooner) - 2

E 2pm
A 2 - 320
S 320 - 5

This can be off by about an hour depending on whether DP is home or not.  If he is Callie goes down earlier for first nap as she doesn't come to nursery.  She doesn't sleep in buggy so goes later for first nap, which I know isn't ideal 

Then the evening is anyones guess.  If the day is running off then she sometimes goes down again.  If its earlier I can get her down but after 5 seems to be the prob.  If we are running late then sometimes I let her nap longer for her last nap to see her thru the evening. Yesterday she was up at 4pm from last nap, down in cot at 515pm after sleepy signs and talked happily until 6pm.  Wind down and evening routine from about 630pm and into bed no bother for night at 7pm.

Same wind down before all naps, into room close curtains say night night to sun, close door, noise machine on, swaddle, kiss say night night and leave her.  She doesn't like a longer wind down even if we do it earlier etc.

Nights are fine.  Last 3 nights have been 7pm - 3am, 7pm - 4am and 7pm - 230am.  Straight back down at each waking.

She used to stay up until 8pm but over last 2 weeks has been screaming at 7pm if she is not down.  She isn't up until 8am as we have to do nursery and if I have her up earlier she will be up 2 hours A first thing.  Don't know if this is contributing to catnap refusal?

She's an angel/textbook so copes pretty well with no catnap usually but as she is getting older and more alert she tires much quicker so I'm worried that not trying to implement it now will be a nightmare later on.  When do they drop it? 

Oh, and she doesn't sleep in swing, hardly sleeps on me, doesn't sleep when rocked, walked etc!  Only on her own, ind in cot!

Thanks xx

[Tamara]

Probably bad case of being thick here Nic (blaming the sleep deprivation  ) but what's the problem with her not taking a catnap? 

You say she's happy?

Goes down for the night without screaming?

Her nightime sleep is just FAB (gonna stop reading your posts, makes me wanna cry when I read of your nightime sleeps with Callie I'm so jealous  )

sorry for being dense 

[*Nicola*]

Hiya Awel 

If you stop pegging Ioan to the washing line he will sleep for you!   

My issue is that some nights she is happy and others she is screaming before bed.  I'm not sure if it is because she is OT or because I am trying to feed her too near bedtime. 

Today she has had rubbish naps , all 45 mins  , has been really fussy at feeding as she is full of wind (onion bhaji's    ), but went for a catnap!  Honestly I don't know! Slept 550 - 635 when I woke her, ate, changed, burrowing into shoulder so I took her to bedroom at 7.05pm went to see if she wanted feed and she started squaking/shouting at me LOL so I put her down and and she squaked loudly for 10 mins (just found she can squak and it tickles her fancy) and now she is sound.

 

[Tamara]

If you stop pegging Ioan to the washing line he will sleep for you!  

  

My issue is that some nights she is happy and others she is screaming before bed. 

Hmm...I see your dilema in that case.

Is it the case that if she has a day of good naps - she can cope and doesn't want to do the catnap, whereas today, after poor napping, she wants and needs it? 

Is she consistant in that respect regarding the catnap?

Does it affect how long she takes to go to sleep whether she's had the catnap or not?

[Aly Mac]

I think she's happy with the catnap after 45min naps as she is tired. I would normally advise to get the catnap anyway you can - rocking, pram etc, but she won't do that!  How dare she just sleep in the cot LOL. I think by looking at the routine, its great, but it seems when it is off by an hour is the issue.  Are you able to keep her to that timetable as much as possible?  I know it's hard with antoher little one (well, I don't know but can imagine!).

I think on the non-catnap days, just be sure to get her down earlier to bed to compensate.

Sorry no more help.  Maybe keep a log of the next couple of days to look at a trend at all?  then post and we can have a look.

[*Nicola*]

    Thank you 

[sherry lynn]

Dear Nicola,
Thank you so much for posting this question. I am in the same boat. We are still tackling the short naps most days. But I am the one who posted the stealing the catnap question. Out of curiosity, how old is your DO? On most days I can not get my DO to sleep at that time either, and I'm wondering how I can get him to sleep for at least 45 min at that time. Thanks again. Sherry