need positive vibes! Paci being taken away during naps today :)

[Rebekahb]

So, my DD is 3 1/2months and has always struggled with the 45min nap but usually could get her back to sleep with her paci but lately has needed that paci replugged over and over in the middle of her nap because as soon as it pops out she starts crying again.  Lately she has been sucking her fingers during A time so today I am leaving one arm unswaddled and not giving her paci at 45mins and trying just to reassure her and hoping she learns to self soothe! We are at 45mins now and I hear her stirring on the monitor so wish us luck!  Really need her to lengthen these naps...

[*Kara*]

Good luck hun... just a reminder that a paci is actually one of the things that reduces SIDS risk under 6 months and it is not recommended to stop it cold turkey.

[Rebekahb]

i am not stopping it cold turkey only during the middle of naps as it was definitely becoming a prop but so far it is not going well at all and she is currently trying to extend her 4th nap in 2 days but even though she can get to sleep with her fist she just gets angry during her nap  

[*Kara*]

Hugs hun... if she can get to sleep without it, it's likely not a prop to return to sleep.

Would you be able to post a day's EASY and I can see if anything jumps out?  She is just getting to the age where short naps can easily be a developmental blip that can't be "fixed" as well.  I had to adjust to those with DD until she was 5.5 months old.

[Rebekahb]

hi, our day is as follows...she has recently went to a 4 hour schedule as she was increasing her A time on her own and I hoped it would help the short naps that we have always dealt with.  We have always given her the paci during winddown and when it falls out she may cry to have it put back in but recently has started sucking on her fingers and falling asleep.  Our normal day is
6:30/7 wake and eat
A 2 hours
S between 8:30 or 9:00 depending when woke
E 10:30 or 11:00
A again 2 hours if I have been able to extend nap
S 1
E3
A 1:45 usually
S 4:45-5:15 or 5:30
A
E 6:30 or 6:45
S 7 for the night

she manages A time well but always naps 45mins unless she is overtired when it drops to 35mins.  she has only ever extended twice independently but otherwise needs the paci inserted many times for the last half of her nap and rarely falls back into a deep sleep.  today i have not been inserting the paci during naps so she cried for the last half of her nap with me going in and singing you are my sunshine to her every few minutes and then a short A time and try it all again so today she has had 4 45min naps.

[*Kara*]

First thing I notice is that her A times are far too long for her age.  Really, at 3.5 months, they should be around 1 hr 30 mins and then reduced further after a short nap.

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64158.0

A 45 min nap is generally a sign of UT, but it can certainly be OT as is likely the case for you.

I would actually try getting her down for that first nap at 1 hr 30 mins and see if she naps longer after a few days of consistency... the OT could be the reason that she is unable to move to her next sleep cycle and get back to a deep sleep.  Might not be paci related at all hun.

What do you think?