4mo never sleeping more than 45 minutes, feel like we have no schedule! HELP!

[sarahabreu19]

DD is 4.5mo and is having major nap issues. She was having lots of trouble with eating mostly at night, and it threw off our EASY. I'm trying to make sure she eats mostly during the day, but I don't know if she should be on a 3 hour EASY or transitioning to a 4 hour EASY. her naps are so sporadic and short that she has to eat at the oddest times: halfway through a nap, right before a nap, in the middle of A time, sometimes right when she wakes up.

Things to note: she is ebf, she doesn't fight naps, i can usually read her tired cues, or so I thought...she settles down with me walking her around and then will usually go right to sleep sucking her thumb when I lay her down in her crib. She is a textbook/spirited baby.

here's our EASY from today:

WU: 7:45 (she ate at 6:45)
E: 7:50-7:56 -one side
A
S: 10am
WU: 10:45 (under tired, after two hours???, she was showing signs up sleepiness around the 1.5 hr mark, but usually takes a short nap first so I extended her A time...it didn't help. She was happy though, not cranky at all when she woke up, couldn't resettle)

E: 11-only 3 minutes...grrrrrrr
A
E: 12-12:10 (good feed, both sides)
S: 1:30 (I know this was WAY past bedtime, we were out and she wouldnt fall asleep in her carseat)
WU: 2 (def OT), Went for a walk and she fell asleep around 2:15, woke up at 2:30...so 45 minutes of sleep overall
E: 3-3:15-fell asleep while eating
S: 3:15-4pm-45 minutes, but I can't believe she was truly UT...
A
S/CN or something: 5:30-5:54
E: 6:30
Wind down started around 7
S: 7:44pm out for the night (hopefully!, this has been her normal bedtime and she usually sleeps until about 10, eats and goes back to sleep)

I feel like I have NOOO daytime to myself and that she isn't getting any restorative naps during the day. Any suggestions, thoughts? HELP!

[natmoon]

Hi there, sorry I can't offer any advice I'm exactly in the same boat with my 4.5 month old also, she fights sleep all day long and I feel exhausted trying to get her to sleep and into a routine! Hugs!

[sarahabreu19]

Hugs back at you! I was able to extend two of her naps yesterday, so she got two 1.5 hour naps!! But no such luck today we had an early wakeup and two 45 minute naps so far... It's gotta change someday, right??

[natmoon]

Now our nights are terrible too, usually she wil sleep from 8til 4 or 5 but woke every 3 hours last night aargh, I'm hoping growth spurt! But that still won't explain terrible naps either! Glad you got some good naps the day before so at least you know that she can do them.

[natmoon]

Could it be an age thing?

[sarahabreu19]

Our nights have been super bad for the last three weeks...nw every 2 hours. Every so often she'll give us a 3 hour stretch. The past two nights she's fought bedtime hardcore!! I hope it's an age thing that she'll grow out of!

[*Becky*]

hugs, this is a notoriously bad age for sleep so some of it is likely developmental.
At this age I would expect her to be on a 3.5 or 4 hour EASY. 4 hours is what you are working towards but some don't get there until a bit later. I would not feed before 3.5 hours though as it seems she is snacking a bit at times - am I right? That won't be helping the naps or the nights tbh. What do you think?

[sarahabreu19]

Yeah, we're definitely trying to work towards a 4 hour EASY. However, she often gets hungry (or what seems like hunger, nothing but eating will calm her down) around 3, or 3 hours and 15 minutes, but then she doesn't eat a lot, and I end up feeding her again an hour later, which is another shorter feed. I feed from the same side when that happens to help make sure she gets enough hind milk. I'm trying really hard to stick to 3.5 for a few days and see how she does!

On a better note-she had a 1.5 hour nap today with no help! her two first naps were both 45 minutes, but then her later afternoon nap was longer! 2:44 - 4:16. She only woke up because dh and I were making noise  but then I went in and fed her (she needed it) and she slept for another 30 minutes or so! I think we are making progress!

[*Becky*]

great