Help. how long should awake time be to avoid 45minute naps?

[debo620]

Hello, my son is now 11 weeks old. I have been dealing with the 45minute naps since he was 5 weeks old.  It seems as though he is fussy approximately 1 hour after awakening in the morning----if I put him down after 1hour he will fall asleep on his own.  Every first am nap he awakens 45minutes later. I have had success with extending his first am nap using ssh-pat (although it takes a long time).   The second nap I tried to lay him down after 1hour---he wasn't extremenly tired but I thought I'd try to beat it since it seems to only take a minute until he is overtired.  I heard him coo and talk for a while, whimper a little bit but then fall off to sleep after 15minute (total awake time 1hour 15min)----again awoke after 45minutes---talked for awhile in his room and I don't think he was tired anymore. I tried ssh-pat but this time it only made him more mad. I took this as a sign that he wasn't going to go back to sleep and really wasn't tired anymore. He now won't eat for another 45minutes or so and I will have to deal with a tired baby after his eating time.

My questions are:
1. At 11 weeks old how long should my son be awake for?  I am happy with the fact that he can put himself to sleep. Should I try extending his awake time by 5minutes each day ---I would like to avoid the overtired period--in which time it takes 30minutes to put him to sleep.

2. Since he has been only napping for 45minutes every first nap of the day---is it habitual? How long will it take for him to no longer need the ssh-pat? Will he ever just stay sleeping?

3. If I decide to throw in the towel and just go with his 45minute naps ---will he outgrow them with age? Also, how do I make a 3hour easy work when he only naps for 45minutes---it seems as though there is no time for activity after bf since he is sometimes awake for a full hour before eating, and then is overtired after eating.

4. How do other moms go out during the day and implement easy? I feel that I have become obsessed which can not be healthy.

Deborah
Thankyou, Deborah

[debo620]

Thanks Monica,
I think I will keep up with the pat-ssh to extend his naps. Today was a total mess. I was unable to extend his second nap--awoke at 11:30--he bf at 12:40, back down for a nap at 1:15.---awoke at 2:00. Now what to do---not due to eat until 3:30 or so. I find that it is game over with the ssh-pat if I pick him up. In other words, ssh-pat only works if I do not take him out of his crib...this makes it very difficult if he is screaming (especially if dh is home). I know that Tracy says to do it over the shoulder but I think if I pick him up he just looks around and becomes super alert. I have noticed that if I can get in there at the first sound of him awake--I have more fortune.   I have not tried any of the wake to sleep methods---especially because he always unswaddles himself and sucks on his hands  when he is falling asleep, so I am not sure how to pat his back through the transition. I have tried the gently making him stir at the 3o minute mark but have only suceeded to wake him up totally.

I am finding this very dificult b/c for the most part it is impossible to get him to sleep after 4pm--until bedtime at 7:30pm So if he wakes up at 2pm-----he will be awake until 7pm, he only sometimes will take a catnap in the swing.

Deborah

[Katet]

Most of my literature puts A time at 1-1.5 hours for 6 weeks to 3 months,

While too long A time gives 45min naps, SOOO too does too short & I actually think 1 hours is a wee bit on the short time for a baby approaching 3mo. I know both my boys were pushing the 1.5 hours at that stage

What I would suggest doing it keeping the hour, but then having a 15min, cuddle & story time & then putting him down for his naps & see how that goes

BTW, my ds#1 used to only do 45min in 2 am naps then a 3 hour mid day & then a 45min around that age & that was after 1.5 hours A time, If he is only doing 45min all day long then the A time sounds to me like it is too short, esp if he is waking up happy from the 2nd one & you can't extend it... normally you can extend a nap more easily if they are overtired.

[debo620]

Thankyou, I think I will try to extend his awake time each day by 5min or 10min----maybe start windown at the 1 hour mark and start watching his cues from there. Also, I am counting his awake time from the moment he wakes.

What are some ways that I can implement wake to sleep on an unswaddled child?   Should I try staying with him the entire nap to see exactly what time he wakes?