daughter has only napped 30-40 min at a time for 6 months now

[MommyToAbby]

DD has been a hard core cat napper since she was 2 months old.  She will be 8 months old in about a week.  I thought her naps would improve as she got older.  Occasionally she will throw a 1.5-2 hr nap in there just to keep me guessing but for the most part she almost always sleeps 30-40 minutes at a time.  I thought I just needed to accept that this is the way she is but alas I am here for help, if there is any.  I figured I’d be asked about our routine so I included it below.  Basically she has anywhere from 2-2.5 hours of awake time in between naps.  I have her take 4 naps per day and bedtime is 7:30.  She nurses every 2-3 hours during the day.  I work three days per week (Tuesday-Thursday).  She is in day care two days and they do not follow our routine at all really.  Her awake time there varies from 1-4 hours in between naps.  DD is with my MIL at our house one day and MIL is pretty good about following the routine.

7-7:30 wake up, get dressed, have breakfast with mommy, play on floor with toys

9-9:30/:45 first nap

go for a walk in the stroller, read books, play on activity mat

12-12:30/:45 second nap

run errand or go to the store with mommy

2:30-3:00/:15 third nap

more playtime, puzzles, bubbles, treasure basket, jumparoo, any toy or activity we did not do already

5-5:30/:45 fourth nap

play while mommy makes dinner, sit in highchair and have dinner with mommy and daddy

6:30-6:45 bath, book, bottle
7:30 asleep

Thanks,
Barb

[brenda2]

hi barb
hugs...short naps are tough, especially if it's been going on this long!  have you checked out the support for short nappers thread?

if she's always taking short naps you are right to pack more in a day...how does she sleep at night?  does she have any props?  can she go to sleep independently?

looking at your routine i think you could extend the first A time.  most 8 mo are able to do 3 hours A time.  if you extended her first A time to 3 hours that may help her to do a long nap for the first one and that would set up your day better.  after a short nap her A time may only be 2.5 hours which is what you have her 2nd A time at which is fine, but the 3rd A time is back to just 2 hours, and the 4th A time is less than 2 hours.  the last 5th A time at 2 hours is fine because it's at the end of the day and she may be tired by then.

so i think your short naps are due to her being UT.  i would increase your first A time to 3 hours.  if she does a long nap then the following A time should also be 3 hours, if a short one then 2.5 hours is fine.  if she does 2 long naps then that's all she would get that day,  even 1 long and 1 short would be fine.  but if she does only short naps then you may have 3 naps...i doubt she really needs 4 unless they're all only 20 min.

[MommyToAbby]

Hi Brenda,
Thanks! The short naps don't bother me too much anymore because I have learned to just accept them.  I am not sure what to look for in the short nappers thread. 

She nurses 1-2x at night which for now I am OK with.  She is swaddled in the miracle blanket and sometimes uses a paci although if it falls out she is OK.  She does not go to sleep independently for me.  I rock her for naps which I enjoy and it never takes longer than 5-10 minutes and I nurse her to sleep at night.  I was planning on not doing that anymore when she is 10 months old so that I can work on weaning her at 12 months. 

Her naps are never 20 minutes.  They are usually 30-40 minutes. 

So if she woke at 7 a.m. her first nap would be 10:00?  I have read HSHHC which says the first nap should start between 9-10 a.m. because that is when the circadian rhythm in babies is set to be naturally sleepy.  That is why I had her nap at 9:00.  But I can try 10:00 if it would help. 

[brenda2]

hi

have you read the baby whisperer books?

the baby whisperer technique is about setting naps based on how much awake time the baby can tolerate, not naps at set times.  it is about having a flexible routine not a schedule that is set in stone.  at 8 months she should be able to handle 3 hours of being awake, so if you are putting her to sleep before she is very tired she isn't going to sleep for very long.

now that you have explained about your bedtime routine i think her short naps may be also due to her not being able to fall asleep independently as she is reliant on you for help.  you have become her prop by rocking or nursing her to sleep every time.  when babies don't learn to fall asleep independently they have trouble transitioning to the next sleep cycle which may be why you are having short naps...in addition to the awake time not being long enough.

if you wait another 2 months before you teach her how to fall asleep independently it is going to be very tough on you.

[MommyToAbby]

I have read part of the latest BW book.  I started when I was pregnant and then the baby came.  Since she has been born I have not had any time, esp since she is short napper.  How do I teach her to fall asleep independently at this point?  I am so worried that if try to do this, she will end up crying all day and not napping.  However, apparently at day care they don't rock her to sleep.  They just put her in her crib and she falls asleep herself, sometimes they pat her.  Suggestions?  I really appreciate this feedback.  I know I need to teach her to fall asleep independently at some point, I am just worried it will be upsetting for her.

[brenda2]

hi
ok i would go back and read the sleep chapter in the BW book...  teaching sleep is all explained quite well in there.  there are several methods which she uses and explains how to use them.  at 8 months pu/pd (pick up put down) is probably the most appropriate.  if she can do it at daycare then it shouldn't bee too hard for her to do it for you.  sometimes you (and me, i did this too) can give too much help when they really don't need it!

there will be some crying though, because it's a new thing for her.  but it's just her way of saying i don't know how to do this mummy!  it's true the older they are and the more ingrained the accidental parenting is it does take longer, but the longer you wait the harder it's going to be.

you can decide if you want to go cold turkey or do the gentle removal plan for your sleep training depending on your personality and your baby's.  when i did sleep training and when i weaned the paci i did cold turkey, but that's just me.

this isn't in the book but i found it quite helpful to explain the techniques further.  there is also a link to the gentle removal plan in the FAQ of NWs
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=451.0

give it a read and if you decide to wean her props (you, bf, rocking etc) i can help you more when you understand the techniques.  i really think this is the reason for the many NWs and  the short naps.  you and her will be much happier and better rested if you wean them - so even if it's a few rough days of crying etc it will be much better in the end!!

[MommyToAbby]

OK, Brenda it looks like I have some redaing to do.  Thank you again.  Is it really possible to get her used to this stuff in a few days?  I was afraid it was going to take weeks.

[brenda2]

hi
when i started teaching sleep things got way better in about 2 days, then we had a relapse at about day 5 for a few days but by 2 weeks it was great.  same when i weaned the paci, and same when i got back on track after holidays.  of course my LO was much younger (3 mo when i started).  the older they are with more entrenched habits the harder and longer  it will take.  and of course every LO is different.  this is why  i said don't wait until she's 10 mo, if this is what you want, you should really do it now!!

but i don't think it's too late, i just think it will likely take you a bit longer than it would have if your LO was younger.  i would give it 2 weeks at a minimum.

good luck, let me know if you have questions, after you've done your reading and everyone here will help you through it!