Please help - DD only takes 30 min naps. How to w2s to extend naps?

[shresmummy]

Hi, I have posted on several other threads in the hope of tweaking my EASY routine. But I also have a question about w2s. My LO was born on september 6th and is now just over 4 month old. I have desperately tried to extend her napping time because she routinely only takes 30 min naps and wakes up bright as a button but is tired again within 20 mins so clearly needs longer napping.

She normally falls asleep with sh/pat for the first put down after an A time. But when she wakes at the 30 min mark she is difficult to settle and I usually have to rock again to get her sleepy before I can put down and attempt sh/pat.

I have tried gently rousing at 20 min mark to try w2s. once I did get a 2 hr nap but I"m not sure whether that was just coincidence or not becuase she was also really tired that day due to Christmas holiday excitement!

Can someone please advice me as to when I should try w2s? should i go in earlier than 20 mins or later? She wakes up at 30 mins on the dot.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as these 30 min naps are driving me insane and makes DD extremely OT by evening!

Thanks heaps and I look forward to hearing from you.

[carrie72377]

I am having this same problem! My son was born 9/23 so about the same age as your daughter. He will fall alseep for his nap very easily but only stays asleep for 20-30 minutes and when he wakes up its obvious he is still tired. The only way I can get him back to sleep is if I lay down with him (a no-no, I know!). What happens when you get her back to sleep? How long does she stay asleep? My son won't go to sleep with the pat/sh. I have to rock him. I've tried all the techniques but he is hysterical until I pick him up.

[KathrynK]

hi there
too- short naps usually means your routine needs a tweak.
Can you post your usual routine with length of A times etc so we can have a look and try to help!

[shresmummy]

Hi Kathryn, thanks for your response. Shown below is a sample of my EASY which seems to keep varying from day to day depending on her moods! I am wondering whether I need to transition to a 3.5 hr EASY? would that make nap problems better? I have no idea what to do!

Sunday night - monday

DF - 1145 Pm. NW at 3:20 AM, feed till 3:45. Sleep till 6. Up at 6, let play in cot until she got cranky at 6:40 AM. Had to put back to sleep and slept from 6:50 - 7:40AM

Wake up - 7:40AM
E - 7:50-8:10
A - until 9:10
S - 9:22 - 10:30 (woke at 30 min mark and had to quickly resettle by PU)

E - 10:35-10:50
A - until 12
S - 12:10 - 1:30 (woke and had to do as above)

E - 1:35 - 1:55
A - until 2:45
S - 2:52 - 3:32 then had to do as above and slept again from 3:50 - 4:20

E - 4:20 - 4:40
A - until 5:20
S - 5:45 - 6:10
Bath 6:15-6:30, wind down 6:40
E - 6:45 - 7:00
S - 7:45 - 11 PM feed

Monday night - Tuesday

Feed at 11 PM (she woke up herself). NW at 3:50. Then slept till 5:50. Then tried to shh/pat until 6:50. During this time, kept sleeping in bits and pieces, not completely until 6:50.

Wake up - 6:50AM
E - Kept squealing and did not want to feed much. Fed only a bit say 10 mins?
A - until 8:20
S - 8:20-8:50 (woke at 30 min mark tried to resettle but didn't work. Cried heaps. Then at 9 took out and thought might be hungry but didn't really feed.

E - 9:30 tried feeding again but only fed a bit.
A - walk in pram until 10:20
S - 10:22-10:52, woke at 30 min mark so I resettled. then slept 10:55 - 1 (!!!???)

E - 1:00 - 1:20
A - until 2:30
S - 2:37 - 3:17. Tried to resettle until 3:35 but kept crying so took out of room.
A- Low key A until 4:00 feed.

E - 4:00 - 4:20
A -low Key, mainly wind down walk until 4:30.
S - But she must have been OT so eventualy after a bit of fussing only slept at 5:20. I had to rock her to sleep nothing else worked at this point. Slept from 5:23 - 5:53 (exactly 30 mins)

Bath 6:00 - 6:20, wind down walk until 6:30
E - 6:40 - 7:00
S - Eventually only fell asleep at 7:45

I"m sorry for the really long post! I just wanted to make sure I gave you all the information. If you can please please please help me tweak this routine, that may fix my nap problems?

The other question I had is right now I just stay with her throughout every nap because I know she is going to wake up at 30 mins and I want to be there to resettle her immediately or else I'm just scared she will wake up completely and then she's impossible to resettle. Do you have any advice on that? should I say just for one day leave her to see what she does? and if so when should I go in to intervene (5 or 10 or even 15 mins after she wakes up from the 30 min mark?).

Thanks so much and looking forward to hearing from anyone with some advice!     

[lilac83]

Hi! ~

At 4 months old most babies can handle being on a 4 hour EASY. However, 30 minute naps tend to mean OT. So for now you may need to shorten her A times to help her catch up on sleep. Once she's over the OT then her A times will probably be able to lengthen. What sort of sleep cues does she give you before you put her to sleep?

For now, staying with her and helping her resettle is probably a good idea. Does she fall asleep by herself initially pretty well? Once she's over the OT and you feel relatively confidant that you have her A times right, then you can try letting her do it by herself for a day and see what happens. It is very hard for an OT baby to transition through the sleep cycles by themselves. Babies learn night sleep first, from 0-3 months, then they start learning day sleep, from 3-6 months.

HTH!

[A pair of Charlies]

Hi Priya

You okay? I know how much this is really stressing you and wish I could help; feel I got you an OT baby...

Just wanted to clarify: has DD always woken at 30 mins during naps or is it just recently?  I remember that she was waking at 30 mins before you increased A times (which I suggested and I'm sorry it didn't help) but not sure for how long? She's okay during the night (not waking at 30mins)?

Do you shh patt each time to get her to sleep? I remember you had a day (last Saturday?) that was a really good day, with good naps (2hr naps?)...what As did you have that day and were the days before really OT days? Just trying to work this out.

Before you increased, you were on 1hr 20 right? Was that consistent across the whole day or lower for the first A time in the morning?

I know how hard you've been trying to work on naps and get the EASY right. Just wondering if it's all tied together: whether she doesn't feel comfortable / safe sleeping without you, 30mins naps, light sleeper, something else disrupting naps (outside noise, light...). Arrggghhhhh. Wish I could help. Feel like I've let you down and really hope these guys can get you back on track.   

[shresmummy]

Hey Charotte,
Don't say that at all! You have done nothing but help me!

But I have thought about the questions you asked.

I don't think she needs me to be there for the duration of the entire nap. Basically with my lo I feel that she only really gets into a nice deep sleep after 40 -45 mins.

I did do the increased A times that you had suggested but only or 1 day. Plus I think here in Sydney we've been going through a MAJOR heat wave and that has no doubt affected her and all my friends' babies too. They've all been really narky and difficult to settle. ANd due to the heat I have been spending the entire day in a room other than her bedroom becuase it doesn't have an AC (we're fixing one next week!).

So I think it's a combination of all sorts of things. ANd she never really does the waking up at30 mins during nights. she's a totally different baby. just does her NW for feeds and straight back to sleep. Although she's an early riser from 5:30 Am and I also think her ability to settle well again until 7Am makes her day good or bad.

Today i decided to just abandon the whole transitioning thing and clock watching and just go based on her cues. At the end of the day I will post my routine and see what you all think!

In the meantime, Charlotte don't even think you've let me down! Just the opposite and I am going to keep wanting your help

Lilac83, thanks heaps for your suggestion. That is what I have decided to do today - help her get over the OT and then once she's settled a bit better then will try the sleep training again.

Hope you all have a good day!