40 Minutes Nap Monster is Back!

[Padicindy]

Before I share my issue I would just like to say that I missed this website greatly!! 

I was having problems with my LO's naps since week 8 and she has always woken up easily at the 40th minute. She was doing great at some point a few weeks ago where she would sleep for a stretch of 1.5 to 2hrs for both her AM and PM naps after I tried to use W2S (putting pressure on joints) for a while. However, the problem is back again.

Because she is sleeping on her tummy, LO wakes up at the 40th minute by lifting her head from the mattress. She doesn't cry or look tired, but I know she needs the sleep esp when she had only a short nap in the morning. I have to shh pat her back to sleep. It doesn't take long to shh pat her if I catch her lifting her head right away, but I will be able to extend the nap for only another 40 minutes.

I am worried she has become reliant on my shh pat to return back to sleep, and would appreciate help in this matter on how to help her to sleep through the sleep cycles on her own. She is now 5 months old. Her EASY looks something like this:

7am - Awake
E 7am - 7.15am
A 7am - 9.30am (she can easily hold out 2.5hrs)
S 9.30am - 10.15am (I don't always find it easy to extend her nap here. She doesn't always want to return to sleep)

A 10.15am - 12.30pm
E 11am - 11.15am
S 12.30pm - 2.30pm (She can sleep 2 hrs here, but I have to shh pat her to extend her nap every 40 mins!)

E 3pm - 3.15pm
A 2.30pm - 5pm
S 5pm - 5.40pm

E 7pm
A 5.40pm - 7.30pm
S (She usually STTN)

DF 10.30pm

I am thinking I should try W2S. Any other thoughts?

[lilac83]

Hi

When she's waking after 40min from her AM nap, is she happy? If so, that's probably a UT nap and she could handle more A time. Bumping up this A time and getting a longer AM nap will probably result in her no longer needing a catnap. Is she close to 6mos? That's usually when the catnap goes, although 5mos isn't totally unheard of.

You could definitely try wake to sleep and see if that helps. If you help her through the 40min transition a lot, you may have become a bit of a prop for her. 

[Padicindy]

She seems rather contented when she wakes usually for the AM nap, but I also suspect she is waking out of habit cos she also wakes up periodically in her 2nd nap even after taking a short nap in the AM! She used to sleep right through for 2 hrs when she has a short 40 mins AM nap. So I don't know what happened here.

She is 5 months on the dot. Yeah I doubt she can do without a catnap in the evening, but maybe I'll try W2S today and see if it makes any difference.

I'm afraid it has become a prop. Sigh. Now am not sure how to undo it!

[lilac83]

I think using W2S for a few days should help and then see if she can transition on her own. Have you ever tried leaving her after she wakes at 40min and seeing what she does on her own?

[Padicindy]

I tried to leave her alone she'll play in her cot and won't go back to sleep.

Tried W2S twice yesterday, it worked the first time! And she slept till the 1 hr 30min point. Then I tried again cos she would usually wake at the 2nd to 3rd slot of sleep cycle, but I think I overdid it and she roused up awake  So I had to shh pat her back to sleep but she did return to sleep and slept for another 1 hr!! So 2.5hr in total! This was also because she was so awake in the morning at a friend's place (only napped for 10 mins). I'll try again today!

[lilac83]

That's great that you've seen some success! Good luck today!

[Padicindy]

I don't know if I am doing W2S correctly, I think I need to be enlightened.

I tried to tickle her cheeks and mouth at the 30th minute (she stirs at the 35th to 40th min), so the point where she turns her head and then continues sleeping. Once or twice she continues to sleep till 1 hr 15 mins or 1 hr 30mins. But a few other times (maybe once or twice also) she turns her head, and then continues to wake at the 40th minute. Am I doing anything wrong? To what extend should we rouse LO up to?

[lilac83]

It sounds like you're doing w2s correctly. It's not 100% successful, but the fact that you've had some success with it is encouraging. The technique is meant to be used for a few days, maybe a week, to get the LO used to transitioning. Then take a break and see if she'll transition on her own.

[Padicindy]

Been trying I get on and off results. I will keep experimenting and hope I get it! How do people cope with two kids and more? I can't imagine doing this should I have a toddler running amok in the house.

[becky1969]

How old is LO?

[*Jo*]

Hi there, have you been with her when shes woken from the nap? what is it specifically thats waking her? does she jolt at all or is it just the lifting of the head?

[Padicindy]

Becky: LO is 5 months old.

Calebmummy: She sometimes jolt, but not as severely as when she was much younger. These days, she usually just open her eyes briefly, then lift her head.

I tried to monitor today, and when she was going to lift up her head, I shh pat her back to sleep. That got her sleeping for another 1.5hr! But I wonder if then she becomes reliant on me to transit her. *shrugs*

[*Jo*]

I was just thinking perhaps if she does jolt you could try holding through the jolts to help her transition, that way she is unaware of you being there and she learns to do it by herself?

[Tweakster]

Hi there, I don't think she has become reliant on you to do it per se, it's that she is still learning.  With developmental & cognitive maturity, sometimes sleep training takes a short detour and you have to get them back on track.  You started teaching her early about sleeping independently so you started as you meant to go on which is great.  I think if you just stick with it it will get better, unfortunately there are peaks and valleys with this whole experience as I am finding out.

Finn is 5 months and after a stint of shush/pat for almost all naps from weeks 12 - 16 he was doing very well at napping.  But now he seems to have 'forgotten' how to transition again and kind of does the same thing as your LO - lifts his head and upper body and stuff.  So we are back to a modified shush/pat for him now.  It usually doesn't take as long the second time around but every LO is different.

My only advice is to just hang in there with it; it does and will get better even though I know it doesn't feel like it most days.  The fact that you were able to get her back down for 1.5 hours kind of means the proof is in the pudding :-)

[Padicindy]

Calebmummy: I guess I will try today to HTTJ, but am not sure about the outcome cos hers seems to be a natural awakening rather than jolts. But no harm trying! Thanks for suggesting!

Thanks All4Finn, you are so encouraging. Its so uplifting to read your msg. And yes! Will press on!