30 mins naps of 4 mo

[Kruliczyca]

Hi there.
I would like to ask you to take a look at my EAS and share any ideas for improving my DS napping.
My lo is terrible napper since 8 week. Now he is almost 4 months old and short nap problem did not solved :-(
He usually takes 30 mins nap, then i try to resettle him for more or less hour just to get another 25 to 45 mins nap.
This happens with every nap (except for one per day in a sling) no matter how i try to follow his sleppy cues.
And you know, following babys cues while trying to establish proper routine is like jugling - few can do it.
So we're now trying to transit to 4 hrs EASY (and maybe finally I will get some Y?)
I guess 30 mins naps means he's overtired - so that means my lo is massively OT for over two months! :-(
I try to get him out of this OT spiral but it seems imposible.

So yesterday EAS looked like that:

He woke up at 6.55 am after 10,5 hr night
E - 7am
S - 8.27 to 9.05, then from 10.00 to 10.45
E - 10.50
S - 12.35 - 2.30 pm (in the sling)
E - 2.40
S - 4.15 - 4.45, tried to resettle, gave up at 5.50 (my DS was sooo happy about this O__o? )
bath
E - 6.20
BT - 7.15 (he went down pretty easilly)
DF at 10.30

This day started at 7, DS seemed to be ready to nap at 1 hr mark already (??)
E - 7.05
S - 8.30 to 9.05, I resettled him at 9.35, but he sleped only till 9.50
E - 10.05
S - 11.45 (and he WILL wake up at 12.20ish - edited: yup, he did, but luckily resettled quite fast)

So - what's up? Does my son go on EASAS pattern? Is he OT?
What can I do to make him nap longer?

[waterdragon]

Hi I will join you here,
We are almost 4 months and a week and have big problems with 30 min naps.

Of interest  my DD1 was almost the same till almost 5 months...so I am thinking its a biological problem.DD2 is not as chronic but highly sensitive.

It seems some babies do 30 min naps with UT but ours have always been OT.

I think chronic OT is possible.DD1 was very similar to your lo.We extended all naps in a swing..sadly DD2 wont sleep in the swing.
When DD1 got to 22 weeks she would resettled easily in her cot .She continued to have some what unsettled naps till about 8 months then....worlds best sleeper.

I am serious, she took 2 by 2hr naps and cat nap till 9 + months and didn't go to 1 nap a day till 20 months. She is now 2.5 yo and sleeps 12+ hrs a night and a nap of 1-3 hrs in the day!!! She just needed more sleep than the average person but wasn't able to until older.

Is your Lo upset when waking from his nap ?
I cant really offer any advise for now as we are in the same boat. Lots of people have advised increasing A times but it makes it worse for us

We are about 2 weeks older than you an can di exactly 1 hr 50 min on waking up.1 hr 45 mins after a nap which is at least 1.5 hrs and 1 hr 30 mins after a nap between 45 mins to 1 hr 30.

If I am out by 5 mins she will wake at 30 mins and scream!!!

Again DD1 could only do 1hr at 4 months but almost 2 hrs by 5 months

[Kruliczyca]

Supplement (as it's impossible to write whole post at once when having a shortnaper)
1)Ds sleeps pretty well at night. He usually wakes up at 3ish for E. After day with very short total nap time he wakes up several times at night but it doesn't take much time t resettle him.
2)I tried HTTJ, but it never worked - DS waked up anyway, gave a glance "hey, mum, why are you here?" and never resettled. I try w2s but it works only sometimes. First time it worked actually when I acidentally kicked my DS crib, lol.
3)nap in sling works only once per day for two reasons. One - my back is killing me after 2 hrs of carying DS. Two - i don't know why, but DS do not nap longer if took in a sling more times O__o" (maybe he doesn't fell comfortable?)

Is your Lo upset when waking from his nap ?
(...) Again DD1 could only do 1hr at 4 months but almost 2 hrs by 5 months

Those los grow up so fast, everything changes, huh? I can hardly notice any sleep pattern. Few days ago for example he fought the "sitting" part of wind down and then fell asleep sudenly, now he does not fight it but just fuses and it take him time to fall asleep.
He used to wake up with great cry, now he just fuses a bit.
And because he just fuses after short nap and it's pretty easy to calm him I don't use PU/PD but he does not fall asleep again.

[waterdragon]

My supplement....
I forgot to say at the 21/22 weeks  her naps went from 30 mins to 45 mins.This meant she was completing a sleep cycle ...that's when I extended A time successfully.
I am holding my breath we are at 35 mins......
Did you try a swing? I couldnt ware a sling for 2 hrs.

Ps woke at 45 min

[kerryt]

Hello:)

Ive had the same problem since my LO was 2 months too, I only read the BW when he was 3.5 months (hes nearly 5 months now) and I tried at 4 months to implement the 4 hour EASY but what
ever I did to try extend hid nap never ever worked. I thought he could stay awake now for 2 hours so I always tried to keep him up till then but when he woke up from his nap at the 45 minute mark and I had to resettle he almost always wakes up properly and I find myself trying to rock him back to sleep in desperation knowing will surely get in a OT cycle if he doesnt get back to sleep. Anyway only recently I discovered if I aim for 1hr 45 A time rather than 2 hours, its just a case of me sitting with him at the 45 minute mark and placing    my hand on him and reinserting his dummy when it pops out. Then he resettles almost by himself. I just have to sit and wait until hes in a deep sleep again till I leave junfortunately, and sometimes that can take around 40 minutes somedays:(

Maybe fiddle around with her activity times and see if you can find a time that suits her where she will be easier to resettle.

PS you probably know this already but I thought Id mention it anyway, when my DS goes for a nap after 1hr-1hr15mins, he wakes up happy and ready to play again with no chance of resettling because when they have that amount of Activity time at 4 months thats all they need but will only last another hour or so again before wanting to be put down again. Saying that my DS has a 45 minute nap after an hour waking up at 7am from his night sleep then after that nap he stays up for 1hr45mins for the next 2 naps then another catnap before bed.

[sianie]

Just to (hopefully!) add a bit of encouragement to you all!!

I've got 2 LO's (27 mo & 7.5mo) & have been through the same 30min nap nightmare with both of them, starting around 8 or so weeks......looking back (& hindsight is a great thing!) I totally believe that a lot of short nap issues are primarily developmental.....LO's up to around 6 mo are getting their sleeping patterns in order & as a result have short sleep cycles (30-45 mins) & a lot wake up at the end of 1 sleep cycle (hence the 30-45min waking) & are unable to transition to the next cycle so they wake up!

There are things you can do you try & manage these short naps e.g. try & get A times right, HTTJ, W2S (these may or may not work for you). With DD she was a chronic 30 min napper until she was around 6 mo when something did seem to 'click' & she practically overnight started napping longer. DS was similar....30 to 45 min naps....did HTTJ with varying success for months, constantly tweaking A times etc....around 6.5 mo (just after we weaned his dummy) he started napping longer & he is now on 2 x 1.5hr naps (on a good day  )

So to a degree I do think a lot of it is a case of riding it out & trying to limit OT as much as poss when you get short naps, I also always AP'd at least 1 of DS's naps (buggy/car etc) so we could get out & about.

Not sure if any of this helps but just wanted to let you know that it does get better....

[kerryt]

Thank you Sianie, youve made my night! :-)