4 month old fighting nap time and getting shorter, down to 20 minutes

[powerqueen13]

My son is now 4 months old little angel baby, he has been sleeping through the night since he was 8 weeks old and napped 1.30 hours 3 times a day and a 40 minute power nap. 4 weeks ago his naps started getting shorter and shorter.   He went from 1.30 to 1 hour, then to 50 minutes, 40 minutes, and now only 20-30 minute naps and no more power nap before bath time.

i tried switching to 4 hour EASY and he was getting hungry so I switched back to 3 hour EASY again.

i make sure he has 20 minutes to unwind and calm down before naps. I’ve limited the dangly toys and stimuli throughout the day. We don't even go out.  he keeps whining and mantra crying then it turns to  a real cry. 

For the past 2 days, everytime i put him in his crib for naps he fights and cries, and tonight for the first time he wouldn't go to sleep at night! he kept crying and crying. I did PU/PD for 2 hours. he got so tired and fell sleep.

i don't know what to do. i am worried that he will continue like this and not get the sleep he needs for his development.

[Shiv52]

It could be that he needs to stay at 3 hourly feeding but needs more A time so will be on a 3.5 or 4 hour EASY.   Are you BFing? 

Sounds like he is UT and ending up OT by the end of the day. 

You may have to rejig things so your EASY is more like EASAEAS and so on. The shortening naps is a sign he's needing more A time and i think he's getting upset at the early naps as he's just not tired enough.

{{{hugs}}}  Have you tried adding 10-15 minutes of A time to his A time and see how he goes with that? 

[powerqueen13]

thanks for the reply   Yes, i am BFing for the past month we have been doing EASA... i just don't know why the 20 minute naps. Morning naps were perfect and now went down to 30-20 minutes as well. he yawns 3 times rubs his eyes and i put him down in his crib... falls asleep 20 minutes later and wakes up 20 minutes later.
i tried 4 hour EASY but he couldn't hadle it. too hungry.

he's been resisting going to sleep (naps and night time) i thought it was a growth spurt at first then i figured out that its behavioral

[Shiv52]

There is a pretty big growth spurt at 4 months which he could have hit but I do think the problem is A time related.  I think the resisting naps and short naps is because he's not getting enough A time to be tired enough. 

http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64158.msg476652

3 months 1 hour and 20 - 30 mins
4 months 1 hour and 45 - 2 hours


So what you can do is up your A time but stick with 3/3.15 hour feedings.  Its not unusual at all for BF babies to not make it to 4 hours between feeds for a good while yet.   

So even something like:

7am Wake up and BF
8.45am Nap
10.15am  BF
12pm Nap
1.30pm BF
3.15pm Nap

And so on.  It can get a bit tricky from here as next feed is due during nap but I'd prob top him up before the nap to get him through. 

What A time is he doing at the minute? 

[powerqueen13]

he is doing at least 1.5 hours!!
7 am E ( he is done within 10 to 15 minutes) and then till 8:30 A. naps till 9 and then up again till 10.
we eat at 10 (he's been up for an hour) stays up till 11:30 naps till 12, up again till 1, eats at 1... and so on... and he totaly skips the power nap before bath time which is at 7. i feed him after bath and he never had a dream feed... never really needed it. he is a big baby at 16lbs.
i am concerned that when we do 4 hour EASY he will have only 4 meals a day.. i wonder if that is enough or if i will have to start dream feeds.