What do I do when LO wakes up early from a nap??

[butrfly462]

LO's naps have been pretty short...like 40ish min. I'm not sure if he's good w a short nap or if he needs to sleep more.  Typically I will go in, pat/sh...but he cries and cries.  I usually only try for max 30 min.  With that being said, what should I do w him when he gets up??  Feed him early and continue with A?  Or should we do A time and then feed him at his normal time???

[anna*]

If the nap is short and you can't extend, you should do a low key A until close to his next E time, and then put him down early for his next nap. That said, short naps are often a sign that your routine needs a tweak, would you like to post your EASY?

[butrfly462]

Sure!! LO is 11 wks. 

E 630 or 7
A very low key...we usually do diaper, read in my bed, cuddle
S 8. Falls right back to sleep

E 945
S 11 but only for 40ish min

E 1
S 215again short

E 4
S515

E 6
S 715

E 9
Right back to sleep after diaper

Dreamfeed at 11
Wakes once or twice through night to bf

[anna*]

OK, so he falls asleep at 8, wakes up at 9.45. After this nap I would push him to do 1.5hrs awake, so his next nap will be at 11.15 am - a wee bit later. That may help get you a longer nap. If he does another short nap, his next nap will need to be much earlier. If he wakes up at 11.45 and goes all the way to 2.15 without a sleep, he's going to be really overtired. After a 30-40 mins nap I would try to let him be awake for no more than an hour. Likewise the rest of the naps. At the moment he is doing very long awake times (2.5hrs) after short naps which is going to mean he is very overtired.

[TashArnall]

My 7 week old has started a trend of 30-45 min naps this last 2 weeks. At first I didn't think anything of it, but not it's happening all the time.
we are on a 3 hr easy starting at 630-7am
I don't know what to do with her when she wakes up way way early until her E time. I've tried putting her back to sleep, sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. I spend up to an hour trying to get her back to sleep, then it's time for her next feed so I give up. It's exhausting!! I've tried WTS a few times. But it's hard because it looks like to me like she's hardly ever in deep sleep. I don't try it unless she looks like she's in deep sleep, or else there's no point I think.
Please help.

[anna*]

Hi Tash, welcome to the boards. Can you give us an idea of what your routine usually looks like with your little one? How long is she awake in the morning before you put her down for her first nap?

[TashArnall]

Yes no problem

I've been keeping her up 1hr-1hr15 min (untill she looks fussy/tired)  I used to put her down earlier because she would yawn at about 20 min after her feeding, but then I decided it was probly just because she was groggy, still waking up from nightime sleep. So I extended it.

7am feed
8ish go to sleep
wakes up 830-845 (not really crying, just restless, upset, moving all limbs at once. she's not a big cryer, she's a grunter)
try to put her back to sleep for another 30 min which sometimes works, sometimes doesn't.
930-10 feed
11-11:15 sleep
wake up 30-45 min later, do the same thing as morning.
12:30-1 feed
same nap routine, exhausted by now
3:30-4 feed
same 30 min napping, this time I probly don't bother trying to put her back to sleep, she's pretty happy being awake till 6pm feed, and by this time I just don't feel like trying to put her to sleep anymore.
6pm feed
630 bath
7pm 30 min nap (if any at all)
8pm feed
put right to bed which sometimes takes up to an hour, hour and a half.
then she generally sleeps good at night with one or no feeds till 6-7am.

So the nighttime sleeping is not a problem, it's the constant napping! Im trying not to get too stressed out about it. But I can't help it. I hate that easy is turning into EASAE

[anna*]

OK the first thing to say is, if she's not actually crying, you don't need to try to put her back to sleep. Just leave her to it and get on with things you need to do. If she needs you she will let you know! Is the room where she sleeps very dark? You might find that as she is becoming more alert now, if she opens her eyes when she is in a light sleep, that all the stuff she can see distracts her from going back to sleep. You mention 'all limbs moving at once', I take it she is not swaddled? That can help little tiny ones to sleep better and for longer.

The bad bedtime is almost definitely because she is so overtired from the long A times.

I hope that helps some?

The next thing to remember is that if she has only a short nap, don't keep her up longer before her next nap. All that will happen then is that she gets overtired. If she has a short nap (less than about 1.25hrs) I would make sure she is awake for no more than about 45 mins before you put her down again.

[TashArnall]

Oh, I forgot to mention the dream feed 10-10:30 (depending on how long it takes her to get to sleep)
me and my husband probly spend a total of 5-6 hours combined trying to get her to sleep. we're both fed up.

[TashArnall]

well she cries in her crib, I have to take her out and bring her into the main room where she's happy.
yes she's swaddled.

[anna*]

Oh OK I was misunderstanding then. So when you say in your routine that S is at such a time, does that mean you've already been trying to get her to sleep for an hour? Are you using shush-pat? At this age I would definitely shush-pat in your arms rather than in the cot. If she can move her arms in the swaddle, she's not swaddled tight enough! What do you think about cutting back the A times?

[TashArnall]

the S is when she first goes to sleep, then she wakes up after 30 min, then I try putting her back to sleep for an hour.
we use the pat, she doesn't really seem to need the sssshhh unless she's really riled up. 
Her arms can't move in the swaddle, she just tried to move them, the legs can move a bit, she'll lift them up and swing her head side to side too.
cutting back A times? I guess, then Im afraid she'll sleep for 30 min, then be up way way early before her next feed. But I could try it I guess.
Also, you're saying pick her up and do the sh pat? then put her back in the bed when she's calm?

[anna*]

The 30 mins naps are a real dead giveaway that she's awake too long between naps. I'd try cutting the A times back for sure. The grunting, you don't think she's in discomfort do you? I expect she'd be crying if she was, just throwing it out there really. It's fine if she does EASASEAS if she wakes way before feed time. You don't have to feed as soon as she wakes up - try to keep the feeds 3hrly, and as long as you're not feeding to sleep you're golden.

If she's crying, and it's not her mantra cry, do a bit of shush-pat in her cot but if she's not responding to it then pick her up and do it in your arms until she is totally calm and drowsy, then lay her in her cot (continuing to s/p) and keep it up until she's asleep.

[TashArnall]

1hr-1hr15 is too long for a 7 week old?  would you suggest 45 min?

[anna*]

60-80mins after a LONG nap (ie 1.5hrs) is absolutely fine. After a short nap, it's too much.