30min naps in 6mo

[Khalam's Mama]

Hi All,

I feel like I should be able to fix this but for several months we have been getting short naps. B is a 9.8kg 6mo this week, EBF with a few solids offered in the last few weeks but no real interest from him on a regular basis. This is our schedule(ish) lately:

E: 7am
A: 3hrs
S: 10am for 30mins

A: 10.30am
E: 11am
A: 3hrs total
S: 1.30pm for 30 mins

A: 2pm
E: 2.30pm
A: 2.75hrs total
S: 4.45pm for 30mins

A: 5.15pm 1hr 45 in total
E: 6.30pm
S: 7pm

Usually NF x2 at random times usually around 10-12ish and 3-4ish. Occasionally 3 NF. He never goes more than 4.5hrs since being a sleepy baby. He goes straight back to sleep either while he is eating or after when he is laid in his cot. He settles in the day and at BT independently about 80% of the time and the rest of the time needs about a minute of patting in the cot. He sleeps with white noise in a blacked out room and in a sleep bag. We have never swaddled.
 He does have reflux but I think this is well controlled now and has been in general. We have recently upped his dose as we were getting NW and problems settling for naps and after NF but this has resolved. He doesn't have any symptoms of this that I can tell (except the short naps!)
If I were looking at this I would say we were getting OT naps however we were doing 2hrs A time and at 4mo getting 1.5-2hr naps but then they started getting shorter and shorter until 30mins only and I started stretching the A time. We now get 3x30mins instead of 4x30min naps and if anything our nights are better - getting some 4.5hr stretches instead of 3-4hrs.

I have tried to extend his naps but my problem is he wakes happy. He always wakes happy whether OT or UT. He is in general a very happy textbook boy always smiling and laughing.

I did try to go in at 20mins and help him at the 30min mark but he gets easily disturbed and he just ended up waking up completely. I also have a spirited 2.5yo so sometimes it is difficult to spend too long extending.

He is not a good sleeper in the buggy or carseat and never has been even when we were getting 2hr naps consistently before 4mo so I can't even AP a decent nap that way. The only way I can sometime extend is if I feed him on the bed he will go back to sleep for another hr but this is 50/50 whether he will or not and only something I do very occasionally. I did try to feed before a nap but he isn't that interested and even when he does take some it didn't help.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

[ZacsMumme]

Have you watched to see if he how he wakes (hard with 2 I know) maybe it is jolts waking him?

[Kiwi_one]

I know it seems like too little sleep but is it adversely affecting him? You said he's happy on waking and while awake, he's obviously growing well and thus eating well, and his nights aren't suffering. So what it is that makes you feel that the shorter naps are a problem?

[Khalam's Mama]

My point about him being happy was he always wakes happy so not necessarily indicating he has had enough sleep. He does get grumpy in his a time. He does still have a couple nw so never sure if better naps would help. I have watched him wake and there are no Jolts he is very still. Often he just lies there for 10mins before he moves.

[ZacsMumme]

hmmmm its a tough one given that you have already tried all those other A times. He is a tricky one isn't he and I guess being textbook he copes with OT well?

Have you tried bringing the second A forward after the first 30min nap to see if he gives you a longer nap in the day? Some LOs always do 1 really short nap (CN) and its not always the last one... thoughts?

[Khalam's Mama]

I Will have a look back and see if we did. Sorry i sound like I'm saying we tried everything what else? It may well be i need to persist with something. Just not sure what. The only day i got a long nap was ever a 3.75hrs a but i think this is too long and that 1 day he just crashed.

[ZacsMumme]

That does sound like a very long A for 6 months...That said has he always had high A times i nthe past? Do you think it could be possible he likes a long first A and shorter ones as the day goes on?

TBH He may just be a short napper...My LO did 30min naps for months and I W2S/HTTJ/APed a LOT of them Given that he is nearly 6 months he may start to sleep longer on his own if you stick with 1 A time and PD when you think he looks tired.

(HUGS) Short naps are such a PITA!

[Khalam's Mama]

He always used to do loudly long naps of 2 or 2.5hrs from birth til 4mo so i guess i have been spoiled. He is 6mo today so am hoping it kicks in and he sleeps longer. He definitely wants a short a to bed but hard to tell with the others. He has always been on the high side for a times. Just went to sleep now and  left him on his side. I normally roll him back when he falls asleep but Will see if he sleeps better on his side since this is what he likes to go to sleep. I am letting him keep his muslin too which i usually remove when he is asleep. maybe he Will fall back to sleep with it. One can but hope.

[*Kara*]

How did it go today?

[Khalam's Mama]

Well. He isn't actually very well at the moment he has bronchiolitis so it is perhaps all a bit off anyway. He took 45mins for that 1st nap on his side but was on his back by the end not sure when he rolled. Second nap was in the buggy for 1hr and 3rd he woke at 20mins but i cuddled him back to sleep after he got made with patting. He then slept another 55mins. The a times were all over the place from 1hr to 3 so not a day to tell me much really. I Will have to try to tweak when he is better i think.

[*Kara*]

Poor little guy   Best to leave him until he is better and just go with it for now...

Fingers crossed that he comes out of it well and ends up a better napper

[ZacsMumme]

He always used to do loudly long naps of 2 or 2.5hrs from birth til 4mo so i guess i have been spoiled. He is 6mo today so am hoping it kicks in and he sleeps longer. He definitely wants a short a to bed but hard to tell with the others. He has always been on the high side for a times. Just went to sleep now and  left him on his side. I normally roll him back when he falls asleep but Will see if he sleeps better on his side since this is what he likes to go to sleep. I am letting him keep his muslin too which i usually remove when he is asleep. maybe he Will fall back to sleep with it. One can but hope.

I found at this age Z started to self settle a lot more with his lovey when he woke so you may find it does help ~~vibes for your LO settling

I hope he gets better soon too, when they are poorly there is no point worrying about sleep really.

[Khalam's Mama]

He slept for 1hr 10 this morning so maybe he Will get used to sleeping longer while he is ill. A's are really short though. I Will take stock when he is better and think again.

[*Kara*]

I was thinking that actually - being sick might flip his nap switch

[Khalam's Mama]

Well he seems to be pretty much better. We are back to 30min nap this morning after a 2hr20 a time. He had a nf at 5am though and wouldn't feed at 6.40 when he woke. He was howling by 8.30 but dh got up with him so not sure if he was hungry or tired. By the time i heard and got up he took a full feed and fell asleep. He woke when i put him in the cot and then i patted him a few times and he went off. The good news is i was able to pat him back to sleep after he woke crying at 30mins but only in my arms. He is now still asleep after 60 mins. I have mostly tried patting in the cot which makes him mad so maybe i Will try in my arms at 1st? He was crying when he woke though today. Maybe some ot left from being ill. Not sure it would work if he wakes happy like he usually does. I Will try to give a good 3hr A after this long nap but i really need to go out so i hope he wont sleep in the car.