Afternoon cat nap - my nightmare

[orit78]

Hey,
My LO is 4.5. After we've conculded he suffers from food intolerance (no dairy products for me and since I still BF and special formula for him in case he gets bottle) most of his naps are 1.5 hour (sometimes only 1 hour and 20 min). Sometimes I need to extend and help with the transitions (really really hope this will pass soon as it's very tiring to watch the clock and see when he gets to the 45 min point).
The afternoon nap (which I really really dislike - DD2 was horrible with it, and this LO (DS3) doesn't seem to be much different) is about 30-40 min. Which I guess it's fine (based on Tracy's book). But.... today he woke up after 5 min!!!! I tried to get him back to sleep but after 15-20 min I gave up as it's become quite late to fall asleep.
When do usually babies give up for this nap? DD1 did it late (only at 8 months, but she was an angel baby so I didn't care). DD2 dropped it at 7 months. Is it possible that LO soon won't need this sleep?
The thing is that he's tired. After BT I BF him and he fell asleep during eating which has never happened since he was born. I didn't care for that as it only happens today once, but the issue was that 1 hour later he whined and I had to give him his paci.
We are on 3.5 hour routine (his A time is about 2 hours - 2 hours 15 min) but he just sleeps less than 2 hours and wakes up quite hungry. He's also very tiny (weights only 4.7kg at his age).
I'm so tired as he still doesn't sttn (which both DD did at his age). I thought he was a text book baby but DH thinks (and I tend to agree after answering the questionaire) that he's a spirited baby.

[Papaya]

Hugs hun.

LOs usually move towards dropping the catnap around 6 months and they need be doing about 3hrs A time first -  so I don't think your LO is ready yet

Can you please post your EASY for the past couple of days (including nights) and we'll see if anything stands out?

I'm not surprised he was really tired and a bit unsettled tonight after such a short nap. I would put him to bed early if that happens again Let's hope it was just a one-off!

[orit78]

well, yesterday we weren't at home and I think I missed the window - he was OT and I couldn't make him to sleep. When I thought he did - he woke up after 5 min again.
Today - DH tried to make him sleep and even used APOP (we were outside and he was in his ctroller cot) - but no sleep. The funny thing was that he didn't seem tired. The whole afternoon and early evening I made sure that at least he'll have quite activity, but still - he didn't sleep.
Last night I thought the night will be horrible because of that, but it was regular (can't say awsome since he still takes his DF and wakes up at 5:00am). I hope tonight will be also OK. I just don't understnad that...

[orit78]

I forgot to add our EASY:

Yesterday (Wednesday):
8:55am - woke up (We both slept after his BD at 5am so I didn't notice it was so late)
E - 9:00 - Bottle with formula (We try to get him used to Necoate - special formula for babies who suffer from intolerance to mlik)
A - 9:20- 11:40
S - 11:45 - 12:30 (tried to extend his sleep - but no luck)

E - 12:40 (BF)
A - 13:00 - 14:40
S - 14:45 - 15:30 (once again couldn't extend his nap)

E - 15:40 (BF)
A - 16:00 - 17:45
S - tired to make him sleep - no success - he was lying part of the time in his cot while I'm trying to calm him but no real sleep

E - 18:45 (Short BF)
A - 19:45 - BT
E - 20:15

S - 20:50
DF - 23:30 (EBM bottle - DH gave it)

The day ended late 'cause it all started late and we weren't at home in the afternoon. But he slept till 5:00 with no NW.

Today (Thursday)
E - 5am - BF (NW) - got back to sleep right after
8:00 - woke up

E - 8:20 (Bottle with formula)
A - 8:40 - 10:15
S - 10:30 - 11:10 (couldn't extend his nap)

E - 11:30 (BF)
A - 11:50 - 13:30
S - 13:40 - 15:40 (cried after 45 min, but managed to get him back to sleep and he slept with no intefere for 1.20 min)

E - 15:40 (BF)
A - 16:00 - 18:30
E - 18:30 - Eating small amount of rice cereal with EBM (~40 ml)
A
BT - 19:25
E - 19:45 (BF)
S - 20:30 (took 15 min to make him sleep)

So - as you can see he's not that good at naps. We had some better weeks while I hardly needed to help him do the transitions. We had some horrible weeks (but this was due to his discomft because of the food intolerance which I still think he suffers sometimes).

[Papaya]

Yes, I was going to ask about the discomfort - do you think that could still be playing a part in the short naps? Does he suffer from reflux at all? Was he a premmie? Also wondering how he wakes from his naps - trying to figure out if that first nap of the day could be UT or OT...

Bear in mind too, that 45 min naps are very normal at this age for developmental reasons - many LOs do just have trouble transitioning into a second sleep cycle. If the first nap is short, I would reduce the next A time. The second nap today was almost certainly OT but great that you managed to resettle him.

it was regular (can't say awesome since he still takes his DF and wakes up at 5:00am).

This is completely normal for a bf LO of his age Especially if his weight gain is low, I wouldn't be in a hurry to get rid of that feed.

S - 13:40 - 15:40 (cried after 45 min, but managed to get him back to sleep and he slept with no intefere for 1.20 min)
E - 15:40 (BF)
A - 16:00 - 18:30
E - 18:30 - Eating small amount of rice cereal with EBM (~40 ml)
A
BT - 19:25
E - 19:45 (BF)
S - 20:30 (took 15 min to make him sleep)

Sorry, not sure I understand - is BT bedtime or bathtime??? What time were you trying for the cn - I wonder if it was too soon after such a good nap? In general I would be aiming for a 12 hour day, but if he refuses a cn I really would do bedtime much earlier - he must have been very OT today after almost a 5 hour A time!

Another thought I had is that if he was born around due date, there's a wonder week at 18/19 weeks which can trigger unsettled sleep (and less sleep in some babies) for a couple of weeks.

[orit78]

Yes, I was going to ask about the discomfort - do you think that could still be playing a part in the short naps?

I'm not so sure. I think we've managed to control it and it doesn't look like in the days when I was sure it was discomfort.

Does he suffer from reflux at all?

I really can't tell. We give him the Losec but I think the intolerance was the real reason for his discomfort, though I had some feedings in the last w days where I felt that he suffers from reflux - he didn't want to eat and cried when I tried to get him to my breast, and since I felt that my breast is quite full I tend to believe that he hardly ate.  It was horrible...But - he managed to sleep 1 hour for the morning nap and 2 hours in the second nap (we actually woke him up since it has been 2 hours and it was getting late).

Unfortunately he didn't sleep again the afternoon cat nap. It's been like that the whole week. I just don't know why....
This night I BF feed him the DF (usually DH gives him EBM but since it was quite late - almost midnight - I BF). We got out (first time for a long time - really needed that) and since everything was really late yesterday the DF came late. Unfortunatelly - this feed wasn't a DF - he cried and didn't eat much and I cried too Luckily he got back to sleep though he was all waken up.
At 5am he woke - and I just felt that this is a habbit (since it's been like this for the last few days - always the same hour). I gave the paci and put my hand on him. After 5 min he got back to sleep and woke again at 6:20. Because of all the night issues and the fact he went to sleep late, I treated this feed as NW and got him back to sleep. He slept till 7:20 (once again - a habbit) DH gave him the paci and he finally woke up at 8:30.

Sorry, not sure I understand - is BT bedtime or bathtime???

BT = bath time

there's a wonder week at 18/19 weeks which can trigger unsettled sleep (and less sleep in some babies) for a couple of weeks.

It looks like every week is a ownder week. I'm so depressed that my LO doesn't nap well because of discomfort. I feel useless - I can't help him. I want him to eat well, but he refuses and he doesn't gain a lot of weight.
I just wish this period will pass

[Papaya]

Huge hugs hun

To be honest, if there is still discomfort there, and it sounds like there is, I don't think any routine tweaks are going to do the trick for improving his naps I've seen that you're getting some good advice from Vicki and Sara on the reflux board already. I also wondered about this:

he didn't want to eat and cried when I tried to get him to my breast,

To me, it sounds a bit like teething - any chance his first teeth could be moving? Teething can also cause a reflux flare.

I think the main thing I would say at this stage is to try and keep him from getting OT - so aim for about 2hrs A time, but if he short naps make the next A time a bit shorter. I also wouldn't wake him from any naps unless you need to preserve bedtime