Hello
My 8 wk old DD2 was napping well (I was often waking her to feed 3 hourly during the day) however for the past 2 weeks naps have become shorter and now all naps are between 20 and 40 mins. We use a dummy and I was replacing that to extend naps but now that doesn't work. Our EASY looks something like this
6 BF - she is really quick to feed, 15 mins tops with burping (she has enough wet and dirty nappies and often spits up after a feed so I assume she is getting enough)
6.15 Try to keep activity low key as thought 20 min naps were due to overstimulation plus she is usually OT from not napping well - sit in bouncer/lie on playmat/talking with Mum and DD1/read a book/tummy time/nappy change. A time can last anywhere from 30-60 mins
7 Swaddle, dummy and lay in bassinette awake and she can send herself off to sleep. After that 40 min sleep cycle I then spend the rest of the time trying to get her back to sleep. Shh/pat is difficult to do as DD1 is 19 months and follows me everywhere. She will throw tantrums if I spend more than a minute trying to get DD2 back to sleep, hence why I have just been replugging the dummy.
9 BF - A - S
12 BF - A -S
3 BF - A - cat nap (20-30 mins)
4.30 BF - Bath, Bed. She often needs a bit more help to get to sleep at bedtime and DH is usually home so I can shh/pat.
10/11 BF (she wakes for this, I can't seem to do a dream feed, she just wont attach)
2/3am BF
5/5.30am wakes so have been replugging with dummy.
I'm beginning to wonder if the dummy is a prop, I put her to bed an hour ago and have had to replug her 3 times in the last 15 mins. I may also be responding too early, I have trouble working out the cries (I have printed out the descriptions of the different types of cries and keep trying to work them out). The other day I was on the phone so didn't get to her when she woke early from a nap and she ended up going back to sleep!
Do you think I need to shh/pat to extend naps? I tried for 20 mins today when she woke early and she didn't seem any closer to going back to sleep (I didn't have the stamina to go any longer...I spent hours upon hours shh/patting DD1 when she was younger and am a little traumatised for it). I also can't do this consistently during the week at the moment because of DD1, but have family staying in about a weeks time so would be able to dedicate the time then.
TIA
