Author Topic: 6 Month Old - 30min Naps  (Read 1226 times)

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Offline Lindsay27

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6 Month Old - 30min Naps
« on: October 25, 2012, 19:26:18 pm »
Hello!

My DS just turned 6 months old this week and we have been battling 30min naps.  I was trying to work with a 2.45h A time but it is consistently producing 30min naps.  I read the FAQ page that said average A time for a 6 month old was 2.25 - 2.5h so I tried reducing to 2.35h and I got 30mins again, so I figured that wasn't the problem and also tried increasing to 2.55h and again...30mins!  It just seems like no matter what our A time is we get 30min naps no matter what.

The only time I can get him to nap longer is if I lay with him, which I have been doing way too much of lately and I really need to focus on what the problem is.  I can usually resettle and he will sleep for anywhere from 45mins - 1.5hrs longer (though usually only this long if I lay with him).  Resettling can be an issue, how the heck do you resettle a 6 month old!?  All he wants to do is roll over and pull my hair, or stare at me with big eyes.

We have been experiencing a consistent 5/5:30am EW which I think makes the first A time hard to judge.  He was having 3 NWs each night at the same times - 11:30pm, 1:30am (feed), and 5/5:30am.  I have been doing W2S for 3 nights now to eliminate the first NW and I am going to do it one more night.  Provided that problem is solved I'll move on to working on the EW.

Today our EASY was like this:

WU: 5:50am

E: 6:15
A: until 8:30am
S: 8:30 - 9:00; 9:20 - 11:15 (I AP'd and brought him in my bed and napped with him...otherwise this length would not happen)

E: 11:20 (bottle), solids at 12:30pm
A: until 2:10
S: 2:10 - 2:45, resettled and is currently asleep

We haven't had a CN in a few days but have had to bring our BT forward to about 6:30pm.  As he is currently sleeping and it is 3:30pm, we can probably have a normal 7pm BT tonight.

Any help is appreciated :)




Offline Lindsay27

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Re: 6 Month Old - 30min Naps
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2012, 23:49:23 pm »
Just an update that his 2nd nap he ended up sleeping until 4pm.  It always seems like it is 30mins at first, but after I resettle him he is able to go longer :-\

His BT tonight was a little after 7pm, a little too late but we got a Jolly Jumper tonight and he was having just WAY to much fun :)  Probably not the best choice before bed  ::)



Offline Papaya

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Re: 6 Month Old - 30min Naps
« Reply #2 on: October 27, 2012, 06:18:45 am »
Hi there, sorry we missed this.

How does he wake from the 30 min naps - crying, still wanting to sleep? Or fairly happy? If it doesn't seem like an OT WU, I would be inclined to push the first A time up again to closer to 3 hours, and hold for 3-4 days to see if that helps. Do you get him up straight away if he EWs? If he's happy to lie in his crib until a more reasonable time, many people find it works well to count that time as only half A time, if that makes sense - eg, if he's awake in crib from 5.30 to 6am, count it as 15 mins A.

There's also a big mental developmental leap at 6 months which can play havoc with sleep for a few weeks ;)
http://www.thewonderweeks.com/index.php/about-the-wonder-weeks/your-babys-10-leaps/mental-leap-5
*Nuala*










Offline Lindsay27

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Re: 6 Month Old - 30min Naps
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2012, 22:08:41 pm »
For his second A time today I tried for 3hrs - he fell asleep within seconds but woke after 20mins crying.  I resettled him and he slept an additional 45mins.

When I was doing the 2.45h he would wake and just be calm - not upset, but not overly happy either.  After the EWs I usually just bring him into bed with me and he'll doze on/off until around 6:30 or so, dependant on what time the EW was, he's normally crying when he wakes so I either try to resettle him (which rarely works at this time), or I just bring him to bed with me.



Offline Papaya

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Re: 6 Month Old - 30min Naps
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2012, 12:11:32 pm »
How long was the first nap? If it was short, he was probably a bit OT after 3 hours.

So if he's dozing til 6.30, I'd count WU from then, or a little earlier. Then push out the first A. But if the first nap is short, reduce the next A a bit to avoid OT ;)

Is he teething? That can also cause EWs.
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Offline Lindsay27

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Re: 6 Month Old - 30min Naps
« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2012, 23:47:08 pm »
His first nap was 1hr 20mins in the car, so while not the ideal location...still decent.  I think 3hrs is a bit too long, seemed OT.  But 2.45h isn't doing much for us either.  Sigh, I don't know if we'll ever get it!

He is teething very badly...medication is barely even helping :(  Poor boy, every day I think it's going to be the day we get the tooth, and every day...nope!



Offline Papaya

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Re: 6 Month Old - 30min Naps
« Reply #6 on: October 29, 2012, 07:37:54 am »
He is teething very badly...medication is barely even helping   Poor boy, every day I think it's going to be the day we get the tooth, and every day...nope!

This could be it then, and just a matter of riding it out, unfortunately. My LO is an awful teether, medication doesn't do much here either and each one takes weeks  - we've been waiting on the last canine for almost a month now! She EWs as well so I feel your pain. I find that a dreamfeed of meds around 3/4am can help to push the WU at least a little later - might be worth a shot?

xx
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Offline Lindsay27

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Re: 6 Month Old - 30min Naps
« Reply #7 on: October 29, 2012, 13:11:49 pm »
The teething could definitely be the issue over the last week or so because it has been bad, but I feel that there is a routine issue, or something developmental...or something else going on too because the short naps and EWs have been consistent over the past month or more.  Developmentally I know there is a lot going on - he can get on his knees and is a great roller, but you can tell he gets easily frustrated with his lack of mobility. 

I usually top up his meds when he wakes for his NF at 12:30/1am, though that might not be getting him through until morning, but if I don't top them up at this time then I find he has a 2:30/3am NW.



Offline Papaya

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Re: 6 Month Old - 30min Naps
« Reply #8 on: October 30, 2012, 04:44:12 am »
There are a few things that cause my LO to EW, teething or mental development leaps being the main ones (not so much physical development leaps, although they would sometimes cause NWs). There is A LOT going on around 6 months, so it could well be a combination of all of them that's making it last so long. But, that said, CONSISTENT EWs for more than a couple of weeks here usually meant we needed a routine tweak, usually pushing out the first A of the day.

What meds are you giving at the NW? If paracetamol, that would probably have worn off by morning, but ibuprofen should see him through til at least 6.30.
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Offline Lindsay27

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Re: 6 Month Old - 30min Naps
« Reply #9 on: October 30, 2012, 12:34:19 pm »
We are using ibuprofen as I find it works better because it is an anti-inflammatory.

I have tried to be really consistent with our routine over the last week, and although our naps are still short, I am usually able to extend them to 1.5-2hrs.  Yesterday was probably our most consistent day with the first nap from 9:30am - 11:30am (woke after 30mins but was easily settled) and our afternoon nap from  2:30pm - 4pm (again, woke early, but I went into his room a few mins before his expected wake up and popped his soother in a soon as he stirred and he drifted back off).  BT was 7pm and he slept until 4am (yippee! :) ) and then until 7am. 

So, one of the best days & nights in a long time.  Hopefully we can repeat today :)



Offline Papaya

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Re: 6 Month Old - 30min Naps
« Reply #10 on: October 30, 2012, 12:52:24 pm »
Yay! Really hope you get the same again tomorrow :)
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Offline Lindsay27

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Re: 6 Month Old - 30min Naps
« Reply #11 on: October 31, 2012, 19:45:32 pm »
The good news is, I have been extra consistent with our daytime routine over the past few days, and I think it is reflecting in our better nights.  Last night he woke once for a feed, then back to bed until 6:20am, which is a typical WU time for him.  We haven't had an EW in a few days now :)  That might change tonight though because I had a lot of running around to do, so his afternoon was wonky.

The bad news, still short naps :(  I've continued to try to extend his A time - 2.55h for both morning and afternoon A time's yesterday, and 2.55h this morning...but, 30mins still!  I am able to extend for a total of 1.5 - 2hrs which I think is helping with the consistency.  I am wondering if it is just a phase?  I don't really want to try pushing past 3hrs right now, as even with the 2.55h he seems slightly OT (though not too bad).  Humph!



Offline Papaya

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Re: 6 Month Old - 30min Naps
« Reply #12 on: November 01, 2012, 05:09:21 am »
I think he may just need some time to adjust to the longer A. If you can extend, he's getting the sleep he needs and should figure out how to get through that 30 min mark alone soon. Are you ok with extending for now?
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Offline Lindsay27

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Re: 6 Month Old - 30min Naps
« Reply #13 on: November 11, 2012, 20:39:38 pm »
Our nap situation isn't getting any better, in fact it is getting worse.  We are still having 30min naps with a 3hr A time, but now I am virtually unable to resettle him, so our days have been a series of short naps.  He's exhausted, I'm exhausted.  I have no idea what to do.  I keep bumping his A times but we keep getting short naps.  Some of it might be developmental, but we've been going through this for 2 solid months now.  Actually, he's never napped good minus a little stint when he was about 4.5 months.

I am just not understanding why this isn't working.



Offline Papaya

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Re: 6 Month Old - 30min Naps
« Reply #14 on: November 12, 2012, 07:58:38 am »
Oh hugs. It is a puzzle. He's never suffered from reflux, has he? That can flare again with teething and cause discomfort. Or do you think he's so OT now that he needs you to pull the A times back for a few days? Are the nights still ok?
*Nuala*