30 minute naps- going crazy!

[SEA0680]

Hi- I'm hoping you can help me. Our 4.5 month old spirited boy had always had trouble napping longer than 25-30 minutes unless being held and rocked. If he is held and rocked he will generally do 1.5 hours (anywhere from 45min to 2.5 hours), but in the crib will wake up at 30 minutes (as if he is watching the clock!). Need to extend these 30 minute naps, and have tried reducing A time to avoid OT, tried to avoid OS, tried shush/pat to keep him asleep... nothing works. He goes to sleep easily (as long as not OT)- we do our bedtime routine, he is swaddled, and he falls right asleep in the crib. We were on a 4 hour schedule while he has taking long naps (being rocked and held), but now with these short naps there is too much A time, so we are on a 3.5 hour schedule, with a 3 hour cycle before bed. Tried PU/PD for a few days to extend the naps, but after 15-35 min of PU/PD he fell asleep for another 5-10 min, but then woke up again.

Thanks for any advice!!!

[lily_layne]

I just went through the same thing with my LO except in her case every nap was 38 minutes. (Isn't it strange how it's always the same???)  Like you, I tried reducing A time, making sure she wasn't OS and sh/pat.  What worked for us was increasing her A time.  How much A time is he getting right now?

[SEA0680]

About 1.5-2 hours, with the bottle in the middle (counting the time from end of nap to start of next nap as A time). Very careful to not let him be OT or UT. Basically, roughly around 1.5-2 hours, we go into the nursery, swaddle him with arms out, read books until he acts tired, then swaddle arms in, and listen to lullabies with lights off and pacifier until he starts closing his eyes, then put into crib. Planning on working on putting in to crib more awake, but working on 30 minute nap thing first.

Thanks!

[lily_layne]

My LO has always been a bit higher than average for her A time and maybe yours is also.  2 hrs is at the upper end of A time for 4 months, but maybe since he's on his way to 5 months he's ready for a bit more.  Aishi recommended I try to increase DDs A time in the morning and then holding it for a few days to see if it helped.  That way if you get an OT nap in the AM, you can try to get a good PM nap in.  I increased her A time 10 minutes at a time until we started getting 1.5-2 hour naps.  Once I got the A time right, I was able to put DD down awake and she put herself to sleep (like you, I had been waiting until she started closing her eyes).

[SEA0680]

Thanks, I'll try that! Just to clarify- you count the A time from the end of one nap to the start of the next, right? Not the time from the end of eating to the start of the nap (as it appears in the BW books)?

[*Kara*]

Thanks, I'll try that! Just to clarify- you count the A time from the end of one nap to the start of the next, right? Not the time from the end of eating to the start of the nap (as it appears in the BW books)?

You are right hun... A time is eyes opened to eyes closed (feeds and wind down are part of your A time).

[SEA0680]

I guess my other question is why he naps so long and well while we hold and rock him, but only 30 minutes in the crib. Somehow he gets past some difficult part of the sleep cycle if we hold him, so I am trying to figure out how to replicate that in the crib!

Thanks for any advice!

[ZacsMumme]

Have you tried sneaking in at 20/25 mins and patting/holding through the transition into light sleep and back into deep? Tis an work well for some LOs with jolts. I would def at least pop in and see how/what is waking him YK?

I also agree that he needs an A increase

[*Kara*]

I guess my other question is why he naps so long and well while we hold and rock him, but only 30 minutes in the crib. Somehow he gets past some difficult part of the sleep cycle if we hold him, so I am trying to figure out how to replicate that in the crib!

Thanks for any advice!

The crib isn't nearly as cozy as momma's arms

[lily_layne]

I've had success with patting to extend naps. There's lots of tips for extending naps on the nap board. Sorry I don't know how to post the link

[SEA0680]

I have tried patting, shushing, rocking in the crib, etc. It either wakes him up, or he still wakes up on his own. I would extend A time, but I thought 30 minute naps were classic for OT? Due to that, I reduced his A time (and took him from a 4 hour EASY to 3-3.5 hour) when I started working on this.

Thanks! Really appreciate any help!

[lily_layne]

If every nap in the crib is 30 m, that just might be the length of his sleep cycle.  I think some LOs have shorter cycles than others - someone correct this if I'm wrong.  Maybe try an A time increase for a few days to see if it helps.  Try to make sure that he's awake (drowsy is probably ok - it worked for my LO) when he goes in the crib so that he knows where he is when he wakes up between sleep cycles. 

[ZacsMumme]

I agree with LL some kids just wake at 30 instead of 40. My first was a chronic 30/35 min napper. T wasn't OT, it was UT/OT and Developmental. I found applying pressure across chest and thighs works well instead of patting/shhing, particularly if LO is touchy and get OS by the noise and movement.

[lily_layne]

How are things going?  Are you getting some longer naps?

[SEA0680]

Hi- no, but for now I am doing some APOP and after he wakes up from the 30 minute naps in the crib, I take him to the chair and get another hour out of him. We are working on weaning the swaddle right now (he almost rolled over while swaddled!), so that's disrupting things. As soon as his sleep gets back to "normal" then I am going to work on putting him into the crib more awake and not going to the chair anymore. We're also moving to a 4 hour EASY. Any other ideas?