I'm a new mum. So maybe I think too much and am asking some silly questions.... Sorry in advance.
DD will be 5 month in 2 days. For 2 months I've tried my best to extend her naps.
I tried W2S method: "Instead of waiting for her to wake, go into her room after thirty minutes. Before she comes all the way up to consciousness, pat her gently until you see her body relax again. It could take fifteen or twenty minutes of gentle patting. If she starts to cry, though, you'll have to send her back to sleep [using your usual settling technique]."
She is an independent sleeper, so I'm not sure whether she is accustomed to the shush/pat method or not. I never shushed, only pat occasionally.
She is supposed to sink into deep sleep after 20 minutes, isn't she? But it always takes her more than 1 hour. The sleep circle transition seems FOREVER.
Now she can do the transition herself I think. But still, she is hard to sink into deep sleep. Sometimes she wakes up after a looooong time of slight sleep, seems still tired. Sometimes she can do another 40 mins after the loooooong period of slight sleep, and wakes up ok.
I guess she might be a bit UT. So for 5 days I've extended her A time to 2.5hr. When she woke up, she fussed. But I had no success to extend the nap. She may sleep for another 5 or 10 minutes if I kept patting her, that's all.
Her routine on last 3 days:
WU 06.50
S 09.20-10.30 cried. I tried to extend until 11.05 by patting. She woke up 10 mins after I stopped.
S 13.10-15.15 woke up happy
S 17.20-17.50 woke her up, happy
BT 20.00
NW 01.10-01.50 made some waking noise then self settled
NW 04.05 feed
WU 07.05
S 09.35-11.35 woke up happy
S 14.15-15.45 cried. I tried to extend
S 16.00-16.30 woke up happy
BT 19.25
NW 03.10 feed
WU 07.05 woke her up to begin the day. She seemed tired all the morning
S 09.30-11.15 fussed a lot, tried to extend for 15 mins with no success
S 14.00-15.40 fussed a lot, tried to extend for 20 mins with no success
S 17.20-17.45 woke her up, happy
BT 19.50
NW 00.10-00.30 made some waking noise then self settled
NW 04.10 feed
WU 07.15
Shall I extend her A time any more? She gets tired at around 2hr mark, sometimes earlier. She doesn't fight naps. I cannot tell UT or OT.
Can anyone give me some advice?