3mo/short naps... Need help keeping EASY schedule

[Luvbeingmama]

I'm new to this forum but absolutely love the topics I have read so far and have received lots of guidance through all of you! My LO was born 5/6/14 (10 days early) and has been on a really consistent 3hr EASY for quite awhile but he's been taking short naps the past few weeks. He seems to take 2 or 3 (35-45 min) naps that are then followed by a really long nap (2.5-3hr) ... Which I'm assuming is to make up for the short naps. Other days, it's just the short naps all day long.

I've tried helping him back to sleep but most of the time he just smiles up at me. Sometimes he will start to get cranky after about 5 minutes after waking but if I try to give him his paci and hold him/rock him, he just gets furious.. Those are the times that I usually end up feeding him (which makes him happy) but it'll only have been 2-2.5 hours instead of 3.  Here's a look at the past couple of days...

Awake and Eat at 7:00am
Nap 8:45-9:35

Eat 9:40
Nap 10:55-11:40

Eat 12:10
Nap 1:10-2:00

Eat 2:40
Nap 4:00-4:50

Eat 5:00
Bath 6:30

Eat 7:00
Bed 7:15
Dream feed 10:30pm

Eat 3:30am

Awake and Eat at 8:10am
Nap 9:25-10:05

Eat 10:30
Nap 11:55-12:30

Eat 12:50
Nap 1:50-and still napping now at 4:30pm.

I would really appreciate any guidance or advice... Especially if you see something I should change. I try to follow his cues and when he starts to get super fussy and I can tell he's tired, I put him down. He goes to sleep fairly easy on his own (with the help of his paci) and minimal fussing/crying.

Also, do you recommend waking him from these long naps to eat? What about waking in the morning so that everyday is basically the same??

[jessmum46]

Hi Liz and welcome

I'm going to ask a really stupid question was your LO born 5th June or 6th May?  I think we read dates the opposite way round in the UK and US!  I'm guessing 6th May as your post title says 3mo but please correct me if I'm wrong!

Short naps are very common in the 3-4 month age group as LOs start to 'wake up' a bit more and need to learn how to transition through sleep cycles on their own.  It's also a time where the effect of props can become more apparent.  It's great that he puts himself to sleep, but needing the paci to do so can potentially become an issue as he may well wake at the end of a sleep cycle (about 45 mins) looking for it.  Have you tried being there and popping the paci back in just as he starts to stir to see if that prevents him waking fully?  You can also try shh pat through the sleep cycle transition until he stops stirring.

Getting the A times right is also a big part of getting decent naps.  Typical A time at 3 months is 1h20-30 rising to 1h45-2h at four months.  It may be you need to keep one eye on the clock and try for a reasonably consistent first A time.  If the nap stays at 45-50 mins, try adding 5-10 mins A time and see what happens.  It may be he needs a little push to get a longer nap

Hope that helps to start

[Luvbeingmama]

Wow!!! Thank you SO MUCH for such a quick response.

Not a stupid question at all! That's so funny that we do them backwards! Yes.. May 6!

That's good to know that this is common. Seems like most people I ask say they've never heard of this before. Lucky me! Haha but that makes me feel better.

I have tried putting the paci back in a few times but I think it may be too late by the time I get to him. I've also tried w2s by lightly brushing his head or face. "Worked" one time but it was the afternoon nap that he often sleeps for awhile anyway so I'm not sure if that's why. Also tried it again this morning at 35 minutes and his eyes popped WIDE open after a really light touch and then he was awake... BUT then his next nap (which is usually a short one as well) was 2.5 hours long!!! First time that that happened on one of the morning naps. So I don't know what I did differently or if it was just luck.

So you're saying that my A time every morning after he wakes up is what should be consistent? If his ideal A time according to his age is 1 hour 20-30 min, and he starts showing tired signs at 45min-1 hour, do I keep him awake? Is that what you mean by the push?

[jessmum46]

It doesn't have to be *exactly* the same every day but by keeping some consistency (allowing for days when LO may be more tired eg after a bad night) can definitely help.  Also worth considering that tired signs can become a bit more unreliable as LOs get older, and so even if he is showing them at 45 mins, he will likely either fight settling, or if he does settle, will only do a short nap.  I would try aiming for about 1h30 and maybe 10 mins earlier if he seems tired, keep it low key if he seems to be struggling x