7.5 month old, 30 min naps

[katemommy]

For the last 4 months, my 7.5 month old has only been taking 30/40 min naps. Occasionally he will take 50 min naps and on rare occasions I may be able to pat him to get an extra 30. What gives? Because he is napping for such short of periods, he still needs 3 naps a day. And because of the short naps, he is ready for bed by 6 pm.

His awake time is at 3 hours (give or take 15 min). He also is sleeping pretty horrible at night. Waking about every 2 hours.

Anyone have any suggestions? I have tried adjusting the activity time, I make sure he isnt over or undertired....Could it be some babies only need cat naps during the day? Would love to at least either have some longer naps OR a better night sleep.

[newkidontheblock]

Hi there & welcome:)

While it is true that there are some babies that comfortably get by on catnapping through the day, I don't think that is the case with your DS as he is so unsettled at night. It is likely that a tweak in his A time would help but just to rule it out --- is he in any discomfort -- teething/reflux etc?

Could you post your EASY for us to take a look at?

[katemommy]

I feel like as of lately our schedule is all out of whack. Here is is though, give or take an hour:

7am- Wake
Eat,play (2.5hr A)
9:30- Nap 1  (Only naps 30-45 min typically)
Eat,Play (2.45 A)
11:45- Nap 2 (Sometimes getting 1 hour nap)
Eat, Play (2.45-3 hr A)
2:45- Nap 3 (usually about 40 min_
Eat, Play
Bedtime- 6 (goes down pretty easily)

Usually wakes about an hour after we put him down. We slip in the paci and he goes right back to sleep.
First night waking at 10pm-nurse
Second waking at 12 am-nurse
Third waking at 23 am- nurse
Sometimes even a fourth


How can I get my poor baby to get some rest? Between short naps and frequent night wakings, he's all out of whack.

[newkidontheblock]

Hi again. So sorry for the delay in responding. Had a lot happening. So here are my thoughts -
Firstly, his A times are a bit over the place. At close to 8 months, A times are closer to 3.5 hours. I feel that the too early am nap is setting the tone for the day. So he is undertired (UT) and does a short nap, and gets then gets overtired (OT) by the time the next nap rolls around. The catnap helps get him relaxed enough to sleep off without an issue at BT but the residual OT leads to all the NWs.

At 8 months, generally, babies have transitioned to 2 naps of 1.5 -2 hours and have dropped the catnap. It can sometimes hurt more than help at this point. What I would suggest is to slowly increase his A times starting with the first nap of the day. Add 10-15 minutes and hold for at least 3 days for him to adjust. If the nap lengthens, great. If not, push a touch more. With an A thats appropriate for his age, hopefully the naps will lengthen and you can drop the CN. On poor nap days, you could opt for an earlier bedtime instead
All about the 3-2 transition- 5/6 months

Could you also work on teaching him how to replug and keeping plenty of spares in the crib? How is he feeding during the day? 1 or 2 NWs for food are still normal and fine but I doubt he is hungry at all those wakings

Hope that helps

[katemommy]

This is very helpful. Thank you. I think we just got into this crazy OT/UT cycle and have been STUCK. I am definitely going to work on getting a consistent, longer A time underway and hope that helps!
THANK YOU