The 30-40 min naps are back!!! EASY review?

[BobbysMummy]

Hi
Me again 🙈
So lo is now 24 weeks old and for some reason the horrible 30-40 min naps have come back! We were doing really well and getting roughly 1.30 min naps but they seem to have disappeared.
LO is still suffering with reflux and is on gaviscon and lactalose. Reflux seems under control but constipation is still an issue.
He has been off his feeds for about a week now, we've had him at hospital and they said maybe a viral infection. He's gone from taking 6-8oz a feed to 3-6oz, every 4 hours. He has also started having a night feed every night, whereas before he could often go until 6am without one.
I started weening at 21 weeks (recommend by our dr because of his reflux) but it's not going very well... Lo isn't really interested so I just try and offer some purée or baby rice etc once or twice a day.
Here is today's EASY, I must admit we got a bit of a longer nap this afternoon but that was with me intervening and was totally out of the blue. Our short naps have been back for the last 2-3 weeks.

Awake - 6.30
E - 7.30 (tried at 7 but not interested, tried again at 7.30 and he took 4oz - probably because he took 7oz at 4am)
A
S - 8.40
A - 9.15
S - 10.40 (this was out in the pram)
E - 11.15 (3oz)
A
S - 1.40 (woke at 2.10 but I offered dummy and he fell back to sleep until 3.10)
E - 3.15 (4oz)
A
E - 6 (9oz... He always has a big feed before bed)
S - 6.45

As you can see we're a bit all over the place with sleeps and feeds and most days are like this at the moment. Because his naps are short he can't go long until a next one, especially early in the day, as the day goes on his A time increases.

Any suggestions or help is really appreciated!

[becj86]

Hi

It could be that he's sick, but I think its probably related to needing more A time. Have a read: All about the 3-2 transition- 5/6 months

It not uncommon to have growth spurts around this age in which more feeds may be required - just being sick can have LO waking at night for a feed because fighting off the infection takes energy.

WRT reflux - I don't think its an issue given what your day looks like and that you think its currently controlled. Just to be on the safe side... when was the medication dosage last adjusted for his weight? Sometimes Gaviscon is insufficient and a different type medication is needed but the sleep side of things doesn't suggest that's the case here.

Do you need some help to increase A time?

[BobbysMummy]

Hi,

Sorry I'm late replying and thank you for taking the time to get back to me. I would love some support and some advice.

We've had a terrible few days, early wakings of 5am. Short 40 min naps, I feel like we've gone backwards.

What I have tried is increasing his first A by 15 mins, this hasn't made a difference as of yet. My husband got up with his this morning and kept him up 2 hour 30 mins but that hasn't made a difference either... But I know it can take time.

What I am wondering is if he only has a 40 min nap so you still keep him up the whole A until his next nap, so that would be keeping him up between 2 hours 15 to 2 hours and 30 at the moment.

Because his naps are all over at the moment I'm also struggling to fit his food in, I don't like doing before his bottle as he can be picky with how much bottle his has anyway. Any suggestions on this?

Thank you!

[becj86]

Ok, so average A time for 6 months is 2:45 to 3hr, so 2.5hr would be the low end of reasonable for his age, I'd think. Give it a few days with 2.5hr as your A time, then increase again if you're still getting short naps.

We've had a terrible few days, early wakings of 5am. Short 40 min naps, I feel like we've gone backwards

These are all symptoms of insufficient A time.

With the short nap, you may have to try to resettle for the first few days while he gets used to it again - try sneaking in around 35min into the nap and just watch for him to stir and shush/pat or whatever method you use to settle him and see if you can get him through the transition. If he still wakes, then its best to shorten the next A time a little, maybe by 20 min and see how he goes then.

When the routine is all over the place, it can be hard but just to keep things in the EAS pattern, I'd probably do solids an hour after milk and do milk when he wakes, even if its a bit early. Just my 2c though, others would keep the feeds further apart by waiting for a while after he wakes if he takes a short nap.

[BobbysMummy]

Thank you again!

He's not quite 6 months, he's about 5.5 (24 weeks).

I will do what you've said and stick with the 2.5 hour A time for a few days and then try and increase again by another 15. I will also sneak in his room at 35 mins and see if I can help him through, sometimes putting his dummy back in helps him. shhh/pat doesn't work for him Unfortnatly, it's too stimulating for him and he thinks it's play time.

We had such a good few weeks so really hoping we can get back on track as he was so much happier when he had the longer naps.

[BobbysMummy]

Hi,

Got a few questions for you if that's ok?

So we've had 3 days of 5am wake ups, we're doing 2.5 A time and will move to 2 hour and 45 tomorrow. But as he has woken so early he is going to be having more naps in the day, is that ok?

He has been STTN until 5am from 7pm. Would a later bed help?? But then I guess it's a really long day for him. Or should i possibly feed at 5 and try and put back down? The thing is he's had 10 hours sleep then so I don't know if he would go back to sleep?!

Thank you in advance

[becj86]

Later BT isn't going to help WU go later necessarily, often not. Best thing to do is to try a feed and put him back down and see if he will go back to sleep in the morning. Alternatively, you could try wake to sleep around 4am and see if you can get him sleeping slightly longer though a 10hr stretch is lovely, even at this age. Most LOs at this age need an 11-12hr night.

How are his naps now on 2:30 A time? What's your day look like? Just wondering so I can suggest some tweaks.

[BobbysMummy]

Thanks Bec, I'm having a really bad day. I'm so tired and getting really fed up with his naps! He's had 2 40 mins so far. This is what our day has looked like so far...

WU 5.15
E - 6
A
S - 8 (put down at 2.30 A time, woke up after 40 mins, I tried for 20 mins to get him back to sleep but didn't work)
A
E - 10
A
S - 10.50 (was very grumpy, maybe because of previous short nap so thought he might be tired gene the shorter A time then we would like. He slept for 40 mins, tried for 20 mins to get him back to sleep but with no luck)

[becj86]

Hugs xx

Ok, so if he's taking 15min to go to sleep, you're probably ok to increase that A time. He's almost 6 months now, yes? Could be developmental - there's a leap at this age which means that they need everything as it was when they fell asleep so they can get through the transition, so white noise should be continuous, you should be putting down slightly awake and letting him do the last bit of getting to sleep on his own, etc.

I'd try for another nap around 1:45ish and see how that goes.