Author Topic: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old  (Read 3022 times)

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Offline melloyello

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Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« on: December 16, 2015, 18:54:21 pm »
Hello! This is my third go-round so you think I would remember this stuff but it seems a little foggy now!

DS is 10 weeks and has started into the dreaded short nap phase. I DO remember this happening with my other two around this age but what I don't really remember is how it sorted itself out. Up until a few days ago DS was falling asleep independently in his bassinet (swaddled) after a short cuddle and lullaby after about 1hr5min A time. He does take a pacifier but has never used it for falling asleep, unless we're out and about and I need him to sleep in the car seat. The last few days it has been harder for him to fall asleep and he's required some shh patting however.

What I'm unclear about it what to do when he wakes early from his nap. Because I have a toddler at home and not tons of time I've just been going in and giving him the pacficier (which as I said, he doesn't need to fall asleep initially) and he'll usually go back to sleep but tends to wake up again when it falls out of his mouth. So what I'm wondering is if I keep doing this - giving him the pacficier - will he learn to transition by himself or will he be dependant on it to go back to sleep? Would I be better to spend some time trying shh pat? I just don't see it working to get him back to sleep! Is it just a phase that will sort itself out regardless of what I do?

Any advice appreciated! :)

Offline lauradj

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #1 on: December 16, 2015, 21:10:05 pm »
Congratulations on your new little love!  I only have two boys but with DS2 I would try to Shh-Pat for about 10-15mins and then I just had to pop him in the Ergo or stroller and take him out.  It's really hard to put in the same amount of time with second, or third!, baby but I did find he sorted himself out by 3.5/4 months.  I think it actually helped that I let him nap on the go during that stage.  It kept all of us sane. 


Offline melloyello

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2015, 13:55:42 pm »
Thank you! Yes, we do quite a few naps on the go since the other kids and I would go crazy if we were home working on naps all the time!

I definitely don't have much time to spend resettling if he wakes early so that's why the pacficier is an easy "fix" instead of shh pat but I do worry about him becoming dependant on it to transition to the next cycle. Do you think that will become a problem?

I'm feeling discouraged because this is day 3 of lots of crying for every single nap when he used to go down so well! He's also been up 2x in the night the last two nights when he had been up only once for several weeks prior!

Offline lauradj

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #3 on: December 17, 2015, 23:34:21 pm »
Why don't you post your EASY and I'll see if it's simply a routine tweak that is needed?


Offline melloyello

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #4 on: December 18, 2015, 14:34:47 pm »
Thanks. Here is the EASY we've had for the last couple of weeks. He is breastfed.

7:30 WU and E
7:30-8:35 Activity
8:35-10 Sleep (sometimes he needs resettled at 45 min, other times he wakes at an hour and we go from there, yesterday he slept 2 hours)
10 E
10-11:10 Activity
11:10-1 Sleep (this nap is often in car seat on the go or at playgroup)
1 Eat
1-2:10 Activity
2:10-4:15/30 Sleep (best nap, usually have to wake him here)
4:30 E
4:30-5:45 Activity
6-7 Sleep (in carrier, takes him awhile to drop off and is restless)
7 Eat
7-8 Activity (including bath)
8 Eat (more of a top up feed, doesn't eat much)
8:15-8:30 Sleep

Don't do dream feed. Until a few days ago he was sleeping until 2:30-3 then waking for feed them back to sleep till 7. The last few days he has woken earlier around 1am and then around 4. I've fed him both times but he hasn't seemed hungry really.

Today for his morning nap he cried and cried with me shushing and patting for almost an hour. This was his easiest nap to go down for previously. I eventually gave him the pacficier which he's never needed to fall asleep before and by that time he was so overtired he whimpered for awhile and finally dropped off at 9:30. :(

« Last Edit: December 18, 2015, 14:37:23 pm by melloyello »

Offline lauradj

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #5 on: December 19, 2015, 05:05:30 am »
Seeing as your LO is 10 weeks, do you think he could handle being awake for another 10 mins?  I can see you have him awake for an hour, and at 12 weeks many babies are awake for 1hr 20min to 1hr 30mins.  He's not quite there yet but maybe a gentle nudge on the A time would do the trick?  What do you think? 


Offline melloyello

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #6 on: December 20, 2015, 20:27:30 pm »
Yes, I was thinking he might need some more A time. I've tried an extra 10 min yesterday and today and there has been much less crying at nap time. Hopefully it sticks!

Offline lauradj

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #7 on: December 20, 2015, 21:57:49 pm »
Fingers crossed!  Give it a few days to see the full effects  :D


Offline melloyello

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #8 on: December 26, 2015, 02:59:53 am »
So we are still having lots of trouble settling for naps and also now crying at bedtime which never used to happen. Although I think he is definitely becoming overtired before bedtime as he's only catnapping in the sling for 15-20 min (used to be 45 min no problem). His A time to bedtime used to be about 1.5 hours with the 45 min catnap and he went down easily for bed with no problem. What kind of A time should I try if he only sleeps for 15 min?

I'm not sure what to do with his A times because he is crying (with me doing shh pat) for up to half an hour which means his A times become too long (like 1hr45min-2 hrs) and then he's overtired! He will go to sleep more quickly with the pacficier but he hasn't needed it up until this point so I'm really hesitant to start using it now at 2.5 months as I can see it will probably become a troublesome prop for him quickly (he seems to wake up when it falls out of his mouth). Should I just give in and let him have it when going down for naps to avoid all the crying or persevere with shh pat?

Thanks for your help!

Offline lauradj

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #9 on: December 27, 2015, 05:36:07 am »
Have you tried modifying your Shhh-Pat?  With my boys, neither of them liked being patted so I held them against my shoulder and rubbed their back while Shhing.  Some babies just need that comfort of a warm body to sooth them again.  It sounds like he's having difficultly actually dropping off to sleep, as it often takes babies about 20 mins to fall asleep.  What does your wind down look like?  I remember this stage, it's brutal! 


Offline melloyello

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #10 on: December 27, 2015, 20:32:07 pm »
Wind down is tough with my toddler around (and right now both kids because of school holidays) and I often wonder if he needs a longer wind down... currently we go up to his room, he lays in his crib for a bit while I close the curtains, get the room ready etc then we sit in the rocker and look at a book (just started doing this to try and lengthen things), then swaddle and lullaby in the rocker before going into the bassinet. He has white noise on.

One thing I've started doing this week that seems to be helping a bit is giving him the pacifier while we do the book and lullaby and then just taking it out before he goes in the bassinet. It seems to calm him and if I'm lucky he is drowsy enough that he looks around for a few minutes and then falls asleep, although I'm not always that lucky :)

When you picked up your boys, did you hold them till they fell asleep or put them down once they were calm?
« Last Edit: December 28, 2015, 00:04:50 am by melloyello »

Offline melloyello

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #11 on: January 05, 2016, 14:18:50 pm »
This isn't nap related but I didn't want to start a new topic. Just popping back on to see if anyone thinks starting the  dreamfeed now at 12 weeks might be worth a try. For the last few weeks he has been consistently waking 2x in the night and the first waking has been getting earlier, now at around 12:30am when he used to sleep a 7 hour stretch (sometimes more) every night. At first I figured it was a growth spurt as he was eating more during the day too but now it's been a couple weeks so I'm not sure what's going on? I feed him both times he wakes and he will eat for a bit but doesn't seem starving or anything and then is not really hungry in the morning. I wonder if doing the dreamfeed at 10:30 or so might encourage a longer stretch? We tried it initially but it made no difference and he still woke a couple hours later but when we let him wake on his own he WAS doing a much longer stretch of first sleep, however not anymore.

Here is our current EASY:

Wake and eat 7:15
Activity 7:15-8:30
Sleep 8:30-10:30
Eat 10:30
Activity 10:30-11:45
Sleep 11:45-1:15 (this nap is often disrupted as we usually are out and about here with toddler)
Eat 1:30
Activity 1:15-2:30
Sleep 2:30-4:30
Eat 4:30
Activity 4:30-6
Sleep 6-6:45
E 7
Activity 6:45-8
Eat 8
Sleep 8:15

Then waking around 12:30, then again somewhere between 3:30-4:30am

Thanks for any advice!

*I should add he goes into his bed awake and falls asleep independently at bedtime

Offline lauradj

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2016, 22:00:58 pm »
Usually I held them until their breathing became slow and deep.  They weren't necessarily asleep but I knew they were right on the edge.  Honestly, I let my 2.5 yr old watch Sesame Street while I lay his brother down for a nap.  I spend so much time running around, playing and reading with them, a little TV won't hurt for a bit. 
I would suggest you move your DF post to the Eating section, as you'll get more responses there.  For what it's worth, I'd give the DF a go. 


Offline melloyello

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #13 on: January 07, 2016, 03:15:36 am »
Thanks for your help!

I already posted about the DF in the night waking section but will post under eating.

Offline marjorie_kate

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #14 on: January 08, 2016, 02:31:47 am »
Hi there,
I'm new to BW and the forum but am learning quickly and reading Tracy's book!  My daughter is 10.5 weeks old and also napping 40-45 minutes max.   I've had her on an EASY routine unofficially for a while as I've been reading about sleep training.  Ive been doing the shh/Pat for three days now with varied success.  She doesn't like to sit in the rocker at all.  It rules her up and extends he whole process by 30 min so I just stand and do the shh/Pat on my shoulder.  She is sleeping at night between 6-8 hours although it is most often 7.
Should I start a new topic/thread or can I piggyback on these replies? Thanks!

Offline lauradj

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #15 on: January 08, 2016, 04:27:15 am »
Hi there and welcome!  Definitely start your own thread.  It makes it easier for us to keep every baby's story straight.


Offline melloyello

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Re: Extending short naps for 10 weeks old
« Reply #16 on: January 08, 2016, 20:58:57 pm »
Hi, and welcome to BW!

I think you'll get more response if you start your own topic. Be sure to include your EASY routine with A times as  those can often be the culprit of short naps at this age (either not enough A time or too much for the age)... although it also seems like sometimes it's just a phase that you have to ride out!