Nap advice - timings, dummy and shush/pat

[creations]

He is generally happy when he wakes although often still yawning!

At this age those yawns do not necessarily mean he is tired. it can even mean the opposite!  Have you ever nodded off in the afternoon or had a super long lie in and when you wake you are dopey and yawning but you k now you can’t possibly need *more* sleep?  This is the same for your LO now. He can yawn from being well rested, or also from boredom and wanting a change in activity.  Those yawns are no longer a reliable cue to needing sleep.

Another thing that has started happening this week is he wakes up around 5.30am - and he is awake awake, happy, smiling and cooing, and gets upset if I try to resettle him

This is often a sign of the first nap coming too early in the day. LO knows the nap is coming at that time so wakes earlier to give them self a longer time before the next sleep.  From memory I think the first nap of the day is a 45 min CN anyway, so there is another clue that the first A time is not long enough. He might look really tired when you first extend the first A time but if you stick at it a few days on a longer A then you could see the morning WU time improve even if the nap does not lengthen...you might also see the nap lengthen.

[Sunnyday01]

Thanks for all your advice creations it us so helpful. I've been putting him down at about an hour snd a half for his first nap due to him yawning rather than other signs so will lengthen his a time and see if it makes a difference!
Li have another question, even though he takes short naps I think he could go 3.5 hours between feeds, do I just go for it even if his nails aren't quite right?

[creations]

I think you may well have better luck with 1hr 45.  As always there may be some disruption for a few days with the change, he could well wake early OT for a day or two but then settle into the longer time.
If his morning WU time does become later again remember you will need to move the nap a bit later too so that the A time doesn't end up short again, so timing from when he wakes.

4 months is about the time to move to 4hrly feeds but if you feel he would do better on longer E times then go for it, it's not a hard rule, some LOs are put on longer feed times from birth if they have to stay in hospital, meanwhile others can't make it more than 3hrs until they are 6 months old (mine for example).  It's ok to have EASAEAS rather than EASEAS, just try not to feed too close to a nap time so that you don't start a feed to sleep habit.

[Sunnyday01]

Put him in the Moses basket after 1hr 45 this morning - he still only slept for 40 mins but it did take him about 10 mins to settle so should I be putting him in at about 1hr 35 so he is asleep at 1hr 45.

Interestingly he only had 4 hrs of naps yesterday and went to bed at 7, had a dream feed at 10.30, woke at 4 and had a feed, and went back until 6.15! So maybe a combination of longer a time and around 4 hours of naps may work!

[creations]

he still only slept for 40 mins

He is in the habit of having a CN at that first morning nap so I would spend a few days teaching him that this is time for a long nap. You can use W2S to sooth him right through the transition time (shush/pat from 30 mins until he transitions and then for up to 20 mins until he is in deep sleep) and you can also spend 45 mins attempting a resettle in the bedroom rather than getting him up, he needs you to 'tell' him to sleep along with the longer A time.

should I be putting him in at about 1hr 35 so he is asleep at 1hr 45.

either really, the extra 10 mins could effect some LOs quite a lot by them becoming OT with it but it doesn't look  like that's the case for yours, the extra 10 might even be helpful.  I would continue for several days and try a W2S or resettle to teach him to sleep longer whichever A time you end up with.
hth

[Sunnyday01]

Thanks for all your advice creations, it's been so useful and I feel like I know where I am heading!

[creations]

You're very welcome.
Remember, Tracy said EASY is not easy.
It does take time and effort and sometimes it's really hard going.  It isn't magic, at times it does seem to work like magic but for the most part it's about consistency and teaching LO what is expected (as well as following their needs).

I had a particularly difficult time teaching my DS to stay asleep when he dropped to one nap per day (a long way off for your LO), I had thought he would continue with his lovely 2 hr nap and just drop the CN, wrong. I did just as I have advised for you above, W2S and lots of time resettling and 'telling' him to sleep. It was super hard work for a while but we got there and he ended up on a lovely one nap routine which lasted months and months.
Let us know how you get on

[Sunnyday01]

More success in the mornings had 6.30 again

On his first nap which tends to be the 45 minutes (only 30 mins thus morning ), I've tried w2s and holding him through the jolts but as soon as he sees me he is smiling away and it's impossible to get him to go back - do you think he maybe just needs 45 minutes at this point. It's very hard to get him to go back when he is smiling away at me. When he does wake up he is constantly licking his hands which I tink he does to try and settle himself but he needs the dummy to fall asleep but again when I try and put this in, he just smiles and coos at me.

[creations]

He sounds UT for that nap.  How about add another 10 mins to his first A time and see if that helps?  Worst that happens is an OT nap of 20 mins but possibly easier to resettle.

[Sunnyday01]

One more question! Sorry!

At about 40 minutes my LO jerks and wakes up - do you think the jerks are down to being UT/OT or just sonething he will eventually grow out of.

I've been extending the first A time and we have been having slightly later WU times although still have to resettle him around 5am

[creations]

If he is jolting but going back to sleep with you doing the HTTJ or W2S (same thing pretty much) then I'd just go with it for now.  If he is not going into another sleep cycle and you've done W2S for several days I'd look at the EAS times again.

[Sunnyday01]

It only happens when in his moses basjet but he wakes up and won't go back I've tried wake to sleep and holding him but he doesn't go back. If in the pram on a walk he will sleep for ages!

[creations]

Will he sleep for ages for that first nap in the pram or is it a different time of the day?

[Sunnyday01]

I haven't tried, his first nap us always in the Moses basket then we always have a late morning walk to get him sleep for a longer period as by that point he is very tired. Afternoon naps is generally in moses again but again is iften 45 minutes. Catnap at 5 is also in pram as I know he will definitely get 30 minutes as he usually drops off straight to sleep

[creations]

OK so he has not learned to self settle and transition from cycle to cycle unless he is on the move.
Three options:
1. Accept that you are going to AP him and nap him in the pram, could be at home but keep it moving and especially through the transition time (like a W2S in the pram by rocking/rolling it this is why he sleeps longer in the pram later on because he is rocked through the transition)
2. Start serious sleep training to teach him to sleep independently at home, to fall asleep in his bed and to transition in his bed.
3. leave all as is with the short CNs at home if you are happy with it.  It's not an ideal routine but many people don't have an ideal routine.