Short naps at 5 weeks

[LittleSplasherMum]

Hello lovely ladies, I have a 5 week old boy who only naps for 30 minutes at the time! He's being on EASY pretty much from day one and from the beginning I have tried to teach him to fall asleep independently. The first couple of weeks were great, went down fine and napped for two hours for each nap, but then the "sleepy phase" worn off and for the last two or so weeks he has only being able to stay asleep for 30 minutes! He takes a while to go down, but he does fall asleep on his own in the end, so that shouldn't be the problem. I have tried to extend the naps, but nothing seems to work. I have gone in early, that didn't work either. Whenever I manage to get him back to sleep, he wakes after 10/15 or 20 minutes. He does have problems with wind and we have being using Infacol which has helped a lot. I still think it's a discomfort issue as he does sleep great in the car seat, even not in motion (I keep it in the living room) and will sleep if held no problem.
I can't really work on every single nap at the moment as I have also a 20 month old who is mostly at home with me.
I have read that short naps are common at this age, so my question is: do I just leave it and wait until he grows out of it, or do I keep try to extend the naps?
Our routine is pretty much the one from BW within half an hour here and there:
- 7am E
- 8/8.15 S
- 10 E
- 11/11.15 S
- 1pm E
- 2/2.15 S
- 4pm E
- 5.30pm catnap (no more than 45 minutes)
- 6pm cluster feed and top up after bath
-7pm or later BT
- 10pm DF
Night wakings: usually between 1 and 2am, 4amish

Naps length varies at the moment. If in his bed, after the 30 minutes I try to resettle him, but if that doesn't work, I hold him to get another 45 minutes/1 hour to get to the next feed or I feed him earlier. If in car seat/ sling and we come back home quite before the next feed, I put him in his bed and he usually carries on sleeping no problem. So today for instance, DH held him for 30 minute, put him down asleep in his bed and he had a total of two hours ( I woke him to feed him). What I'm saying is: once he's in deep sleep he would have a decent nap in his bed, he just can't seem to be able to transition on his own in his moses basket/crib.

He's breasted and weight wise is doing well so far. Thanks for you help as usual!!

[Scottishmummy]

Hi and congratulations on your 2nd baby!

As you say, short naps are common at this age even with self settlers and it is great that he is able to self settle at such a young age. You say it takes a while though, do you think he might be getting a little OT when he self settles? It's hard to tell what your A times are from your post, but judging by the first nap it looks like around 1hr-1hr15. Does that include time to settle? So if your DS takes 15-20min to SS he needs to be in cot by 1hr at the latest, possibly even earlier e.g.after 45mins -1hr depending on what his A times are to allow for that.

As for holding or putting in the sling to extend naps, it's not what the books say but it's what I did to extend DD's naps when she was very little.

I think you're doing great to be encouraging independent settling so early and it is normal to not have time to work on every nap with your 2nd so car or sling naps at this stage so you can get out the house are often what you need to do.

My DD is my 2nd. At this age I tried for her first and 3rd nap at home as I was in then with DS anyway but did the 2nd & usually the CN in sling/car/buggy as we needed to leave the house. I used to extend naps in the sling too if I couldn't resettle in the cot with w2s. I did try to stick to the age appropriate A times for her though to keep in her routine and avoid OT.

So all in all, it sounds like everything your LO is doing is pretty typical for his age and you're doing great getting into good sleep habits early but also making sure he gets all the sleep he needs & only thing I would suggest trying is putting him down a little sooner to allow him the time for self-settling.

Xxx

[LittleSplasherMum]

Hi Scottishmummy, thank you so much for your input!

Yes, the A times are usually 1h15 and that includes the time to settle. I do get there a bit late sometime (you know with another around, it's not always as easy to catch that first sign of tiredness), but usually I go upstairs at the first yawn which comes around the 45mins mark. This morning he woke early at 6.20 (same as my toddler grrr ), he was asleep by 7.20 I think and slept for 45 mins; I do think he woke because he came out of his swaddle, so am using a better blanket and we'll see what happens tomorrow. I am also trying to increase my milk supply as suggested in BW as at night he wakes three hours from the previous feed and I know he can go at least 4 hours as he did it a week ago or so.

It's nice to hear I'm not doing too bad 

[Scottishmummy]

I am also trying to increase my milk supply as suggested in BW as at night he wakes three hours from the previous feed and I know he can go at least 4 hours as he did it a week ago or so.

I'm not sure but I think advice on BF has changed since the books were written to now recommend just feeding on demand & your supply will adjust to meet demand.

Maybe someone could confirm or correct me if I'm wrong?

[LittleSplasherMum]

Oh ok, so I'm a bit puzzled now  I know it's probably a question for the night wakings section, but if he has gone before 4hrs at night in between feeds and now he's back at 3hrs, should I do something about my milk supply or feed him as usual. He has been feeding a bit longer lately...

[becj86]

Time between feeds can change quite a bit through these early months - really up until about 4 months, I think you can expect LO will, at some point "go backwards" in terms of time without a feed at night. He could be having a growth spurt and just need food that bit earlier. I would be very cautious about trying to increase your supply due to a slightly shorter stretch at night - you could end up causing oversupply issues. Feeding him as usual, when he wakes and is hungry, should work fine for increasing your supply naturally - that's how your body is designed Of course, if he was ravenous every 2hr, and that went on for more than a week, you could definitely start thinking about how much milk you're making but if he's sleeping, gaining appropriate amounts of weight and wetting nappies, try not to be concerned about supply.

[LittleSplasherMum]

Thanks a lot, that helps! I have been feeding from both sides the last two days (although not for very long) and tonight I practically gave him two feeds (one before and one after his bath) and I think I overfed him! He took a while to settle at bt, although he wasn't overtired and woke twice with discomfort! This last waking he had two big burps and went to sleep straight away, so hopefully he's better. I'll go back to one side as normal, thanks again!

In relations to the short naps at this age, do you have any experience on when they grow out of them? I'm hoping to see an improvement soon as he turns six weeks this Saturday (wishful thinking?)

[Scottishmummy]

Will he take both sides if you offer? I offered both sides at each feed to both of mine (except for the split feed before and after bath) as that was what the NCT BF counseller advised.  Sounds like he had trapped wind rather than over fed (I thought you couldn't over feed a BF baby?)

As for short naps....it really varies. Lots of LOs need to grow into being able to transition between sleep cycles and that can take a bit more time yet.  If you keep giving the opportunities for the longer naps through age appropriate stimulation & A time; encouraging self settling and support with the sleep cycle transition as needed (holding through the jolts, or w2s) they will come eventually

Xxx

[becj86]

I offered both sides at each feed to both of mine (except for the split feed before and after bath) as that was what the NCT BF counseller advised.  Sounds like he had trapped wind rather than over fed (I thought you couldn't over feed a BF baby?)

This depends a lot on the mum's production. I had to feed only one breast at a time and frankly, even had at times to use the same breast for a second feed before switching. It did sound a lot like trapped wind causing the discomfort - one of the things that can be caused by oversupply/overactive letdown. Very difficult to overfeed a BF baby providing baby is working for the feed rather than just gulping a forceful letdown

[LittleSplasherMum]

Will he take both sides if you offer? I offered both sides at each feed to both of mine (except for the split feed before and after bath) as that was what the NCT BF counseller advised.  Sounds like he had trapped wind rather than over fed (I thought you couldn't over feed a BF baby?)

Yes, he probably would, but he seems to be getting enough with one, although lately he has been a bit fussy at the breast, keeps latching off and then back on and turning and twisting. I will ask the health visitor next week.

If I had a problem of oversupply/overactive letdown, what could I do? We had quite a bad night/morning due to wind and now the only way I could get him to sleep was to put him in his carseat. I hate doing this, but it seems the only place apart from being held where he can sleep during the day. I will move him into his moses basket in a bit...

[becj86]

Here's some info: Oversupply and Overactive (Forceful) Let-Down - particularly lying back to feed can help greatly with that.

keeps latching off and then back on and turning and twisting

This is sometimes a sign of OS/OALD. As is the difficulty in the early hours of the morning within an hour or two of a NF.

Needing to sleep upright suggests reflux may be an issue. Have a read: Reflux 101 - General reflux information OALD/OS symptoms are similar to reflux, though.

[LittleSplasherMum]

Thank you for the links! Looking at those I don't think I have a problem of OS/OALD, maybe reflux but he doesn't have many symptoms, I think it's just wind. Today he has fed much better and back to his usual 10 minutes. This morning we had bad and broken naps again and then this afternoon he just fell asleep on me only 30 minutes after waking, so I put him in his swing to see if he would wake, but he opened his eyes a bit and then fell asleep again, so I put him in his moses basket and he's been asleep for the last hour and 15 minutes... maybe he's catching up or it was a growth spurt...I don't know 

[becj86]

Yes, A times can reduce after short naps. He's so little still, these things will just crop up and go away again with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Keep on keeping on and it'll all work out in the end

[LittleSplasherMum]

Hi there, just wanted to pop in and give an update in case other mums in the same situation are reading (I know I would!).

So DS2 will be 9 weeks in a couple of days and I think we are getting somewhere! He's going down for his naps on his own after yawning at the 40/45 mins, with a total A time of 1h/1h5min, is this ok? This morning he kind of woke after 30 mins into his nap as usual, so I went to see and his eyes were closed, was kind of mantra crying. I picked him up once and then he was fine, kind of stirred here and there and slept 2hrs and something! Then slept again for his second nap started in the sling out and about but again at the hour mark, came home put him in bed and carried on sleeping and I woke him at 2hrs and 5 mins. Now he's gone down for his third nap, mantra cried again at 30 mins, picked him up a bit as I couldn't settle him in the crib, calmed down and still sleeping now, nearly an hour later. All the time he didn't really open his eyes, so hopefully he's learning to get through the cycles?

One questions: shall I let him sleep for 2hrs for every nap (times 3)? If so the last nap, the cn will start at 5, how long should  I let him
sleep for this one? I don't really want to do bt before 7. It will be interesting to see how it goes today as one day that he slept a lot, then he was awake for two hours from 7 till 9pm!!

I should add the yesterday he had his first round of Immunisation and wasn't very well afterwards, so maybe that's why he's sleeping a lot today, hopefully not!

[Scottishmummy]

Great that you're making progress & he's self settling   
Immunisations always made mine sleepy and gave us great nap days the next day..hope it lasts for you!

Those sound like great naps, I would let him sleep for the 3 naps but cut CN short.  How shirt is a bit of trial and error. Maybe start with 45mins as that would give 1hr15 to 7pm but you can lengthen it or shorten it if you find he's OT or UT by BT.

Those A times are a little on the short side for his age now : Average A times- BOOKMARK ME!
If you find the short naps return after immunisation sleepiness wears off, you could try keeping him up an extra 10-15 min before he goes for the nap & see if that gives you a longer nap, or one that you can resettle.