Wake times when your baby only naps 30 minutes

[Heatwils]

He has napped longer than 30 mins. And he napped longer after I posted! But we still have the 30 min issue at times. I've been doing pupd for 3 weeks. He now goes down with no crying and falls asleep within seconds. Here is a synopsis of the past two days:
Wake up: 7:30
A: 730 - 10:00
S: 10:00-10:30
A: 10:30 - 1:00
S: 1:00- 2:00
A: 2:00 -4:15
S: 4:15 - 5:15
A: 5:15 -7:00
Bedtime - 7 ...two wake ups in the night
Wake up: 7
A: 7-8:40
S: 8:40 - 9:20 (he was yawning and super fussy so I put him down, he woke crying and yawning)
A:9:20 - 11:50
S: 11:50 - 12:25
Soothe for 20 mins and finally nurses to sleep as he was very very upset and wouldn't calm
S: 12:50 - 1:40 (woke up and yawned!)
A: 1:40 - 4:00 (didn't yawn again until 4)
S: 4:00 - 4:35
A: 4:35 - 7:00
Bed: 7
The E is at various throughout the day.

[becj86]

Alright, I think those 30min naps are UT, not OT.

See how this one is 30mins:

A: 730 - 10:00S: 10:00-10:30

then this one is 1hr after 2.5hr A time again:

A: 10:30 - 1:00S: 1:00- 2:00

And here again, 1hr nap after 2:15 A time:

A: 2:00 -4:15S: 4:15 - 5:15

When we see this kind of pattern with 45min naps, its time to push the A time a tad. I think your DS could do with an increase also. Perhaps to 2:45 in the morning though he may do well with a bit less in the afternoon - have a play with that. Keep in mind that if we're working on the theory that he's got a shorter sleep cycle, 2 cycles is restorative, so a 1hr nap is possibly equivalent to a 1.5hr nap for most babies. Not sure if there's any data showing that, but just an idea I have, so worth seeing what happens with your LO.

A: 7-8:40 S: 8:40 - 9:20 (he was yawning and super fussy so I put him down, he woke crying and yawning)

This nap would then be UT - tired enough to transition to the next sleep cycle but not enough to stay asleep. Waking mid-cycle can result in crying as its not a nice time to wake.

Does that make sense for you?

[Heatwils]

Yes, this makes sense. But what about the yawning. Shouldn't I be getting him down at the first yawn because that is sometimes way before 2.5 hours? I also think he has shorter sleep cycles! I will try your suggestions and let you know. Thank you.

[becj86]

Yawning can indicate many things. Can be that he is ready for a change in activity - try that, often LO will pick up again when you change activities. Can mean fluid in ear(s) but usually comes with other symptoms.

[newbiem0m]

Sorry what's UT?
Is the sleep cycle always 40 mins long or will they get longer?
I noticed if i'm not carrying my baby, she'll wake up at 30 mins as well from her nap.
The only way to get full 1.5hr nap is if i'm carrying

dd is 8weeks old (7 weeks sleep time)

[becj86]

UT is undertired - not tired enough to transition from one sleep cycle to another.

Sleep cycle of 40min is typical, average but not all babies have the same sleep cycle length. Here's some information about that: https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64515.0

The only way to get full 1.5hr nap is if i'm carrying

This is very normal for a baby of 8 weeks.

dd is 8weeks old (7 weeks sleep time)

What does this mean?

[newbiem0m]

I remember reading in BW that the sleep weeks is calculated from due date and not birth date.
DD was 1 week early.

But if the baby is yawning, doesn't that mean she's tired?
Is it possible to yawn and want to sleep but still be UT?

We thought she was OT b/c she would get fussy
Can UT get fussy too but yawn and want to sleep?

What are some suggested activities to tired out an 8 week old....she can't run around or anything

[becj86]

I remember reading in BW that the sleep weeks is calculated from due date and not birth date.DD was 1 week early.

It's more relevant if LO is born before the 'term' time of 37-40 weeks, so if she was born at 36 weeks, it may be slightly relevant but will even out pretty quickly, if born at 30 weeks, it takes longer for A times to catch up to average for age.

But if the baby is yawning, doesn't that mean she's tired?Is it possible to yawn and want to sleep but still be UT?

Not necessarily - (usually older) babies can yawn for other reasons, eg. fluid in ears, ready for an activity change. It is also possible to develop a habit of being tired at a certain A time if it stays static for too long. At 8 weeks, generally tired cues are reasonably reliable and a baby will feed for 30-40mins, change nappy and perhaps spend 5-10 mins doing something (chatting with mum/dad/visitor, tummy time, etc.) then be off for a nap at around 1hr A time.

We thought she was OT b/c she would get fussyCan UT get fussy too but yawn and want to sleep?

Getting fussy can be many things - hunger, bowel discomfort/motion, wet nappy, not quite the right temperature, just want to chat (remember, crying is really her only way of communicating at this point), "I liked looking at that thing you turned away from", overstimulation (I found that DS struggled with TV on as background noise as it was too much stimulation for him), the list goes on.

What are some suggested activities to tired out an 8 week old....she can't run around or anything

Just being in the outside world is enough - literally everything she sees/hears/feels/smells/tastes is new and interesting. If she's not tired at 1hr, try an extra 5 mins. Waking after one sleep cycle at this age is very commonly developmental - she hasn't learned yet how to connect sleep cycles, so its worth trying to resettle her if you can, though I wouldn't spend more than 10-15mins on it.