Hi! I tried reading through other topics for help, but not finding too much. My son is 7 weeks old & I don't expect much from a routine or sleep right now, but I am trying to help him learn to sleep. His nighttime sleep is great, only waking 1-2 times, but naps are not. Please keep in mind that part of my frustration is that I also have a 2.5 year old, so the way things are going are really not working for us.
Baby's naps are only 30-40 min long & wakes up crying. I have been trying sh/pat & unsuccessful every time. It calms him, but hasn't put him to sleep once. I end up trying for 40 min every time. This just isn't working for us because 1) I have another LO that needs time, attention & supervision, and 2) I want to be able to extend his naps.
I have seen somewhere that some LOs will take cat naps once or twice in a day, which would be fine, but I assume if that's what he needed, he would wake up rested & happy. He is definitely not. He wakes up very upset & it takes time to console him. I have even tried a multitude of ways to help him sleep once he's in bed, but nothing is working. Here's what our day looks like:
WU/E: 830
A: 9
S: 945 - Routine starts at first yawn, typically about 1 hr after WU, in this case, 930
*Routine: Say good night to sister, swaddle, white noise, pray & sing until drifting in my arms (half the time, hell be happy & suddenly scream until he drifts). Set down, eyes barely open. Falls asleep in less than a minute. All in all, about 15 min.
WU: 1015/1030 Wake, crying. Sh/Pat for 15+ min & falls asleep. Stay with him for 10 min.
S: 1045
E: 11
A: 1130
S: 1215
WU: 1245 Wake, crying. Sh/pat for 15+ min & falls asleep. Stay with him for 10 min.
S: 1
WU: Wake, crying. Sh/pat does not work. Try for 40 min & give up because of toddler & feed.
E: 145
A: 215
S: 245 - Tried to shave some time off because of the lack of rest earlier.
WU: 315 Wake, crying. Sh/pat for 15+ min, successful. Stay for 10 min.
S: 330
WU: 345
E: 345
A: 415
S: 5
WU: 545 Wake, crying. Sh/pat for 15 min.
S: 6
WU: 615 Wake, crying.
E: 615
A: 645 - Basically bedtime routine: Bath every other night, jammies, book with sister, swaddle, white noise, pray, sing. Lay in bed barely awake. Falls asleep in few min. All in all, routine takes about 30 min. Then about 15 to fall asleep.
S: 730
DF: 11 (most nights)
NW/E: 2-3
NW/E: 6-7
WU/E: 830
He is a very happy baby, so when he wakes up, once he's done screaming, he's all smiles & coos. I'm wondering if we need a routine adjustment from OT or UT?
Also, we did Wake to Sleep with my daughter & it was awesome! Is he too young to start that? Although, I'm not sure if it would work for him because he wakes up at the 30 min mark, so I never get the chance to do it.
Thank you so much! I know at this age, it's a lot of trial & error to see what fits your baby best, but I just feel like I'm running out of options to try.