after sleep routine she just plays...

[teezee]

my lo is 16 weeks and every nap time we do the exact same routine, swaddle, paci, rock n sing and then put down - usually she is nice and sleepy by that time...and every time i swaddle her she gets this HUGE smile on her face as if its a game - i now call her houdini...lol...anyways, after i put her down she always get out of her swaddle no matter how tight it is, spits her paci out and then just lays there and sucks her fingers and talks to herself.  she is a VERY spirited baby and is somehow even stimulated in the dark!...lol...i guess my question is, should i let her just amuse herself and hope she falls asleep, b/c i've tried this and sometimes she will and sometimes she won't, and when she does it takes quite a long time and then it throws off EASY b/c her nap runs late or her nap ends up very short and it throws off her nighttime sleep...she has reflux and eats smaller meals as it is and wakes already around 3 for a feeding as i cannot up her daytime intake anymore than i have already.  I have gone in and intervened also and done shush/pat and that works with time, but should i be doing this cuz she's not crying..i feel like i am becoming a prop for her to settle...any advice would be appreciated! 

[Aarismom]

First of all, look at her behavior...is she content and happy? Sometimes a short nap is all they need. It sort of messes up the day, but that's par for the course pretty much.

PU/PD and pat/shh are only used when a baby is crying out for you. If she's content playing in her crib, as hard as it is, you might just want to let her be, assuming she's a self-soother and can put herself to sleep if she needs to.

*HUGS*
Sonya =P