45 min naps - Help tried everything!

[wishingonastar]

My son who os 14 weeks only sleeps for 45mins at a time during the day.  We have tried swaddling which he hated, just screamed and screamed.  We tried wake to sleep which didnt work at all, he just woke up and wouldnt go back to sleep.  We tried PU/PD and although it has worked fantastically at night it hasnt worked during the day.  At the moment he lies on me and when he is nearly asleep i put him in his rocker and he normally drifts off, but only for 45 mins.  Tried him in his crib yesterday and he slept for 45mins too.  He had one long nap yesterday as i fell asleep feeding him lying on the bed and i woke up 2 hours later with him still sleeping.  He only manages to be awake for around 1hr 30 mins.  Could almost set your watch by him, so is still on 3hr easy.

Help what else can i do.  I know he is tired as by 5pm he turns into a monster
He has his bath at 6;30 feed at 7 then into bed by 7:30.  He feeds again at 11-12 and normally goes through till 5-6am, but the last few nights he has been waking around 4am.  He is a big boy 17lbs and breastfed.

Any advice would be appreciated

Thankyou

Leanne

[FreddieEden]

Sounds just like my DS, Daniel who is 15 weeks.  Fraid I can't offer you any advice as, although we have had some success in the past nothing is working for us at the moment.  Daniel is a big boy too - about the same weight as your DS and exclusively breastfed.  I think it is partly a food issue for us.  We sometimes manage with one feed at night but more often it is two.  If he could go through the night, he would be able to stay awake longer in the day and might take longer naps, which in turn would help him sleep better at night as he would be less overtired at the end of the day.  I've tried to give him formula last thing at night but he won't take it.  And he just doesn't seem to be that interested in food during the day.  If I feed him when he has just woken up, he is looking round the room like a mad thing and if I feed him before he is about to have a nap, he is all dozy and nodding off.  Either way, I'm not getting as much down him as I would like.  You have sympathy from me.  There are a few posts from people in the same boat, which you might want to read to know you are not alone.

Freddie

[Matka]

Wow, I think we all have the same baby!  My ds is 14 weeks, 16 1/2 lbs., 25 inches (big, healthy, giant of a boy!) and started the 45 min nap thing around 10 weeks.  For a month I drove myself and ds mad trying to extend naps (which never worked) and we were both miserable.  I finally just relaxed and listened to my baby and let him have his 45 min nap!  He ends up taking 2 per 4 hr. EASY.  However, after his 3:00 feeding he goes right to sleep and will go for 2 1/2 to 3 hours if I let him.  I've had to wake him up almost everyday.  Here's our schedule if it helps at all:

Wake between 6:00-6:30
Eat at 7:00
Activity until 8:00 (or so)
Sleep until 8:45 (or so - sometimes longer on a good day)
Bath and low key activity 9:30 or 9:45
Sleep until 10:30 or 11:00

Eat at 11:00
Activity until 12:30
Sleep until 1:30
Activity (usually dosn't take another shot nap here)
Eat at 3:00
Sleep until 6:30 (I figure he could use the extra rest)
Eat at 7:00
Activity until 7:30 or  8:00
Bedtime
Dream Feed at 10:00

This is what works for us (for now!).  I had to adjust my schedule too, but it's nice to know I have a big chunck of time in the late afternoon to get things done.  I've posted this before, but dh always reminds me that there is to much "this is how it should be done" and not enough just finding what works for you and your baby.  Tracy's message was to listen to your lo and have a happy baby.  That's what I'm doing. 

I wish you luck, I know how frustrating it can be.  I'm here if you need me.

[KellyC]

Hi Guys

Kathy-Ann, I'm so glad you posted your schedule on here as I was going to leave a post to say that I'm at the end of my tether with Zander's naps.  I often struggle to get him down in the first place with pat/shush (it seemed to be working so much better a few days ago!) and every nap I think this is the one Wake to Sleep will work but it's got to the stage where I'm crying myself as much as he is when it doesn't work and that's not good for either of us 

Today I just had to get out of the house so I went to a shopping centre with my mum and for some of the time Zander napped in his baby carrier and for a little bit in the car but by the time this evening came he was so unbelievably tired that he could do nothing but scream.  He's now asleep on DH's chest (naughty I know!) and when he wakes it'll be feed and bed (forget the bath for once!).  I took DS's paci away a week and a half ago and I felt so depressed today that I decided I would use it a little for daytime sleep if nothing else works but he's forgotten how to use it - just as well as I'd only be creating a problem for the future!

I'm going to try and listen more to my baby and less to the schedules in the book and the little clock by his bed - as you say, this is what Tracy wanted to teach us - to listen to our LOs, not to become obsessed by doing the 'right thing'.

Kelly x

[Matka]

Kelly,

I wish you much luck and success.  Try not to stress (so easy to say!).  It has to get better at some point.  I don't think falling asleep on dad is a bad thing.  Sometimes we just have to do whatever it takes for some peace and quiet!  It sounds like your doing a great job and it's obvious you love you son very much.

[AngelFarrell]

Hi Ladies, I'm another member of the 'thriving breast fed baby who takes short naps' club. My little man is 11 weeks, close to 15 lbs, and always been a short napper. He's relatively good at night, usually only wakes once for a feed. (Asleep at 7:30pm, wakes for feed sometime between 1:30 & 2:30am & only up for 10-15mins & straight back to sleep) then wakes for the day between 6am & 7am. So, nights are fine, it's the 45min naps that make it impossible to stick to a 3 hour EASY. I've tried everything to extend, but have decided to just 'go with the flow'. I still stick to the Eat Activity Sleep You order, but seem to be more of a 2.5 hour routine (he takes 4-5 naps a day). Have accepted it and hopefully me being more relaxed will help him settle into longer naps (I'm a textbook parent, he's a spirited babe, so I was getting really stressed that I couldn't 'make him fit' the routine). But if not, then at least he takes naps and sleeps well at night!!