Still having catnap problems, advice please!

[KellyC]

Hi guys

I posted a while ago as I couldn't get Zander to go down for his catnaps and I'm sorry to report that I haven't been able to get him to take one single catnap!  He desperately needs the sleep and is showing all the usual sleepy signs but he just can't seem to get there.  For all his other naps he settles fairly easily with pat/shush and a little PU/PD if he's overtired and as soon as he's calm we leave him and he makes it through the 20 minute mark by himself.  For his catnap, even if he goes down initially he'll always wake up - sometimes after as long as 10 or 15 minutes of being calm.  I've tried staying with him for the full 20 minutes for this nap but he still wakes up and I can't re-settle him.  I usually end up bringing him downstairs and turning the lights off so he's not too stimulated and just letting him lay there.  He's not crying or anything but is very tired and more difficult to get to sleep at bedtime.  I've read the catnap's a freebie but due to me following BW principles he won't sleep with a cuddle etc., only in his bed!  He will sometimes go to sleep in his pram or baby sling but it's cold and dark here by early evening so we can't go out.  Any tips please?

Thanks again
Kelly x

[RebeccaH]

Not sure if this is the 'correct' answer but my feeling is that you're doing everything right all day and if this is your only 'problem' then it's not the end of the world. He's not going to need the catnap forever so if you have to make do with a sleep in the buggy or wherever then that's fine. I too had the problem with training him only to sleep in his cot but then one day he just fell asleep in my arms when we were out. He almost always sleeps upstairs but once in a while it's good to know he can be rocked to sleep. Not much help to solve your problem I'm afraid but I think if you're getting through the days just keeping him calm for a while then that's great.

[Deb_in_oz]

what is your current routine?  maybe the timing of the catnap needs to be changed.  how much is he napping in the day? if you post your full routine we can have a look at it.

[KellyC]

Hi, thanks for your replies

I can't really post a routine because it varies so much at the moment due to 45 minute naps.  We aim for a 7am wakeup, feeds every 3 hours with 3 1.5-2 hour naps and a 7pm bedtime but I've yet to achieve the perfect day!  Today went like this;

E 7.20
A 7.50
S 8.00 Didn't get to sleep until 8.30
A 9.15

E 10.00
A 10.15
S 10.30

E 13.00
A 13.15 Went for a walk and slept for about 15 mins in baby sling
S 15.00 Didn't get to sleep until 15.35

E 17.30
A 18.30 Bath

E 18.45
S 19.00

As you can see it's all over the place!  Because he had a nice long nap in the afternoon and didn't get up until 17.30 there wasn't even time for a catnap - I think he had the perfect amount of day sleep today but it was just all over the place!  I've posted on the EASY forum today as I feel Zander can now go longer between feeds but still can't go very long in Activity time so I'm not sure what to do.  He also wakes up quite tired as he often stirs at about 5am and takes quite a while to put himself back to sleep and is also awake for a while in his crib before I get him up in the mornings.  This means he can't last long for his first Activity time and then only has a short nap as he hasn't been up long!

Yours suggestions would be much appreciated.

Kelly x