Should I let my 11 week old nap longer than 2 hours?

[BabyBsMommy]

I feel almost silly posting this question as so many are having trouble getting through the 45 minute nap!  Three weeks ago, my lo wasn't sleeping at all through the day and then I got him on EASY and now he is almost always taking two 2 hour naps and one 45 minute nap.  I have to help him through at the 45 minute mark but by just gently holding down his arms, he usually transitions well within 5 minutes or so.  There is hope fo you all!
So now, I'm having to wake him up after 2 hours as Tracy says never let them sleep longer than 2 hours through the day as it will disrupt their night time sleep.  Right now he sleeps from about 8:30 - 2:30 at night wakes up for a 1/2 hour (full feed and burp) and goes back down from 3:00 - 6:30 or 7:00 - I tried the dream feed for a week but couldn't ever get him to eat in his sleep, he would never start sucking, just grin in his sleep with the nipple in his mouth.  I figure, getting up only once at night makes me pretty darn lucky as it is.  A few days ago, he was waking up at 5am, too, I just picked him up and settled him and put him back down to sleep - he now will fuss a little around that time but in less than 10 minutes is asleep again.  I just don't want to disrupt this.

So, any advice?  Do I let him sleep a little longer during his naps and see what it does at night?  Maybe he'll wake up at 2 hours 15 minutes....  is it possible he is ready for a 3 1/2 or even 4 hour schedule?  He is 11 weeks today and weighed in at 14 lbs 1 oz at 8 weeks so is it possible he can sustain himself that long?  I don't really think so, only because he only stays awake for 45 minutes or so after his feed.

[Mia & Scarlett's Mummy]

Mmmm it sounds like you've got it cracked you lucky thing!

From a quick scout through the bw books, I think the 'ideal' at this age is a 3 hour routine, so three 1.5 hour naps and a 45 minute catnap.  When dc gets to 4 months you go to a 4 hour routine which equates to 2 2 hour naps and a catnap which is what you are on now.

What I would say is that until her nightime sleep is affected they can't have too much daytime sleep.  I know at 11 weeks I was always terrified my dd would wake in the night so I used to fret that she was napping too much in the day.  I ended up with a very overtired baby.  It's only now at 7 months that I'mhaving to deal with nightwakings.  I could kick myself looking back at all the times I used to wake her up from a long nap - I wished I'd let her be.  If I could do it again I'd let her sleep for much longer.  I think I could have let Mia sleep for 2.5-3 hours at a time with no nightwakings as a result.

In Tracys first book she says if you are having problems with nightwakings, don't let them sleep for longer than 3 hours...I'd give it a go.  You can come back and shout at me if it doesn't work!!

[The Vern]

Just a quick reply re: is your lo ready for 4hr easy...my now almost 11 week old actually put herself on 4hr easy at around 8 weeks and we are still going strong at it.  She sleeps and wakes similar to yours, so it could be.  Four months is afterall just a guideline, every lo is different.  Great job by the way!

[Colin Macs Mom]

I have to agree about letting her be - If she's such a great sleeper already I think that you should encourage that as long as it doesn't affect her nighttime sleep.

[*Natasha*]

At this age my DD was sleeping quiet alot during the day and sleeping 10hrs at night. At 8 weeks she also put herself onto 4hr easy and sleeping 2x2.5hrs and a catnap in the afternoon usually in her bouncer.

[BabyBsMommy]

Thanks for all of your encouragement and advice.  I think I may see how the 4 hour routine will work with him - I thought he may be needing it just because he is already so big and thriving, nevermind that he's also a very effecient eater!  I figure, if sometimes, before he's 4 months, he wants to eat after 3 hours, then I'll feed him, and if he can do 3.5 or 4 hours then we'll do that - I can't see there being anything wrong with following his lead in terms of 3-4 hour routine until he settles fully into 4...  today he woke up at 6:45 am after going to bed at 8pm and waking only at 3am for a feeding (1/2 hour including burp and going back to sleep in his crib) - I nervously let him have a catnap again from 5:30-6:15 last night (fearful that he wouldn't go to bed or that it would interrupt his night sleep because it did last week, resulting in over 2 hours of trying to put him down to bed) but bedtime obviously went very smoothly.

Right now he has been sleeping since 8:15am, so he was awake for 1 1/2 hours, including feeding (though he was awake in his crib about 15 minutes before I got him up to feed him) - right now it is almost 10am so he is approaching the 2 hour mark.  I'm going to have to wake him up at 2 hours because I have to go out to an appointment today at 11am and he has a doctor's appointment at 2pm which means if he sleeps much past 2 hours at next nap time, we're going to have to wake him then, too.  However, after that, I'll see how long he actually sleeps - I think I will make sure he just doesn't go much past 2.5 hours!

Really, this is such a dream - I can't believe how hopeless I felt just 3 weeks ago!

Did any of you have to help baby through the 45 minute transition?  I'm having to do that most naps and it takes about 20 minutes for him to be fully off to dreamland again enough for me to leave - is this what you found?  When did you start leaving them to do it on their own?  How can you tell that they are ready and don't need your help?

I'll keep you posted on whether or not just letting him sleep longer works out!

[Mia & Scarlett's Mummy]

If i recall correctly I think at 11 weeks dd was on a 3.5 feeding routine - a 3 hourly routine was a bit too much for her and she was and is a big baby.  She could eat more efficiently if there was a longer gap between feeds.  On a 3 hour routine she sometimes only took a few ounces at some feeds.  By the time it was time to transition to a 4 hour routine (ie at 4 months) I made the decision to wean her as she seemed permanently hungry by that point.

I had to help my dd through the 45 minute naps with varying degrees of success.  I had to catch her at the right moment - too soon and I'd startle her awake and too late and she would be too awake to go back to sleep again - pretty impossible really!  W2S never worked - it just used to wake her up.  I would either go into her room as soon as she woke and pop the dummy back in and hope she would go back to sleep (50% of the time she would) if that didn't work I'd leave her to it for half an hour and sometimes she would drift back off on her own, if she started to fuss I could give her the dummy back and she might go back to sleep....it was so hit and miss...and just when I'd reached the end of my teether (when she about 4.5 months) and decided to stuff extending her naps she started to lengthen them herself!!!

[BabyBsMommy]

This morning, I sat and watched as he worked himself through the 45 minute transition on his own!  Yippie!   I had a feeling he could do this one on his own but we'll see with the next two - I think by the last one, I have to help him as he is getting more overtired by this point in the day which makes it harder for him to do it on his own.

Also, last night he went to sleep at 8:30 but woke up at 1am and 5am for full feedings so I think he's on a growth spurt (makes sense - woke up at odd times, more than once, took full feeds AND almost 12 weeks) - I'm going to see if I can get him to eat more through the day....to that end, I'm going to let him wake up from his nap on his own.  I'm finding when I wake him up early at 2 hours, he is still so sleepy for the feeding that I have to keep waking him up so I don't think he eats as much as he did if he was fully awake and ready to eat - hopefully this strategy will let him fill his tummy up more through the day.  I also pumped an hour after his feed, as Tracy suggested, so I have extra in a bottle to top him up if need be.  I'm also going to try the dream feed again, maybe if he's in a growth spurt right now, he'll be more apt to take it

[BabyBsMommy]

Just an update - little Brenden has put himself through the 45 minute transition on his own for his first 2 naps of the day for 3 days in a row now.  I have let him sleep until he wakes up and now he is waking up almost 2 hours to the minute on his own - this has put him on a 3.5 hour schedule for most of the day.  His last nap only lasts for 45 minutes but I figure that he only needs that much after 4 hours already.  we are only letting him have a catnap if he goes down before 6pm (otherwise, it takes 2 hours to put him down for the night!) instead, we just start his bedtime routine a half hour early.

He is definetly in the midst of a growth spurt but unfortunately has a very bad cold at the same time.  He is able to take more at his feedings for most of the day but at the last one is so stuffy and grumpy he doesn't eat enough so he woke up again last night at 150 and 45o for feeds.  I figure with a cold, I can't do much about him not tanking enough into himself at the end of the day so we'll just have to put up with the extra night feed until the spurt and/or cold passes and then hope he gets back to his old routine or will help him get back into it.