8 months of short naps!

[Charlotte07]

Hi,
This is my first post and I hope someone can help me out. I've been trying the BW method for months, however, my sweet monkey just will not nap more than 45 minutes, never has. Well, used to be 45 minutes. Lately, each nap has been 30 minutes or less. I've been trying to extend them using shush/pat. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I know she could use more sleep throughout the day because the poor thing is always rubbing her eyes and falls asleep in the stroller and car often. I've tried shortening awake time, lengthening it, but nothing seems to work. And, with the naps getting shorter and shorter instead of longer, I'm afraid that she'll give up napping altogether. She used to take 4-5 naps a day, but lately it's only 2.
Our day looks like this:

7:30 - up
8:00 - bf
9:00 breakfast
10:30 - 11:00 nap
11:30 - bf
12:30 lunch
2:30 - 3:00 nap - usually I nurse her a little bit before in case I can extend the nap...
4:30 - bf
5:30 - supper
7:00 bath, bf, in bed by 7:30-8

She usually feeds at 4 or 5 am and then goes back to sleep till morning.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Thanks!!!!

[KathrynK]

hi
she definitely needs minimum 3 naps during the day if they are only 30 mins. 3-3.35hrs of A time on a 30min nap is too long, making her overtired. 45min naps are normal, 30min naps mean o/t.
I would shorten her A times to around 2.5hrs max and get 3 naps in. It will take a good while before she has caught up on sleep as overtiredness is a horrid viscious circle. I would persevere with shorter A times for a week or so and you should see some improvement in her napping.
hope this helps

[Ydnic]

Hi there,

My little one was also a short napper.  I couldn't wait until he was 6 months, because that was apparently the "magic" time when naps lengthened.  Well, it wasn't until he recently learned to crawl until his naps straightened out. 

In our case, it was almost impossible to get him down for more than 2 naps, he is an independent sleeper and would refuse any more.  Is that the case with your lo?

Cindy

[Charlotte07]

Hi,
Yes she is an independent sleeper. No paci/swaddle. I weaned her off those about 1.5 months ago. It's so funny that you say you were waiting for the "magic" time, because I have been as well!! Well, 6 months came and went and her naps got shorter. I was pretty shocked when the 30 minute thing started. It began when her A time was about 2 to 2.5 hours and yes, she just got impossible to get down for that third nap even though her other naps were shorter.

She is not crawling yet, but is dragging herself around a little bit. Is your little guy "real" crawling?

Thanks so much for the replies!!! I feel so alone with this issue because everyone one I know has excellent nappers.

[Ydnic]

Yes, he is crawling quite well, and he's pretty fast!  Just before he crawled, naps were a bit of a nightmare and he would only do 2 naps a day, 30 minutes apiece.  It was as if he couldn't shut his mind or body off to rest.  Could she be working on a milestone?

I know exactly what you mean about feeling alone.  A friend with a son 3 weeks older than mine is an excellent napper, and when we get together I am chasing my lo around and friend's lo is sitting quietly beside his mama!  AARRGGHH! Don't worry, my guess is that it will all balance out.  In the meantime, it's hard not to be a little envious, isn't it?

Cindy

[Charlotte07]

She just got into a sitting position on her own today, but the 30 minute nap thing has been going on for almost 2 months now. She always wakes up from the naps crying. Since she's been taking two a day it's been easier to shush her back to sleep, but it doesn't always work.
Did your lo wake up from his naps crying? Did he seem tired throughout the day?
Thanks.

[Ydnic]

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.  We are having fun here with teething.

Have you had any success in shortening your LO's A time?  While I know it's not ideal, sometimes when he was that age, I would have success in sneaking in a third nap by driving around or going for a walk.  It was either have a screaming, overtired son or do some "accidental parenting" and get some sleep in him.  In our case, it didn't undo his learning to go to sleep on his own.  As I mentioned earlier, Matthew is teething right now and I've been holding him to help him get to sleep for naps and during nighttime wakings.  I've always done this when he's sick and with no major repurcussions.

Oh, and yes, he did cry when he woke up from short naps.  It was definitely not enough for him. 

It's so hard, isn't it?  You're not alone, even though it may feel like it.  You are a good mommy and your LO is fortunate to have you!

Cindy

[Charlotte07]

Ouch, teething. We haven't had to go through that yet. She has no teeth!! I'm dreading it to be honest. I hope it passes soon for you guys.
Thanks for the encouragement. I do find it so hard some days, and it seems that unless you have short napper, you just can't understand how exhausting it can be, especially when they get cranky.

I haven't shortened the A times because when they were shorter I just had a harder time putting her down for all her naps, and the third one was super difficult and pushed the bedtime past 8 on some nights. I did resort to all sorts of accidental parenting tricks - car, stroller, swing. But, even those stopped working, so I decided to increase the A time after reviewing some comments on this site. To be honest, I had a little bit more success in getting her back to sleep after increasing the A time. And, today, she napped 45 minutes in the morning and about 40 in the afternoon. Not stellar, I know, yet she was in a much better mood. I hope she can do that tomorrow as well.

Charlotte

[Ydnic]

Just when you think you can't handle any more, they do just enough and give you hope again! 

That's interesting about a longer A time.  Maybe she's not tired enough to go back to or into a deep sleep?  I dunno, just thinking.  It's amazing too, how much difference that an additional 15 minutes of sleep does for them.  Way to go, in increasing the naps, it sounds like you're on the right track. 

Exhausting is a perfect word to describe short nappers.  I remember looking at the clock every 5 minutes, wondering how in the world time can move so slowly.

I hear that the later a baby gets teeth, the healthier their teeth are!  So you're in good shape.  Just keep the Tylenol handy. 

[Charlotte07]

Well, this morning I put her down, she woke up 30 minutes later and I managed to put her back to sleep, she slept for another 40 minutes! So, if I somehow am successful in extending the naps....does anyone know how long it will take for her to get used to the longer naps? Or, am I stuck extending them for the next 3 months or something? By the way, she went to bed earlier last night, by about 20 minutes only, but she slept till 5:50, fed, and then slept until 7:20. I wonder if that had anything to do with her sleeping a bit better.

Thanks for any input!!!

Charlotte

[Ydnic]

Charlotte, I'm sorry you haven't had any response on this yet!  I'm going to bump it up to the top and maybe there will someone out there who can help, since I'm not sure of the answer.

It does make sense though, good sleep makes for good sleep...

Sorry if you felt deserted,
Cindy

[Charlotte07]

Hey Cindy,
That's OK...there is lots of activity on this board. I may create a new thread about extending and ask how long it takes for the nap extending to kick in.
Thanks!!!

Charlotte