Extending naps... how!?

[1sttimemom]

My little one will be 5 months old next wk, and her naps are now rarely longer than 1/2 hr - 40 mins. I know it may be because we hold her to sleep, although I do try to put her down drowsy or a few moments after she closes her eyes.

I am trying to slowly remedy the situation. CIO is my last resort. She is definitely not getting enough sleep, because by late afternoon, she's overtired and wakes up crying from her last nap.

Any suggestions on how to extend naps?

And is it better to schedule naps into the day or put her down when she shows signs of tiredness (which by the way can be really hard to tell!)?

Thanks!

 

[Gataloca]

You may not want to do this, but when I want my 4 month old baby to take longer naps, I would go to bed with him. Usually if he wakes up in the middle of a nap and sees no one around, he would cry or play on his own. But if he sees me sleeping next to him, he would go back to sleep.

 

[1sttimemom]

Hi Gataloca, I may try this just to build up the schedule. She definitely needs more naps.

I am currently trying to help her transition from one cycle to the next by (trying so hard to) catch her in the last few minutes of her sleep cycle... just by patting her and shushing... will try this for the next few days to see if I can catch that perfect moment.

Do you see any improvements to nighttime sleep if his daytime naps are longer?

 

[Shenzhennifer]

My son was a terrible napper, 45 mins a pop, no longer, until he started crawling and got a bit more tired. I tried a lot of things with him. I never did CIO though, not a believer of that.
What I started to do when he was around 6 months old and had transitioned into a cot from his hammock, was to sit with him while fell asleep. I wouldn't pick him up, but I would still communicate with him bit. I would also bring a book in with me. It was actually a welcome break in my day. Anyway, the point was to show him that he is not alone, and wouldn't be left alone, but also so that he could get to sleep without a physical prop, like BFing, being rocked, held, etc. That way, when they wake up after that first sleep cycle, they will be able to put themselves back to sleep, ideally.
Anyway, that's the end result: if your baby can fall asleep alone, then they will be able to sleep longer, as they can more easily put themselves back to sleep. The sitting with my baby Is just how I did it.
I had to do it for a long long time, then weaned him off it. Now I have taken to holding him while he gets drowsy, before nap and bed...at 22 months kinda counterproductive, but...I'm working on it

 

[1sttimemom]

Thanks Shenzhennifer. I guess it's just trying to find what works for us. I am trying to work on her rolling over, so at least she'll be able to find her most comfortable position. I think her night wakings may be due to this...

Her naps are a mess at 30-45 mins each and they just started being this way about 2 months ago, so when she was just under 4 mths. Until then, she was fine, so I am not sure it's us holding/rocking her.

What is your naptime routine?

 

[Gataloca]

Night time sleep?.... My baby usually sleep around 10pm. Sometime he wakes up for a midnight feed aroud 2 or 3 am, otherwise he sleeps till 4 or 5 am. If it is still dark outside, I can put him to sleep again in our bed after his feed, and he would sleep till 8 or 9 am.

About the naps, he does take that many... Probably 2 or 3 naps. I like him to be well rested so he can handle his bedtime routine. So sometime I would rather sleep with him than letting him wakes in 15 or 30 minutes. If he had a bad day, I would also allow him to take a catnap (or longer nap) on my lap after a feed.
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[Shenzhennifer]

I think your baby might have just woken up to the world. That's what mine did.
Until he was put into a crib, I let him nap whenever he got sleepy. I just watched his cues. I read that by the second yawn it's already too late and they are overtired already, so I used to really pay attention. He used to just get a bit more fussy and as soon as I saw the first yawn, I took him to bed. I didn't have a special routine for that- just that I would sit with him until he fell asleep.
At nighttime it was always bath, breast/bottle, and then bed. Still pretty much is, just now we have a big cuddle and some teeth brushing, but the bath always starts it all off. I've done this since his umbilical cord fell off, so he's pretty good about it.

 

[lesliefu]

found out with my 5mth old that she sleeps best with her belly down - don't do this unless your baby can move her head to the side to avoid suffocation...anyhow, sometimes when she's real cranky, i give her the pacifier which calms her down and I don't have to physically carry her to put her to sleep. she's always leaning against her pillows (long cylindrical ones) so she feels supported somehow and under the impression someone is with her. When I put her into bed, she always has the light on (it's dimmed) so that she can see things in her room...not a believer in having the room pitched black! my first one can sleep ANYWHERE (noise / light) cause she can put herself to sleep - hoping my 2nd one can too...at least it's working with the pacifier...don't really like that but between rocking her to sleep I kind of think pacifier will allow her to sleep on her own!

my 5mth old sleeps only 2-3 naps - an hour long one in the am and a 30-45min one (or two) in the pm. she sleeps at 7:30/8 and wakes up at 12mn and 5am for bottles...can't quite get her to drink more so she can sleep through! a real bad drinker!

 

[1sttimemom]

Yes, I've heard that many babies like sleeping on their tummies. Which is why I've really been encouraging her to roll over more (both ways). My little one is not a big paci lover, but I have tried when she's really really fussy, and it's worked. Hm..I could try again.

I just tried to extend her last nap. Unsuccessfully. She slept from 1pm and I tried to pat and shush her into the next sleep cycle at 125 to 128. Left the room and when I returned at 132, it was too late She had already kicked away her blankets and had her eyes open. I managed to get her to sleep again, but it's as if she couldn't get into deep sleep again..after I stopped patting her (but was still humming music), she woke up at 146. It wasn't a gradual wake either. It was a bit of a "boom, I'm awake" thing.

Will try again at her next nap. She's now sleeping 4 half hour naps every day. At night, she wakes around 3am and I settle her back to sleep pretty easily as long as I catch her early. She'll then wake up around 5am (with virtually no urge to sleep) and with a bit of milk, she'll then sleep til 8. I am trying to slowly wean her off this bottle as it affects her 8am feed.

 

[oi0io]

My son also napped for no more than 45 mins when he was 5 months, just enough for one sleep cycle. I can tell you their naps will improve as they get older. My son is now 8 months. I can't force him to nap. I have to read his sleepy cues. Once I see him rubbing his eyes and yawning, then I'll take him to his room, put him into his sleepsack, shut the black out curtains and he'll yawn a bit more and I'll cuddle him a little and tell him it's time to nap. He's usually out within 5 mins and I just put him into his crib. He can now sleep from 1 - 3 hours.

In terms of cutting out the 5am feed, I'm not sure what time you put your baby to bed at night, but if it's early (say between 7pm - 8pm), you can try to give your baby a dreamfeed at around 11pm. Maybe your baby would skip the 5am feed. If she's only drinking a little bit of milk at 5am and going back to sleep, this 5 am wake up might just be a habit.