45 minute intruder and nap advice-there is hope!!

christyjane17

Just posting my 2 cents about the 45 minute intruder and naps in general.  

For about a month, DS would wake up 45 minutes into his nap.  At first, I got him up and let him sleep on me for the rest of his nap.  Then, I started to think that maybe that wasn't the best idea because eventually he would think if he cried, the reward was sleeping on me. So....I instead went in and put the paci back in.  If he seemed to have no interest in falling back asleep, I moved him to the swing for the rest of his nap.

However, in the last week.  At 11 weeks old....he has been SO much better about not waking up at the 45 minute mark!  Yay!  It's true, they do grow out of it.  For now, I am hanging blankets over the side of his crib so that if I need to re-paci him, I can do so without him seeing me.  I realize that eventually when he is more mobile this will not work...but it's helping him get back to sleep now for a longer nap and not rely on me to rock him or shhh pat.

 

Also, laying him down awake AS SOON as he is tired has been great.  He rarely fusses.  I lay him down about an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes after he gets up in the morning and then for his afternoon nap about an hour and a half after waking from his morning nap.  Bonus: DH thinks I am a rockstar for being able to know he's sleepy before he shows any signs!!

And a great way for DS to find comfort post swaddling is he naps in his fleece sleep sack, just as he sleeps at night and I also give him one of his "snuggles"-a stuffed animal head with the blanket attached.  It gives him something to do with his hands.  We also give him this at night...but take it away before we go to bed due to risk of him pulling it up in his face. 

This is after MANY MANY weeks of SHH pats and sticking with the crib nap when the swing, bouncy, or nap on me would have been so much easier.  Hang in there if it's important for your LO to nap on their own!   

 

And....a CD player and sound machine is absolutely necessary!!!! IMO 

 

Just a few things that worked for us....GL!! 

tiff012982

I hope our DD grows out of it soon because it was bad yesterday.  I can only get her back to sleep if she is in the swing and that is rare.  Yesterday we were in the car for a 2 hr drive and usually she would sleep like a champ but on the way home she cried for the last hr on and off.  I was so frustrated.  She is not getting more than an hour nap all day.  Thank god she is sleeping at night because I don't know what I would do if this was an issue then.

TeacherVicky

I need to start working on this. DS naps in his swing or bouncer. Sometimes I will put him down his in crib for a nap (when he is almost out or completely out), but he wakes up within 30 minutes.

At what point did you stop letting your LO nap in the swing/bouncer/on you?

Do you still swaddle your LO for nighttime sleep?

Did you ever find that the shh-pat worked? I've tried this with DS and he will have none of it! Mind you, I haven't persisted and tried it continuously over a few days either. The few times I've tried it, I've been in his room for almost an hour trying to get him to fall asleep and failed miserably every time.

christyjane17

TeacherVicky:

I need to start working on this. DS naps in his swing or bouncer. Sometimes I will put him down his in crib for a nap (when he is almost out or completely out), but he wakes up within 30 minutes.  

 Stick with the crib naps!  This was what DS always wanted to do.  I just kept working with him.

At what point did you stop letting your LO nap in the swing/bouncer/on you?

2.5 months...but if we are out somewhere, he still sleeps on me or in car seat.  I aim to get at least one good nap per day, at home, in his crib. 

Do you still swaddle your LO for nighttime sleep?

Nope...he grew out of wanting to.  We give him his snuggle and that keeps his arms busy.  Then we take it from him when he is fast asleep. 

Did you ever find that the shh-pat worked? I've tried this with DS and he will have none of it! Mind you, I haven't persisted and tried it continuously over a few days either. The few times I've tried it, I've been in his room for almost an hour trying to get him to fall asleep and failed miserably every time.

IMO...you're probably laying him down too early or too late if it takes an hour for him to fall asleep with shh pat...but that's just from my experience... 

julieb00lie

tiff012982:

I hope our DD grows out of it soon because it was bad yesterday.  I can only get her back to sleep if she is in the swing and that is rare.  Yesterday we were in the car for a 2 hr drive and usually she would sleep like a champ but on the way home she cried for the last hr on and off.  I was so frustrated.  She is not getting more than an hour nap all day.  Thank god she is sleeping at night because I don't know what I would do if this was an issue then.

Oh I know how you feel. Right now the 45 minute intruder is my WORST enemy! I can handle the no STTN, but when my LO can't take decent naps it just stresses me out!