30 minute napper?

katigox

Hi ladies

So yesterday was DS two month appointment and he weighs FOURTEEN pounds and two ounces (he weighed 7 lbs 14 ounces when he was born).  Suffice it to say, he's a comfort eater.  But though that's kind of shocking, that's not the point of my post (just had to share that astounding news!).

ANYWAYS, I've been dealing with these 30/45 minute naps he likes to take throughout the day for the last two weeks, and I'm starting to wonder if this is it . . . if he'll just always nap like this (he sleeps anywhere between 5 to 7 hours at night - once nine hours!), so I'm sure he could handle a two/three hour nap during the day (like he used ~ ), but he just won't sleep longer unless I'm holding him ~ and yeah, did I mention the 14 pounds?

So, is there anything you guys suggest, or does anyone agree that I'll just have to suck it up and deal with it?  Because I certainly don't mind the putting him up-putting him down- part of the whole thing, but when he's awake, he only seems entertained by me (has a really hard time self soothing or even playing by himself for more than ten minutes) . . . and yeah, my house hasn't been cleaned in two weeks, and my hubby's too tired from working night shifts to really watch him too long for me to really scrub things down with any effort (FYI DH certainly puts in the effort - even tries to help clean a bit here and there - but typically, by the end of the day, we are both so tired, we just want to sit and do nothing and bond a bit as a couple).  

So yeah, advice?  Words of comfort?  Anything!? 

EDIT! And he's ready for me to entertain him again (so no time to check for grammar errors - I apologize ahead of time) 

Sonadora

Take this with a grain of salt as I had an awful, awful, awful sleeper until she was 11.5 months.

- Do an abbreviated version of your bedtime routine at each nap time. Put LO in the same place he sleeps in at night and give him all the cues you can that it's time to sleep. Swaddle, room darkening shades, whatever that is.  This worked for us starting around 4ish months.

- Try a white noise machine.  B always woke herself at every 15 minute increment, but the noise machine could sometimes overcome that nap intruder.

- The swing was my life-saver starting around 2 months. That, a swaddle, and the white noise, even in a bright room could get me up to 1.5 hours of relief.

Otherwise, her best naps until 6 months when I went back to work were almost always on me, which, to be honest, I was well over by that point. Being trapped on a couch fearing to move and not being able to eat, pee, shower, get a drink, whatever drove me nuts.

My H managed to get her on a nap schedule after that (I really think she just wanted to nurse when she was around me) and she consistently then napped for 2 hours in the morning and one in the afternoon until about 11 months when she switched over to one mid-day nap that she still takes (and will hopefully continue to take for quite some time). Night sleep was a whole other story

spincat9

Ahhh, I remember the days of the 30 minute naps.  Used to drive me batty because I couldn't do anything in that time frame and was so tired...

Hang in there mama.  I think at around 6 months (maybe even 4?) my daughter started doing better, sleeping an hour in the morning, then an hour in the afternoon.  Then eventually it became one nap in the afternoon (around a year old?).  Just when I thought I "got" her sleep habits, they would change again.  Seems to be the way with her.

I bet it will be no time at all before your LO starts sleeping in longer spurts.  But I like the ideas PP had about swaddling, routines, noise machines, etc.  All worth a try! 

charmedgrl517

Same here but it is starting to get better/longer. I'm thinking it will probably just come with time/age! Hang in there! I didn't mind cause she sleeps great at night.

SpartyKim

I have a 30 min napper as well - like she has a freaking clock built into her.  The 4 month wakeful was bad in terms of night sleeping but after that, she had a few days where she napped about an hour each time (with multiple paci pluggings) but then it went back to 35 min.  Sometimes she now will go 40 min...so it's gradually getting longer. 

When I'm really tired, I'll hold her on the couch in hopes she'll take a long nap (but it doesn't happen each time!) and I'll prepare by going to the bathroom, then setting up my DVR or Netflix with remotes on the couch right next to me...and phone too!  Then I slouched in the couch enough with my legs up on the coffee table that I could doze some if she took a long nap.  It's what worked for us.