Sleep cues/naps

Beckel84 · March 2014

Hi, FTM here so maybe this is a dumb question, but I have a 7 week old and a Q about naps/sleep. I've read so much about baby needing adequate sleep, about the dangers of being "overtired" and about good day naps leading to good night sleep. So I've gotten a bit paranoid in that after baby is awake for awhile and playing etc, if he gives just one yawn I start trying to wind him down, give a paci, rock etc to elicite a nap. Sometimes it works, sometimes we get a 15 minute nap sometimes 2 hours. So my question is, if he just gives like an occasional yawn but is otherwise very alert/awake, not fussy - should I be worried about getting him to sleep? Sometimes I feel like I'm always pushing him into sleep even when it takes so long I wonder if he even needs a nap then. He's a good night sleeper. Although sometimes getting him down that initial time is a struggle. Should I not worry so much about him getting "overtired"? How long should a 7 week old stay up at a time? Tia!

JennaRaek · March 2014

This is just me... but I never try to get our son to nap if he just yawns. If your baby is awake and alert I'd let them continue playing. Playing=learning right now. You said he's a good night sleeper so I wouldn't worry about naps during the day. Our son is 11 weeks old and will rub his eyes, get a little fussy and his eyelids get heavy when he actually needs a nap. Not sure if that really helps at all. Just my opinion. Good luck!

barista411 · March 2014

I read this blog and it really helped me identify DS's sleep cues:
https://www.mumsjugglingact.com/newborn-sleep-recognizing-baby-tired-signs/

One of te things that helped me was learning that babies can't wind themselves down when they are tired. So instead you have to watch for them to start winding up, for example they become more vocal and their movements are more jerky. That is the cues to begin nap time. I can also tell by DS eyes. They get puffy and red. I also found a specific routine helped. We always change his diaper, swaddle him, kiss him, say goodnight, and turn on mobile. This cues him that it is time to sleep.

Another thing that can help is paying attention to awake time. A baby that age can only be awake about an hour at a time. So if you know they have been awake for an hour than there is a good chance they are tired. If it has only been 20 min. They probably aren't. It can take some trial and error but once you find an awake time that works best for your LO it can make nap time much easier.

TeacherVicky · March 2014

Yawning is usually a sign to me that more sleepy cues will come shortly. Other cues that signal to me that my baby needs to go down for a nap are when she breaks eye contact and starts to look away, staring off, and hiccups. I do what I can not to let DD get to the point where she is letting out screams and has a lot of jerky movements because then it's a lot of work to get her to settle for a nap. Unfortunately with a toddler, it's not always easy to get DD down on time.

I 110% believe that good sleep begets good sleep. Respecting appropriate awake times and having good restful naps lead to better sleep. Good day sleep results in good night sleep.

Recommended awake times are useful to know, but it's better to know your baby and use the "book" as a guideline. Books say that DD should be able to be awake for 2h between naps right now, but she can barely make it 1.5h before I have to put her down.

VPGIRL06 · March 2014

7 weeks is too early to expect any sort of regularity with naps, so a 15 minute-2 hour window is accurate for naps.

I think sleep begets sleep but if you have a good night sleeper than your fine. I just kept my LO up 45 min-1.5 hours at a time and watched for cues.

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Sleep cues/naps

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