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December 2013 Moms
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My child is a crappy napper - HELP

raceyt16raceyt16 member
in December 2013 Moms
I'm running out of ideas.  LO is 5 1/2 months old and was a decent napper for the first 2-3 months.  Ever since he turned 12 weeks old, though, he became a cat napper.  We have tried everything - sleep training, noise, no noise, lights, no lights, naptime routine...you name it.  Currently he takes 3-4 naps a day, but at absolute best, 2-3 of those are 30 minutes while one MAY be as long as a whopping 40-45 minutes.  I wouldn't be so worried about it if that's all he seemed to need, but he still seems so tired when he gets up.  We let him CIO when he goes down and if he wakes himself we leave him be in hopes of him going back down.  If he starts to cry after having woken up, it's over.  He won't go back down.  We've even waited as long as an hour before to no avail.  It's almost as if he can't make it past the first sleep cycle and once he's up, he's up until the next nap.

Is this happening to anyone else?  Do you have any advice?  We are terrified to go about our normal lives and take him places with us, because he is never fully rested, which makes him a ticking time bomb.  Meltdowns are not uncommon in our house for this very reason.  Please help!
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Re: My child is a crappy napper - HELP

  • ladameperdueladameperdue member
    This is my daughter as well, but I have been reading that 3-4 naps a day at 30-40min is not uncommon at this age. The ONLY way she will go down easy and sleep 1hour+ is if I have the time to lie down with her in our bed. : (
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  • SusanC111SusanC111 member
    Same. No advice, just wanted to tell you we are in the same boat. He can't make it past that first sleep cycle. He used to take a glorious 3 hour nap every afternoon, but it haven't seen that in a couple months. I guess I'm lucky because he will take naps in the Ergo or car seat if we have stuff to do.
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  • secret214uWed28879secret214uWed28879 member
    my daughter is the same way now, i read that its normal for this age.
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  • n8swifen8swife member
    DS is the same way as was DS1. I think it's the age. In a few months, they will have a more consistent nap schedule.
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  • raceyt16raceyt16 member
    I hate to hear that other people are going through this too, but honestly it helps to hear we aren't alone.  I kept seeing posts about people taking their babies out and about and I'm so jealous!  
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  • lifesaverzlifesaverz member
    LO was the same way for the longest time...all naps were exactly 40 min & could never get past that first sleep cycle. Thankfully this past month I'd say (she's almost 6 months now) it has totally changed, all on its own. I hope it gets better for you ladies soon, I know how frustrating that can be!
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  • lifesaverzlifesaverz member
    Actually I forgot, one thing we did that started helping things take a turn was in her afternoon nap, AS SOON as she initially woke up from the first 40 minutes, if we went in & rocked her right away while she was still groggy, we could get her to sleep for another 40 minutes. It didn't work in the morning, because she wasn't tired enough yet, but I'll tell ya when we started doing that it really helped!
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  • jmb527jmb527 member
    edited May 2014
    How many hours does he sleep at night? I know sometimes babies who sleep all night get enough sleep to only cat nap.

    DD1 became a better napper once she was more mobile and using more energy. I'm hoping that happens again. DD2 takes 3-4 catnaps too and it's usually a fight to get her asleep but she wakes up rested so I take it as that is all she needs :(

    ETA:words
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  • raceyt16raceyt16 member
    edited May 2014
    jmb527 said:
    How many hours does he sleep at night? I know sometimes babies who sleep all night get enough sleep to only cat nap. DD1 became a better napper once she was more mobile and using more energy. I'm hoping that happens again. DD2 takes 3-4 catnaps too and it's usually a fight to get her asleep but she wakes up rested so I take it as that is all she needs :( ETA:words
    Thankfully he sleeps a fair amount at night.  He goes down around 8 and is asleep until 6:30-7:00.  For the longest he would sleep that amount without waking up, but ever since he started teething he wakes up 2-3 times from 2 AM on.  We don't always have to go in his room, though.  Ironically enough, he can usually put himself back to sleep at night.  Just not during the day...

    I just worry since he's waking up from his naps not seeming fully rested.
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  • DanicaliDanicali member
    Same boat :(. I'm just hoping if we stick with what we are doing they will start to extend on their own as he gets older...
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  • margaerytyrellmargaerytyrell member
    We still have DS nap in his swing so.... That explains enough. He will seriously only nap well in his swing and he's 6 months. I am not looking forward to the day we transition him to naps in his crib.
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  • sugarjacksugarjack member
    I've noticed on days that the lo goes to Gymboree or his swimming class he gives me an almost two hour nap in the afternoon.  Otherwise I'm right there with you with the three 20-30 min naps per day.  I try to wear him out with his jumperoo on days I don't go anywhere. 
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  • notthecheatnotthecheat member
    Yup. Her naps are turning to shit. She just wants to play and doesn't want to miss anything! No matter how tired she is. Hopefully it will pass soon for us all.
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  • bty19bty19 member
    This was us ,up until 2.weeks ago - now it's amazing! Today she napped for 2.5 hours even and her other naps were at least 1 hour ... what we do differently now? Once she is awake , put her back down in 2 hours. Doesn't matter if she seems rested or jot tired , put her in her crib. What a difference this has made for us!!! She falls asleep now on her own , doesn't fight the sleep either.
    My girlfriend who's baby was born Dec 31 asked me the other day about naps and I told her this too, the next day she sent me a picture of her LO napping, for over an hour, for the first time since she was a few weeks old.
    Worth a try !!!
    It makes is difficult to get out and DO a lot right now as I make sure she is home within 2 hours again from being up - but I'd rather this happy rested baby then the one who flighted napping and wouldn't go down for more than 30 minutes .
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