11 Week Old Not Napping Well

I'm sorry I dont really have any advice. Just wanted to say I've been there. I actually had written a post much like yours. I didnt get any responses the. Just wanted to say that my daughter did the same thing. Slept well at night but not the greatest napper. She would nap well for awhile and then all the sudden not nap well at all (15-20 minutes at a time). We didnt really do anything. I knew she wasnt hungry cause I fed her a bunch before I put her down and I tried the extra stimulation thing. I think some babies just are not great nappers. Especially those who sleep well at night. She did eventually get better but we still struggle sometimes. It took until she was about 6 months old before she really started (and I mean really started) to get into a better routine. She is very routine based so if I deviate from the routine even a little bit we will have a hard time. I hope you figure it out.. I know how important the nap time is for EVERYONE!!

A.-
at this age theres probably a million reasons why her habits have changed. as soon as we get used to one routine, it all goes out the window!:) i agree that it could totally be a growth spurt. maybe it's what she's eating... if you're nursing sometimes your diet will have an impact on sleeping for sure. when my son was that age his sleeping changed quite regularly. good luck and hang in there!

I found that the chiropractor has helped tremendously with sleeping issues. Even now, if our kids start having a hard time sleeping I bring them in to get adjusted and they sleep GREAT again!

PS> I don't recomend letting her cry it out at this age yet. She is still quite young even if it's not full-fledged crying.......

Like another poster said, your baby is finally becoming aware of the outside world, so any little outside noise, ligt, or movement might easily awaken her - including the abscence of your scent, the motion of being laid down, or traffic or househild noises. In addition to Marc Weissbluth's book (which I love and helped me SO much with my older daughter and my son, now, at 6+ months, but doen't help a ton before 4 months when they say you can cry it out - which BTW didn't work for use till closer to 6 months with both kids) I suggest "Happiest baby on the Block" book and DVD from Dr. Harvey Karp - he 5 techniques which will help get the baby asleep and keep the baby asleep. Swaddle, Side, Swing, SHHHH, and Suck - the 5 S's, together the "cuddle cure". We never swaddled our first, cause we thought she didn't like it - Idiscovered this book and DVD when I was struggling wiht my younger, my boy at about 3 months, like your baby,he started to sleep poorly. We ended up following this book ot the letter, and he started to sleep like a dream, with all 5 s's - now, we have weaned off the swaddle, but he still likes to be rocked on his side to calm down for bedtime (though we did do Cry it out at 6 months and now he will fall asleep on his own when put down awake), and we have a white noise machine and he uses a pacifier at bedtimes...we also have room darkening curtains in his room for naps.

Good Luck - every time you think you have them figured out, they change again - it is a never ending challenge of love!

Jessie

One thing that helped me was getting a sound machine. Both of my kids went from 30 minute naps to 1 1/2 hour minimum naps. It filters out sudden noises that might wake them. You could even put a radio on static and try that first to see if it helps. Good luck!

this is just part of her growing up. typically around 3 months old, babies will all of a sudden "wake up"! this is a good thing. it means shes growing, and healthy, and ready to experience more of the world! it feels so wierd because shes been sleeping so much so far, but now its just time for her to wake up and start learning more about the world! :) tummy time is going to start being more fun and more easy for her to do in small amounts of time.... reading books, playing with toys (or eating them) ... or just watching things around the house! get a sling and just have her in that with you during the day, facing out, and she can see what you are doing and you can talk to her about what you are doing. this teaches her a lot, and increases her vocabulary by leaps and bounds, even if she doesnt start talking for a while yet! :)

its normal and perfectly on time for her to wake up. try to follow her schedule. it sounds like what you were doing was working, but it wont anymore. its very common for it to stop working at some point because babies will change their sleep needs. i wouldnt even be surprised when in a month or so you start wondering what happened to her sleep at night! (developmental growth also causes sleep disterbances; so rolling over, crawling, etc will mess with her sleep)

this is the time where you need to just watch her signals. babies will get tired and they will give you plenty of signs that they are tired. running it by the clock isnt a reliable way to do things, and it undermines your instincts and ability to trust yourself to understand the communication that your baby has for you. rubbing the eyes is a sign of being tired. also fussiness is also a sign of crying, especially if you have tried everything else. babies typically arent ready to fall asleep on their own, and even though she has been, she might not now. always be sensitive to her needs. if you have that sling, that is also a fantastic place for her to snuggle in and get ready for sleep.

the moby wrap is my favorite sling. :)

anyway, just trust yourself. that book doesnt know your child, neither does the author. though methods and ideas are good, none of that matters if your heart, and your instincts tell you something different. :)

Do you eat the same every day and sleep exactly the same every night? Well, neither will she. Comfort her and make sure she is getting enough to eat/nurse. I do not believe in letting babies cry.