hello! i just had my second girl in december (she's now 3.5 mths) and such an angel. the only concern i have is that she only naps for 30-45 mins at a time during the day (about 3-4 naps/day). i let her stay in her bassinet for a good 10-15 mins after her nap to see if she'll go back to sleep and she won't, she's bright eye'd and ready to go. she's always in great spirits, i just wish her naps were more consolidated so i could get something done! am i doing something wrong or is this just the way her body clock works? will she ever have long naps? my first child always slept 1+ hours and still takes a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon (she's 2.5 yrs). Any advice would be appriciated. She's doing pretty well at night, gets up once or twice over a 12 hour period. Thanks!
My son did the same thing at that age, he finally stopped, but I know it's hard when you can't get anything done. Good luck!
Sounds just like my 2nd daughter! I wondered if her interest in her older sister made her want to sleep less...she was afraid she'd miss out on something her big sister got to participate in! Mine are 2 1/2 years apart so as I was realizing that the baby's 45 min. naps were normal for her, the older one was phasing out naps altogether. I pulled my hair out for awhile. The good news is that in another 6 months or so you should be able to put the baby on the floor with some toys and her older sister and they will entertain each other. My two older girls (now 12 and 9) were and still are best friends! My 4 year old, on the other hand, needs my constant attention. How I wish we'd had another child so she'd have a 'buddy'! Oh well, this too shall pass, right? Good luck!
My son was the same way and it sucked for a while. After reading lots online I came to the conclusion everyone is different. He is now fighting naps because is so interested in the world.
I hate to say this to you but my daughter would not sleep more than 30 minutes at a time from the time she was born. She had to be up watching everything going on so in order to get things done, I would put her in her swing and keep it rocking, or at the age of 3 months, I had her in a walker,so that she could see everything. She really hated lying down and not being able to see. I learned how to do everything in the short period of time that I had but it was really hard. She is now 23 and getting paid back for everything that she gave me, if that makes you feel any better because her daughter never liked to take naps and still does not. Enjoy your daughter and always remember that no 2 children are alike and they will each have their special qualities when they grow up.
Oh I would have loved for those long hours at nite. Even giving up my breaks durring the day. My son was a good napper. Basically at that age ( If I remember correctly) he would sleep for a couple hours. We were still feeding every four hours. He would nap after that for an hour or longer. If your daughter is really fussy durring the day I would think she would need more sleep. But if she is not crying all the time then I would think she is doing fine. Our son cried when he needed something. Once we bought a black out shade, noise maker, night light replaced the lamp, life became alto better with his sleeping longer and really good. Good luck and congrats momma.
Hey Lis,
I am totally feeling you on the 30-40 minute naps!! My daughter is creeping up on the 8mth mark, and she VERY RARELY sleeps for longer than 20-30 minutes during the day. She's starting to take less naps during the day, ie... she used to take 4-5 20-30min naps. Now she's taking 3 MAYBE 4 30 minute naps all day long. Her pediatrician said that she may just be a "cat-napper". I may not ever be able to get her to nap for any longer than that during the day. About once or twice a week, she will fall asleep with me, and we will actually get a 2hr nap. (which is WONDERFUL for mommy!!!) Her night sleep is still wonky. I can't seem to get her on a set schedule no matter how hard I try. Plus I'm trying to get her to sleep in her crib at night, since she's started crawling. She's already found the edge of the bed, followed quickly, of course, by the floor. Even though she has not slept a whole night through in her crib yet, and she spends most of the night awake, fighting with me to get back in Mommy's bed, her daytime naps have not lengthened or increased in number.
Here's my point......if your DD seems like she's getting enough sleep, and is happy and active during the day, she's getting the sleep HER body needs. Unfortunately, that amount is almost NEVER the amount of sleep MOMMY needs baby to get!!! (I know I haven't slept all the way through the night since Aug. 21st. I'm soooo tired!!! LOL) Get your DD a bouncy chair, pack-and-play, toy-yard, etc to keep her busy so that you can accomplish your daily "chores". My DD is crawling and a master of her walker, so I spend more time chasing her around and keeping her out of stuff than I do anything else. Enjoy your baby's immobility while it lasts! LOL
Do you wrap her up tight? Have you tried the swing? Do you lay her on her tummy? (During the day, she won't go into a deep sleep and you can keep an eye on her.) All those things allowed my kids to sleep a little longer when I needed it.
Sounds pretty normal, in addition to being a mom to 4 girls, I have also worked in the infant room of many day cares. At that age they tend to take many short naps, and as the get older and more active they have fewer but longer naps.
Usually.
I have two daughters that only took one nap from birth and one that didn't take ANY naps. She was awake all day! Only one of my daughters was 'normal.' I was so confused until I realized that every baby is unique and don't always follow the typical patterns.
Hi Lis R,
Parent Coach J. B here. Children that young seldom have any real schedule. Each child has his or her own sleeping needs, too.
In the next few months, you may be able to keep her up through one of her naps to make her sleepier before putting her down. That may help lenghten the naps she takes.
Remember you are in the wonderful stage of having two very young girls. In time, they will learn to entertain themselves and the learn skill of waiting a bit for mom to finish an activity. Be patient with yourself and what you can do for now. Enjoy those girls! This precious (and sometimes draining) time will pass all too quickly.
Good luck,
Parent Coach J. B
Sounds like my 4 month old daughter, she will take a longer nap if she is in the swing or vibrating chair.
I noticed she is in a bassinet for naps. Is that in a quiet place? Maybe if the nap you want to be the longest were in a quiet, dark place it would last longer. Don't we wish babies would read the books telling us what they're supposed to do.
My second boy did the samething he only napped for 30 mins I had a 2 yr old at the time also that stopped napping all together. So no it is not you it is just your childs clock
My daughter is almost 5 months and has always only napped around 30-40 minutes. Plus she still wants to nap every time after she eats (I've read at 5 months they are only supposed to nap 2-3 times a day). I think what every your baby does is normal. I know its a pain that she won't sleep longer, but some babies just don't like to take long naps (or nap at all from what my friends tell me). I guess just make the most of the down time you do have and know that this is what is right for her.
wow, if she's sleeping that well at night just count your blessings :)
my daughter only napped for 1-2 hrs all night as well as taking 45 min naps all day! Eventually as she got older the naps did become longer and more consolidated, probably around 6 mos or so. Expecting my 2nd in September and hoping the next one will give me an easier time right from the start :)
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I am in the exact same boat as you just w/2 boys, not girls. My 5 month old has only taken 30 min catnaps since he was about 3 mos too. I was worried at first that he wasn't getting enough rest but he is a happy baby and it doesn't affect his sleep at night. I don't worry about it anymore and just figure he is different than his older brother and doesn't need as much sleep. :)
Hey there Lis,
Jeez, you and I sound like we are in the same boat. My daughter turned 8 weeks yesterday and now that I am working from home, I am not able to get too much done until dad and my older two get home. I felt like I was nursing, changing and just trying to get her to sleep for 10 hours each morning. I was trying to put her down in her crib each time she fell asleep, but then she'd wake up quickly. Now, after she nurses an burps, I place her in her swing and she will be down for at least an hour. And she is like clockwork, it's no more than an hour:) But, it's time I can take to do other things like that pile of laundry or those dishes. Quick things. Also, I did try the swaddling too, it helps out too. I stopped only cause I felt like she liked being able to move her arms around. But, I read that many moms love that method.
Good luck and let me know how it goes and please share any of your little tricks. I sure can use them myself!
M.
