My 7 week old son has undergone a dramatic transformation in the last 2 weeks. He went from being a good sleeper/napper to not being able to nap for more than 45 minutes without a lot of help. Previously, he would get drowsy, I would soothe him a little and he would drift off into sleep bliss. Now, we are still able to soothe him, but the naps do not last. By the end of the day, both he and I are exhausted. He does sleep ok at night though. It is just nap time.
Thanks everyone. The advice has been great. I am employing a few pieces of advice here and there. With your help, I have been able to get him to take two longer naps a day in addition to his 2 short, 45 minute naps. It seems to be working ok and he is sleeping well at night.
Hi L.,
This sounds very normal, unfortunately... both of my boys did thisaround this age. IT does get better and they will go back to sleeping longer, just takes time. I think around 4 months is when things evened out for my boys.
T.
I remember when my sister's labor/delivery nurse told her: as soon as you get used to something, know it will change. Sigh=)
Your little guy is...well...so very little. It wasn't that long ago that he was snuggled all up in a warm cozy belly. If you aren't currently wearing him, I would highly recommend it. You can get help at most little boutiques that sell slings, and they can teach you ways to wear your baby, and help you find the right sling for you. My son lived (and snoozed away) in the Gypsy Mama wrap. Very similar to a Moby Wrap (but the GM has some fabric choices that are good in warm weather). My daughter and I lived with our Maya Wrap.
Gotta run! My 19 month old is squishing pineapple under the bathroom door as an offering to his papa! LOL! Don't blink momma, your little guy will be big in a flash.
Around 6 weeks of age babies go through a growth spurt and that changes their whole schedule. Read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" and see what it says about this. I found the advice in the book to be very valuable. Wish I had read it earlier in my children's lives.
We noticed at around 7-8 weeks that our son's naps were shorter and getting to sleep at night became challenging. My PEPS group encouraged me to start swaddling and it worked like a charm. By 10 weeks my son was sleeping from 10PM-5AM at night and 2-3 naps during the day. It saved us. We also put a soothing sound machine in his room that we use to this day. I even got one for travel. So swaddle, swaddle, swaddle!
you got lots of great advice, but I just wanted to put in that its not all that unlikely to be teething issues. Its something to definently keep in mind. My son started drooling like crazy at 2 1/2 months and chewed on everything he could get. He was big for his age so everyone thought he was teething and I wouldnt beleive it. Just short of his 4 month mark he broke a tooth and by six months he had 4, by 9 he had all 8 front teeth!
Also, both my children have a milk intolorance (which they can get through breastmilk) that caused stomach upset. Not enough usually for the screaming, but gas and rumbling that kept them awake. It took 2 weeks of NO milk products to see any results and several months to get back on a good sleep schedule.
This is a normal phase at a normal time--both of my boys did it during this growth spurt. I found the advice in "Babywise" by Ezzo and Buckman to be very helpful. Try to keep a routine going during this time and it will pay off in the long run. Both baby and mommy need regular nap times. Good Luck!
This is normal although tiring and you will get through it.
My Dr. said nap when the baby does and my Grandma was big on getting them on schedule. I remember putting my babies in the car and driving around the lake until they slept.
Whatever works.
This too shall pass. My son at two years old gave up naps when I was pregnant with our 2nd and on bed rest ha ha.
My Dr. said all children should take naps until they are in kindergarten - the Mom's need it!
Seriously, this too shall pass. If you and he are sleeping through the night you are ahead of the game.
Do you have a friend or babysitter to give you a break and time for self care? Remember to take care of yourself. The only constant with parenting is change and challenge and love.
Hi, I think your little one is "sort of" walking up at 45 minutes due to the end of an REM cycle. If you let him be for a minute or two its possbile he will slip back into sleep. Check out the book "healthy sleep habits, happy baby." Its explains a lot of baby sleep patterns. It helped us. I took what I needed from it and adapted it to our life style and our little maps like a charm! Good luck! S.
He has begun a growth spurt. Both my kids did that. It is really hard. I am assuming that you are nursing. He is demanding more of your milk production and as soon as that happens he will calm down. It is important that you rest at this time because your body is working extra hard to meet his demands. You might try putting off nap time by a 10 minutes or so and make sure that he is really sleepy before you put him down.
Also a quick note. This is highly improbable, but some kids teeth early.
L.-
My daughter did the same thing, it lasted until she was 9 months old. I just had to make sure I offered her tons of naps, I would even hold her and nap with her to get a break (she didn't sleep well at night) . If I held her she would sleep for 1-2 hrs. I now miss these naps with her, I'd just prop myself up with pillows, turn on closed captioning and enjoy holding her, most days I napped too. Healthy Child Happy Sleep book is great however it doesn't mention short nappers very much. I found a lot of info online by googling sleep patterns. Good luck!
My first thought is that he could be getting hungry during his naps, and this is waking him? it is so hard to get a regular sleeping schedule down with newborns....especially during the day. Just try to soothe him back to sleep, and if he just doesn't want to, then he may not be tired! Just try to do calming, soothing things with him during his nap time!
My babies also took a few months to get on a regular nap schedule. I am a big fan of slings. Find one that you like and just wear him during part of the day. Maybe he'll squeeze a nap in that way. You might even be able to lay down in a recliner or something to nap with him.
Hi L.,
I am a first time mom too...my daughter is now 3 months but around the same time her naps also got shorter. She is now awake for about an hour-hour and a half before she naps. Her naps are usually exactly 30 mins. long. and she will take one long nap that lasts anyhere from 45 min to 2 hours. Then will sleep for about 5-7 hours at night. Your little one sounds like she is absolutley nornal!!!
Dear L.,
At almost 2 months your little one is becoming used to his new world. He has probably slept on and off all day before and is now ready for more awake time. He could be going through a growing spurt needing more milk more often too.
It goes on and on like this, as soon as you think you are caught up with knowing them they change. Especially in the first year. Try to just relax into your own motherhood. It is nice @ 7 weeks because they are just a bundle to love. Nothing about this adventure gets easier but you will become more confident and you and your baby will continue to know and grow in each other. At this time just give him your all. If you have any draining ouside influences or pressure try to put it on the back burner. This time goes by so fast, enjoy!
Have you tried swaddling him? You don't need anything special - a large towel will do just fine. Lay him down the middle with his arms at his sides so he can't move them, fold up the bottom over his feet, then wrap the sides around him tightly like you're assembling a burrito. :)
I found out about swaddling way too late, but once I started it worked like a charm until my son was about 6 months old (when he started sleeping fine). It's worth a try. Good luck!
