Cat Naps

B.,
If you don't already have the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Marc Weissbluth, MD, then you need to buy it. It suggest that babies need to be taking naps after they have been awake for 2 hrs., no later. It has schedule training techniques. It took me a while to get mine used to it, but it really works. many of my friends and family use this book too.
J.

Hi B., sounds to me like she is doing good. My guy would only take 2- 45 min naps ever.....She will stretch out her naps eventually. My son now sleeps for 2 hrs in the morning and afternoon. good luck

try moving her bedtime back by 15min for 3-4 days in a row. 7pm is kind of late for a 5 month old.

Also, try a white noise machine in her room, make sure the blinds are closed. keep her awake no more than 1-2 hours at a time. Also, put her down when she shows her first drowsy signs. when she wakes up early you can try to soothe her back to sleep

REference Weissbluth's book Healthy Sleep habits, happy baby. She'll figure it out. I think I went through this phase too.

I've had two now and I'm wondering if that isn't normal. I can't remember. At least two one or two hour naps is normal for sure.

Is the room she sleeps in dark? Try some really dark blinds and some soothing background sounds. Might be it is just too light in the room or there is too much going on in the house for her to sleep soundly for long.

She just might not be ready for scheduled naps yet. My son really didn't nap regular until about 7 months. I thought I was doing something wrong, but he has been a good napper ever since. Just continue to be consistent with the times you put him/her down. Even is your child doesn't sleep during that time lay them in the crib or even just rock them in their room with the lights off to encourage the nap (that was one MD's recommendation). Kids really do thrive on the consistency. Good luck. Be thankful for the good night sleeping.

Hi B.,

I had the same problem with my son. It took about 6 weeks or more to get him trained, but it FINALLY happened. I also read the book by Dr. Weissbluth, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby. While it didn't entirely work for us, his timing was totally accurate. I used my doc's advice...put him in the crib and leave him for scheduled nap times for 30 minutes. Then get him up after the 30 mintues is up if he doesn't sleep. Eventually he learned what to do. But we were also very consitent in keeping a routine so he knew that after our usual activities, he could expect to sleep.

Good luck, it will get better!!!

Denise

My just-turned 6 month old is a cat napper as well. He doesn't sleep longer than 40 minutes during the day. I've learned that that's actually the length of a regular sleep cycle. I'm chalking it up to a "stage" that he will hopefully get through some day. My son goes down for another 40 minute nap exactly 2 hours from when he wakes up. He's healthy and happy and I'm doing fine...so I'm not stressed about it. Good luck! Oh, and please don't fall into the trap of using the Weisbluth (spelling?) trap of "sleep training"! He never meant for it to be used like it is except for in dire circumstances. Even so, there is A TON of research (about 10 years old now, out of California...I can't believe people still use his "Healthy sleep habits, happy baby" book) that shows how emotionally and physically damaging it is. Think about it...if it goes against a mother's instinct to leave her child crying for periods of time without comforting him/her, it's probably not the right thing to be doing.

Hi B.. Get the book "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child" by Marc Weisbluth. It saved my sanity with my children! I've recommended it to everyone I know and they all thank me over and over! Good Luck.
C.

Hey! I actually had success with my 3 month old son with this issue today! He also is a great through the night without issue sleeper, but was catnapping 25 minutes about 4 times a day and the last 3 days especially he has been soooo crabby. So today, I put my cranky one down for his nap just like usual and sat outside the door and listened- and sure enough- 15 minutes later he began to stir. I quickly and quietly walked in and picked him up and offered him another 1/2 oz of his bottle and then proceedd to rock him back to sleep (which is his normal sleep cue). It took me 25 minutes of this, but finally went back to sleep and slept for a whole hour! Hopefully this number will increase, but for the first try, thats not bad! Next nap of the day, I didn't even need to go into his room, I heard him stir on th monitor at his normal 10 minute mark and he fell back asleep! The key is to catch them before they fully wake themselves up! Good Luck!

Hi B.,

I share your pain. . .my 6-month old has been that same way since he was born. I actually called the doctor in hysterics one day, because you're always told to nap when baby naps. No one's had any advice on what to do if your child DOESN'T nap.

A few of the other ladies sound about right with their suggestions for Dr. Weissbluth's book. While it didn't work to a tee with my baby, a lot of his suggestions are dead-on and extremely helpful. That man defintely knows what he's talking about.

If it helps, my doctor said that as long as your baby is sleeping well at night, and isn't showing other symptoms like not eating well, lack of dirty/wet diapers, inconsolable, etc., there shouldn't be a problem, and actually that phrase, 'sleeping like a baby' isn't entirely accurate for everyone (obviously). I know it's easier said than done, but try to take it in stride, and if you haven't already, you'll find a routine that works for both you and your non-napper baby (we finally did! ;-).

Best of luck to you!!

K.

Hi B.,

Dr. Weissbluth (mentioned in the previous comment below) is our Pediatrician. I called him this week about nap problems with our 3 month old and he said try an earlier bedtime. He recommends babies go to bed between 5:30 and 6:30.
I agree you should pick up the book.

Good luck!
C.

Hi B., I have the same situation with my 5 month old son, except he takes 20 min. naps! What I was told is that as long as he is getting enough sleep at night its fine. He will probably grow out of it when he gets more active is what I have been told. I guess I learned to deal with it and enjoy the night when I can get more things done when he is asleep. I don't have any advice for you but wanted to let you know that you aren't alone :)

Count your blessings mommy. That sounds like a lot of sleep for any child. As long as she's sleeping good all night I wouldn't worry. Adjust your schedule to hers. Nap a couple of times while she's napping and get your work done in between. You could be doing housework, start laundry, prep the nights dinner, etc. That's what I did, then daddy helped when he got home. Good luck.

My daughter is 6.5 months old and may wake up once or twice during her naps and cry. Instead of getting your little one up, wait and she'll fall back asleep. We call it her mid-nap hello. At 5 months, if you know she's fed, dry, and not in hysterics, a little crying isn't going to hurt her. GOOD LUCK!

Hi B.,

As a mom of 3 and a former daycare provider(14yrs) here is something I did with those who didnt nap. Dont let her take those cat naps. Set a scheduled time for her to nap in the morning and afternoon. It will be tough for the first little while but will be well worth it for you. You will find if you have her nap from like 9:30-11:00 in the morning and then like from 1:00-3:00 she will be much happier and you will get a lot more done as well. Its not easy the first few days but you will both be a lot happier. The hardest part is getting her to stay awake till your ready to have her nap. Routine is a very good thing even if its hard to establis to begin with. Let me know how it all goes and good luck to you.
R.

Hi B.- I am a SAHM of 4 and I realized my best nappers were the last 2 kids. I think the reason is I didn't go get them right away (I was often busy with the other kids and would respond a little slower especially if they were not crying). I might try waiting to go into your daughter's room. If she is talking happily she might; after a few minutes talk herself back to sleep. Just an idea
Good Luck
B.

My son took 3 40min. naps around that age. He was also a great night sleeper. It was just how / when his body needed to nap. He soon grew out of it & went to 2 naps, then the current 1 nap. I think if she is happy & sleeps well at night, leave it alone. I wouldn't want to alter naps & risk bedtime sleep going downhill. I'm sure when she's a couple months older she'll be taking fewer, but longer naps. :-)

Hi B.,
My son was a terrible napper. He still isn't one for a nap. But when he was little, what worked for him was sticking to a schedule. At 5 months, he was probably taking only 2 naps a day, but they would be like 90 minutes to 2 hours. I would not let him fall asleep until his designated naptime. It can get to be a pain trying to keep to his schedule, but it seemed to work. I would try to get him to nap every 3 hours or so. Only in his crib and with a humidifier going for white noise. And would not let him fall asleep in between naps. It made him sleep better at night too. I still notice that if he doesn't nap, he wakes up at night. I think it's because he's overtired. Hope this helps!

Your daughter could just be a cat napper. As long as she is waking up happy after each nap then she received the amount of sleep she needed. I talked with my doctor about this because my oldest daughter did the same thing for the first 8 months. It drove me crazy! He told me that she was a cat napper and would grow out of it. It was true...around 10 months she started to take only 2 naps. Each one was around 2-3 hours long. She also slept 12-14 hours at night. She became one of the best sleepers ever!!

Does your daughter sleep in her car seat? If so, then I would get out of the house as much as you can. I found that I would start to go a little crazy if I stayed in the house to much. Because I felt like all I was doing was putting my daughter to bed. It became very stressful and annoying. When I made myself get out of the house in the mornings I felt like the day would fly by a lot faster than being at home. That way I only had to put her down for 3 naps instead of 5. Sometimes when she would miss a nap, the next nap she would sleep an hour and 1/2 to catch up from the sleep she missed earlier. So when we were out and about I didn't mind her missing naps.

That's my advice. Good luck and she'll grow out of it soon :)

ak

It's normal what your child is doing now. Soon she will be only taking 2 naps a day, and then only one.

Remember at 5 months old, babies need a lot of sleep still up until they are 1 year old. And after that they will still need about 13 - 15 hours of sleep a day.

I think the crabbiness is something else. Probably boredom.
The best sleep book I have read is Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. The book says that your baby should be sleeping 2 naps a day, 1st around 9am, 2nd around noon, w/ an optional 3rd catnap around 5pm. The book also says that a 30-45 minute nap "counts" and they can be well rested afterward.

My daughter was the same way. My advice would be to let her sleep how and when she wants to sleep. Yes you can try to alter her habits for your convenience, and it probably would work, but I figured at this age their rapidly growing bodies should call the shots for a little while. If she's happy, and sleeping well at night, leave well enough alone.

She will for sure grow out of it. My daughter napped 4+ times a day, in 45 min stints, until she was 9 mos old. The most she was ever up was 2 hours, usually less. Then by 10 mos old it was down to 2 times a day for an hour each. At 15 mos she switched to once a day for two full hours and still naps that way now at 2 1/2 years old. I never thought it would happen, given how much she slept in a day during infancy, but it did and without me doing a thing.