Hi...I have a 10 week old boy and during the day he only takes a 45 min cat-nap and he is fussy all day long. But at night he does great he wakes up twice to feed and goes right back to sleep at night. During the day there is no rhyme or reason on his napping. Has anyone came across this issue?
Hi,
My son did that as well around that time. I uped his food two ounces so that he was really full around the time i wanted him to take a nap then swaddled hin in the square way ( you put his head at the short end of the blanket in the middle fold the corners across his body bring up the bottom of the blanket to around his neck then fold both those sides under his back. )
He may be fussy because he's tired. I have a 12 wk old daughter whose night sleeping pattern is much like your son. During the day, we have a 2 hour eat, play, sleep cycle. I feed every 2 hours and she is happy and playful for 45 min to 1 1/2 hrs. When she starts to get irritable, I know that she needs a nap. She won't really go to sleep on her own, so we started a routine. First, we SWADDLE, which is the best thing that ever happened to babies! Then we go in her room and she always naps in her crib to the sound of background noise (babbling stream). I think she knows that it's 'sleepy time' when all of these things happen.
Although we have a routine going that seems to work well, I would prefer 2 long naps a day. I hope that is coming soon...I hear at 3-4 months they should change their schedules. Good luck!
I have a 13 week old son and we are going through the same thing. He is great baby who sleeps through the night 8-9 hours before nursing again and then sleeps another 2 hours before getting up.But he only takes 20-45 min naps 3 to 4 times a day no matter where he is. I have put him in his crib, bouncing chair, swing. Sometimes he sleeps well when he is in his car seat and stroller. Its not consistent yet but since I know he is not sleep deprived,and his tummy is full and I have used similar techniques during the day as we do night so the only other conclusion I have realized its just him and he will eventually put himself to a schedule. Try not to worry, babies do a lot of things on their own no matter how good we are as parents. I am hoping the next few weeks we will be on a schedule. Good luck.
C., Please be patient with your little guy as he is likely in a transition stage. Both my children around month 3-4 went through this stage of short napping (sometimes only 2 20 min naps), but by the 4th month they were regularly having a morning and afternoon nap. This is very normal (although frustrating). I'm so thankful he sleeps so well at night. You are blessed. R., Married midwife mom of 2. SAHM since 2005 and loving it!
Hi C.,
Yes, my son, who just turned 3 months/12 weeks yesterday would cat nap during the day. Only 30 minutes. We were lucky if we got a 2 hour nap which only happened once in a blue moon. Same thing, he would be fussy during the day and especially at night because he was so tired. However, in the last couple of days he is now on somewhat of a schedule. I had/have been trying to get him on a routine for the past two weeks so, he still naps 30 minutes in the morning, but sleeps an 1 1/2 hours around lunch and then 2 hours around 2:00. Not sure why he started the good napping??? Age maybe???
We have issues with acid reflux and it is starting to get better with Nutramigen formula, I had to stop breastfeeding. I believe he is now more comfortable sleeping. Although it is on his tummy, he is sleeping. We keep a close eye on him since he loves his tummy though.
Maybe just give it some time. Keep working on a routine. When he stirs or wakes after the 45 minutes try patting him back to sleep before picking him up. Hopefully, the fussiness will go away. Or maybe he needs a burp and then back to sleep. Again, our son did the same thing. I understand your situation. I am just now feeling relief during the day and he is much happier because he is sleeping.
My daughter was a horrible napper when she was a newborn/infant! She'd be up for hours, which I didn't understand since everyone elses babies seemed just to sleep the day away! However, I encourage you to keep putting him down for naps. At 10 weeks, he should be put down for two naps a day...one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It's good he's sleeping at night, but he still does need the sleep in the day too. There is a book called "Babywise" that talks about how feeding patterns affect sleeping patterns. You may want to get that book to help you train him to to be a good sleeper & napper. Good sleeping habits are taught...they are not just born with them. Good luck.
It's easy for kids to sleep when their tummies are full. I believe you need to teach them to sleep during the day by always putting them back to sleep awake (except after middle of the night feedings.) Try reading BabyWise. It worked for us! My son has been a great sleeper since we brought him home from the hospital. Good luck!
I also have a 10 week old (girl) and went through the same thing for weeks. I have two pieces of advice: 1) let him sleep anywhere for naps (the swing and bouncer are favorites in my house) even if he sleeps at night in the crib. 2) everyone I know and my pediatrician have said that until 3 to 4 months babies are working on setting a schedule for themselves so cat naps may be it for a while. My daughter just starting taking two longer naps (hour to 2 hours) each day within the last week and I was shocked. He should come around; I know the waiting is not fun!
I come across this all the time. Your child is sleep deprived. The solution is to teach him good sleep habits. Please read the following article: 40% of all babies are sleep deprived. For more help on any infant sleep issue please feel free to call me at ###-###-####. I am a sleep trainer.
Dr. Luis Rivera
Diplomat of Philippine Pediatric Society
“Good sleep is essential to a baby’s growth and development. It is expected that on their first year of life, babies should sleep between 11 and 18 hours a day, and during this time have growth hormones actively working on their physiological and emotional development at three times the normal rate.
A baby who doesn’t get enough good sleep will exhibit very real developmental problems that may include hyperactivity, aggression and learning difficulties. His physical and mental growth may also be impeded, and he may experience more behavioral problems and a reduced ability to pay attention and concentrate.
According to Dr. Luis Rivera, a Diplomat of the Philippine Pediatric Society, Fellow of the Philippine Society of Sleep Medicine and a Pediatric Consultant for Makati Medical Center and Asian Hospital, “Sleep for babies is not just rest for the body. It assists in brain development, proper learning and, to a certain extent, social adjustment. And since our growth hormones are released during sleep, the child is given developmental and growth values as well. Poor sleep can impact growth—they become stunted, or thinner, or smaller, crankier, and they develop slower.”
Dr. Rivera further explains, “What a baby really needs is good sleep, which is really nighttime sleep.”
Quality and duration of a baby’s nighttime sleep has a greater impact on overall growth and development than daytime sleep according to studies. At night, a baby’s brain development kicks in at full speed, as neurons grow and develop at an accelerated pace. This allows the child to develop cognitive and organized thoughts that allow him to learn and unlearn all the sensory input he encountered during his waking hours.
One of the best treatments for sleep problems in children is to adapt a regular bedtime routine that will signal the transition from wake to sleep for the child.
Bedtime routine
A good way to adopt a baby bedtime routine is to consistently practice it every day because, according to studies, babies as young as a few weeks respond well to bedtime routines.
The Baby Bedtime Routine is a simple three-step process. As per Dr. Rivera
1. Give the baby a relaxing five-minute warm bath.
2. Give the baby a two-minute oil massage applied with downward strokes for her limbs, clockwise circles on her tummy, outward sweeps on the chest, small circles on her head and face, and sweeping downward strokes on her back and feet. It would be best to perform the massage while talking to your baby in a soothing voice to further calm baby and get her ready for sleep.
3. Engage in quiet bonding time, talking to baby with a soothing voice in a dimly lit room. This will allow you both to wind down and welcome sleep. Some moms can use this time for breastfeeding, singing, or reading a story. It would be best to put your baby to bed as soon as she gets drowsy, but while still awake. This teaches her to be self-soothing and makes her more able to put herself back to sleep when she awakes during the night.
Dr. Rivera attests, “I actively recommended the bedtime routine to two or three of my patients recently and after three to four weeks, the babies were sleeping better. The bedtime routine is sleep-training for babies.”
According to studies, babies fall asleep 37 percent faster and experience 37 percent less night awakenings. The total duration of night awakenings decrease by as much as 49 percent, while at the same time increasing the length of babies’ longest continuous sleep by 23 percent. And more than just allowing babies to sleep longer and better, a well-rested baby also means a mom who is less tense, less tired and more energetic”.
