Hey there mamas:
Does anyone have any thoughts on our non-napper? Our little 5 month old son has most recently (past month-ish) begun to take super mini-naps. He used to sleep anywhere from 1-2 hours at a time, now we're lucky to get 45 minutes. It is usually more like 25-30 min. at a time.... The funny thing is that when he goes to his babysitter 3 times a week, he always sleeps an average of 2 hours for his nap. It seems odd to us that for her he's a racked out boy, yet at home in his crib it never seems to happen. He sometimes seems overtired and usually if his naps are wimpy during the day, his night tends to be more restless. Just wondering if anyone has advice we might try, or thoughts on if this is normal, etc. Our baby is magical and we love him so, just want him to nap and be rested :)
I wonder if you are putting him down when he is already too tired??? I find that if you put baby down when he's starting to get sleepy but not so tired that he's "too tired" he'll sleep better.
A.,
What your baby is going through is normal but there are definitely some things you can do to help him sleep better at home. My best advice is to read Dr. Richard Ferber's book, "Solve your Child's Sleep Problems." Even if you don't use the methods he suggests (which, although considered drastic to some, do work), the information he provides on sleep patterns, circadian rhythms, sleep associations, etc. is invaluable!
Good luck,
L.
Ask your sitter about the noise level in the room where your son naps. It could be noisy which can actually have a calming affect for babies. I bought an air purifier for like $25 at target. I set the thing on high when my son sleeps and it makes just enough amount of humming noise in his room (plus it flilters the air which is the added bonus.) My son takes longer naps now. It's a cheap thing to try (the cheaper the better or noiser ;). Good luck.
There is no such thing as a non-napper. Babies are trained to be good sleepers. There is a book called Babywise that talks about how feeding and sleeping patterns go together and affect sleeping habits, including nighttime and naps. In addition, when you hear your baby wake up, don't rush to get him. He may go back to sleep if you don't rush in. If he's waking and crying, then that tells you that he didn't get enough sleep. Well rested babies wake up happy and aren't crying. And they also wake up throughout naps and night and need to learn to go back to sleep on their own. Just remember, YOU decide when the nap begins and ends, not the baby. Get the book. You won't be sorry. Good luck.
Might be time to let him cry it out a little.... a friend of mine at one time said, oh my baby is waking up about 1/2 hr. mark in a nap & she let him cry it out for a couple days & he was back to normal again. I never knew that w/ my first two..... they usually did little naps also. My 3rd is a really good napper now! :)
In the No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantly (this book is AMAZING and I totally recommend getting it) she says to hurry in as soon as they wake up. Put them back to bed however you normally get them to bed. After about 1 week, they will stop waking. I did that with my son and it worked wonders! Here's some links with good solutions:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070100.asp
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBSepOct05p204a.html
http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/books/0071381392.php
My son goes through nap phases - some periods of time he sleeps great and others not so great. I have found that just being consistent and trying for the nap at the same time each day helps. Eventually he passes out of the 'little sleep' phases into a phases where he seems to make up for lost sleep time by taking monster 3.5 hour naps.
I hope this phase passes quickly or that someone else has an amazing idea that makes his short naps a thing of the past.
Hi A... One question for you... Do you have your baby boy fall asleep in your arms, or do you have him fall asleep on his own in the crib?
I totally recommend the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, M.D. It was recommended to me by several Moms and it is always right on and very helpful. Good luck!
A.,
Congrats on your little boy. I have a 3month old son who also takes short naps. I found that after I feed him, I was letting him play for to long before it was time to sleep. He would get overstimulated or overtired and then by the time he fell asleep it would almost be time to eat and he was waking up because he was hungry. I have read a bunch of sleep books but none of them have seemed to work for me. Maybe she is getting him to bed before he gets too tired. This has really helped for me, even if he is happy and seems very alert, I still try to get him to go to sleep for his own good.
I was also getting really concerned since it seemed he never slept, so I started a sleep journal so I could add up just how much sleep he was getting. That made me feel a little better, and if I ever wanted to ask the doctor about his sleep habits, I would have the info handy. Good luck.
