What's so special about 30 minutes?!

[carmen358]

I don't get it. I read over and over on mdc and on other sites about how babies only nap 30 min - 45 min at a time. What's up with that? It has to be some physical sleep cycle thing or something, no?

DD goes down for a nap no problem now - we put her in her crib for naps but co-sleep at night. She wakes up after 30 minutes almost on the dot. It's weird! If I'm napping with her in bed, she falls back asleep and will nap 1-2 hours. If I pick her up out of the crib and nurse her she falls back to sleep on my lap but when I lay her back in the crib she's wide awake.

What's so special about 30 minutes and how do we help our babies get through that wake up time?

Edited to add: *I guess I should have googled it first since 30 min is a sleep cycle time frame for babies*

[cocoanib]

I don't know what's up with the 30 minute time frame(I guess I should googgle it too )
Interesting though. I never really paid attention to DD's nap tim,es unless they're unusually long.

[Tway]

DD almost always sleeps 40-45 minutes, twice a day. It's a rare day that she sleeps more. I've come to accept that it's just the way she is!

[texaspeach]

it's the end of one sleep cycle where they shift to lighter sleep. adults do this too but we have the ability to roll over and fall into deeper sleep often without noticing.

[tzs]

so you got the sleep cycle thing...now to get them to nap longer!

honestly, i never got more than one cycle until dd was around 6 months. i think they just start consolidating sleep better at a certain point or something. but even with the longer naps occurring naturally i came to learn that with my babe, if she woke up crying instead of her normal happy babble, it meant that she was still tired and needed a little help getting back to sleep.....usually that just meant getting to her fast enough and sticking the nuk back in. now at 11 months i rarely have to do it and both of her naps are 1.5 hours or so.

seriously...for the longest time i never thought i would ever get a nap longer than 45 minutes at best.

[Knitting Mama]

The old adage "sleep begets sleep" works for Cecilia. If I hold or wear her for at least the first 45 minute cycle, she will often sleep another or two more cycles in her swing. She is swaddled, by the way, which really helps keep her from fully waking during her lighter sleep.

[Abraisme]

Sleep cycles are normally about 45 minutes and waking cycles are normally 90. Most babies will be awake or asleep for any denomination of those two numbers. Even know at 11mo I can almost always determine when my DD will wake up or fall asleep.

[Katie T]

My DS did the 30 minute naps and extended them on his own as he got older. But my 2yo will wake after a hour on the dot. If I am in the bed with her she will nurse back to sleep but If I am not she is up even if we nurse. Kinda annoying that a 2yo wakes to nurse in the middle of her nap... lol

[octobermom]

I'm kinda lucky I get a good solid 2 hour morning nap from Margaret daily however her afternoon nap if maybe 30 mintues on a good day... Today I swear it was like 4 but shes just soooo much better in the evening when shes gets that second nap even it its just a minute or so.

The old adage "sleep begets sleep" works for Cecilia. If I hold or wear her for at least the first 45 minute cycle, she will often sleep another or two more cycles in her swing. She is swaddled, by the way, which really helps keep her from fully waking during her lighter sleep.

Its a Cecilia thing MY first (also named Cecilia) was very much this way matter of fact if I didn't spend a good chunk of the day wearing her and swaddling her she just did not sleep well, but strangly with her IF shes was tired she needed to be left alone holding her really upset her.

Deanna

[P.J.]

Glad to know it's not just us. Max rarely naps more than an hour at a time...it's very often only 40 minutes, and on some days it's only 20 mins.

I read that it takes 20 minutes or so for a baby to reach deep sleep, so when he's only down for 20 mins I have to wonder how much good it's actually doing, although I guess a little sleep is better than none, for sure!

[ann_of_loxley]

I am pretty sure that the sleep/wake cycles are instinctual. Babies don't know that its 2010 and they are safe from wolves in our moden day houses compared to caveman times! lol

I find that if I lay down with my son whilst he has a nap - he sleeps longer. He is warm, has a boob right there for him and so feels pretty safe = carries on sleeping.

If he is in the sling, he can sleep longer but usually I take that oportunity to get things done so all the movement can sometimes wake him up. He is okay with this - it just means he sleeps shorter periods of times and so has more frequent smaller naps throughout the day.

I can't put him down. He would wake up and be unhappy about that. He doesn't know that there are no wolves around to eat him! lol

[mom2happy]

Yup!
We have the 30-45 min. nap thing here too.
I did with all three babies. It makes me crazy how my friends babies have nap time every morning for 2 hours and the same in the afternoon.
When we get even one of those even once a week I feel like I won the lottery!

[Addie]

Yup, baby sleep cycles. DS rarely slept longer than 45 mins until 7 months or so. We've just (8.5 months) gotten to the point where a 1.5 hour nap is not unusual - though it still doesn't happen every day. I've never known one of these mythical babies who sleeps for 2-3 hours...

[carmen358]

Hmm guess it's just the way things are. Mostly I'm ok with it but some days it feels like I *just* put her down, scramble for a shower or something to eat and she's up and at 'em again!

In my experience, the babies I know who sleep 2 hour naps have been through sleep and nap training.

[carliec76]

I must have mutant babies. My first two especially my second was like that. Short miserable naps. My first sometimes but often would sleep 2-3 hours a few times a day. My last two take 2 or 3 or 4 hour naps and I have to wake to feed. I swaddled my last two but not my first two so i think that may be the difference...they can't startle when swaddled.

[NSmomtobe]

I know it has to do with sleep cycles... I thought that the first 30 min was a light sleep and the next 30 min was supposed to be a deeper sleep, so I worry that my DS's 30 min naps are depriving him of deep sleep. Everyone is saying that their babies' naps have gotten longer with age. Mine did the opposite. He went from 1-2 hour naps to 30 min naps starting around 6 months.

[Tway]

Originally Posted by mom2happy

It makes me crazy how my friends babies have nap time every morning for 2 hours and the same in the afternoon.
When we get even one of those even once a week I feel like I won the lottery!

I hear ya! DD slept 2 X 1-hour naps one day about a month ago, and I thought Publisher's Clearinghouse was going to ring the bell.

[sosurreal09]

its a sleep cycle.

[epdeans]

What type of carriers are you ladies able to get chores done with your wee ones in?

I have been using a Baby Bjorn for walks but do not feel like I can chores done with my son in it and/or have him take a nap in it.

Thanks
Elizabeth in NC

[triony]

Originally Posted by P.J.

I read that it takes 20 minutes or so for a baby to reach deep sleep, so when he's only down for 20 mins I have to wonder how much good it's actually doing, although I guess a little sleep is better than none, for sure!

I get so frustrated because I worry about the lack of sleep. Most of the time there is NOTHING i can do to get him to sleep longer. Even if I am right there will him after 20 min he is WIDE wake.