What's so special about 30 minutes?! - Page 2

[newmamalizzy]

Yup. 45 minutes here. I agree with a PP that if she wakes up crying she needs my help to go back to sleep, but I'm often not successful. I read recently that white noise and/or continuous motion (swing, etc.) can help babies learn to push past the one cycle nap. Might have been the No Cry Sleep Solution author's website? After reading it I succeeded in pushing DD through to a 2 hour nap. I was about to canonize myself, but I haven't been able to get her down for a nap at all even since...

[tzs]

Originally Posted by 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.

nah, not necessarily. we never did anything like that. not even the "no cry" one. my dd was a total sleep fighter as a newborn (so it's not like she was a natural born awesome sleeper), wouldn't nap longer than 30 or 40 minutes for months when i finally could get her to nap at all, and then just kind of grew into longer naps as she got older. i think for sure once they consolidate down to one afternoon nap the duration should be longer. i mean, i work in a preschool and all the kids from the toddler room to the late 2's take at least a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.

[Angelorum]

yup, that's the length of the sleep cycle. The No-Cry Nap Solution book has some ideas on how to get your baby to nap for more than one cycle. One idea is to watch the clock or set a timer for yourself and go in to your sleeping baby 5-10 minutes before you think they will wake up and see if you can soothe them through the transition into the next cycle as soon as they start to stir. That way, they never get too awake and upset to put back to sleep. My baby usually has long naps through no training of mine, but he's a terrible night sleeper! The times when he wakes after 40 minutes of naps he's usually pretty cranky and I try and get him to go back to sleep.