6 Week Old Not Napping!

[orange_mommy]

My 6 week old son has had 3 days this past week where he didn't nap! :O  I'm a little concerned that something might be wrong.  Monday, Saturday, and now Sunday.  Monday and Saturday he would start to doze then wake after 5 minutes, that happened a few times throughout the day but no real naps on Monday.  Saturday he had one 20-minute nap in the car.  Today he had 3 naps which were each less than half hour but didn't even really doze at any other time.  Monday he was up for about 14 hours straight, Saturday more than 13 hours, and Sunday it was a bit less than 13 hours.  Is this totally unhealthy and abnormal?  My mom says my sister was the same way and she was just a really alert baby and the doctor said it was not a problem.  My son is super happy and talkative and not at all grumpy, but it worries me that he is up for so long without a nap.  That can't be healthy, can it?!  Not to mention I am getting next to NOTHING done because I never have a naptime to count on, lol!  This week he has been doing something that scares me that is entirely another thread (but that I don't have the energy to start) where he bears down with his entire body, head, limbs, etc and it's like he stops breathing and turns red for several seconds and looks like he is scared or something.  I was afraid it might be seizures and went to see a doc who said he looks perfectly healthy, but I will be taking him to the Children's Hospital tomorrow to get a second opinion.  I want to rule out anything serious.  But in the meantime I have started wondering if it is because he is so sleep-deprived that his nerves are on edge or something that he startles himself more easily or something.

Anyways, any other moms out there whose newborns are not napping?  Is it ok and some babies just don't need naps?  Or is there something I need to change (diet, routines, etc) that could help my little one get the sleep he needs?

Edited to add that he sleeps AWESOME at night!  We cosleep and he wakes only to nurse and then usually goes right back to sleep each time.  He does this for about an 11 to 12-hour stretch... so is it possible that he doesn't need to nap during the day because he's getting all his sleep at night?

[rielly]

How is he taking a nap when you do put him down? Are you wearing him or is he in a crib? I believe babies need at least 14 hours of sleep per 24 hr period, but I'm a new mom, so I'm not sure. Maybe there is some natural variation there. Does he show signs of tiredness when awake (glazed eyes, wildly moving limbs, yawning,diminished alertness)? If so maybe you could just try wearing him. My baby never acts super tired but I try to rock her swaddled in my arms or I place her in the swing approximately 1 hr & 15 min after she wakes. She is also very alert, and would stay up to get a second wind if I let her. She skeeps only when being held, so maybe your son is like that. Oy- you still won't get abything accomplished if he is
Good luck with your LO's appointment.. I hope that's just an exaggerated Moro reflex...keep us posted on that. I'll be crossing my fingers for you!

[Twinklefae]

At 6 weeks, your baby needs between 15-17 hours of sleep a day, so yes, he needs naps.  A baby that age shouldn't be awake for more than 2 hours at a time, so after he's been up for an hour and 15 min start getting him ready to go back to sleep (diaper, swaddle, nursing).  Swaddling is a god send around here.  So is the swing, she'll often sleep there even if I can't get her down anywhere else.

[greenmulberry]

My DD had been like this her whole life, she is ten weeks old, I have a thread about it here.

She can be up for hours and just be cheerful and bubbly and not tired at all! It freaks me out.  She takes little ten to 20 minutes naps here and there if we are laying in bed together (she will wake promptly if I leave of course), and I can occasionally get a multi hour nap out of her if I put her in the swing and and she doesn't fuss, but she has many a day where she only takes a few brief naps of 10 to 20 minutes.

All the methods of putting a baby to sleep rarely work on her, and she will not sleep in a sling, she thinks it is time for something interesting to happen.

She does sleep really good at night. She crashes right out at only stirs a few times to nurse then crashes back out again. We co sleep too.

I to try very hard to get to to nap regularly though, just so that if she is tired, she can rest.

My baby is gaining weight and hitting milestones and doing great though. I wonder if she will be one of those people who thrive on 4 hours a night or something.

[rielly]

Does anyone know if there is a chart somewhere here or elsewhere online tat shows by age how many hours of sleep babies require? TIA

[scrandall1173]

My babe did that and it turned out she was ultra-sensitive to caffeine in my diet. I had to cut it out completely, even chocolate.

I also started helping her to sleep more by swaddling her and bouncing or rocking before lying her down.

She still doesn't nap like my first one did, but our house is a lot busier and noisy with a toddler.

[CookAMH]

I was going to type it out but found it online!! (amount of sleep babies need)

http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/advice/0071381392.php?nid=424

my 4-week old would not nap well if I did not swaddle her to go to sleep. Little babies esp need help winding down to sleep.

The chart doesn't have a line for one month of age. Following the same headings; 3 naps; 6-7 hrs total nap time; 8.5-10 hrs nighttime; 15-16 total for night and nap