[Grace and Granola]

Hi everyone!

Just wondering if anyone has been through this...

My eleven week old in the past week has just started having trouble staying asleep! He used to take an hour morning nap, a long 2-3 hour afternoon nap and then an evening hour long nap. The times were never consistant, but the lengths were pretty well set. All of the sudden, my child will not sleep more than 1/2 hour! No matter how long he sleeps, he will only be awake for an hour and a half and then he melts. So now, instead of having to put him down for 3 naps per day, it's turned into about 6-8 half hour naps! Believe me, I will follow his lead, but by the end of the day this really catches up with him and he is just miserably tired. Do you think this is a phase or is this normal? I can't get a thing done!

TIA

Heather

 

[rona]

Hi, I think that this is quite normal. My daughter did a similar thing. I am sure that what is happening is that your child has completed a full sleep cycle (approximately 20mins) and has woken at the end of the cycle unable to drift back into it. My daughter became overtired with this as well. My usually happy baby could get quite distressed when she was overtired. We got through it with lots of breastfeeds to lull her back down again. Like my daughter, perhaps your son needs a little more sleep and when he wakes he doesn't actually mean to, if you know what I mean. This is just a suggestion.

Other reasons that he mightn't be sleeping through into the next sleep cycle could be that he is wet, or, like my little one, needs to pee and seems to need to be awake to do it. Whatever the cause, I doubt that it will last very long. 'The No-Cry Sleep Solution' is a book you could try if you think you both need a little more rest and don't know how to go about getting it. Hope this was helpful.

 

[fromscatteredtribe]

hugs to you momma....that is the reality for a lot of babies. sometimes I think it is their bodies making sure they stay healthy (i had a light sleeper who developed asthma issues and was thankful he never fell into that deep dark sleep so many times a day...it helped him breathe easier). i also have had all my children with teeth by four months of age and they take a month or more to come in (ds1 had teeth at 2 months!!!!). teething can make them restless and cranky. also, if you are nursing and eating different foods than normal (or starting taking the pill, exercise a lot, back to work, something big like that) you could change your milk some. reflect a little while you are walking a cranky baby back and forth for the hundredth time that day praying he'll sleep long enough to get the dishes loaded in the dishwasher and remember YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I hope you get some rest soon and that your little guys finds his own rhythm

 

[addiesmom]

My DS sometimes does this too - and I know what it is like to have a day where all you feel like you are doing is getting your little one down for another nap! If my DS wakes before an hour, since he never just fusses a little then falls asleep, I rush right in to nurse him before he wakes up too much. He will usually nurse and fall right back to sleep and I can put him back down for the "rest" of his nap.

 

[earthcore]

Yep. I've BTDT. It got better when she started crawling at about 8 months. She sometimes slept longer if I was holding her. Sometimes not. She usually slept better in the car.

I tried to do as much housework or whatever while she was awake and in the sling, so that when she napped, I could lay down with her or hold her or whatever.

 

[AmieV]

I wonder if I have the answer for you. When she was itty bitty my DD took her last nap from like 8-8:30 and then went to bed for the night around 10. Suddenly around 3 months she was super cranky after that nap at 8:30. Well, duh. We started getting her ready for bed for the night at 8 instead of a nap and she slept great. Not sure what your baby's bedtime is but 3-4 months is a common time for them to start needing to go earlier.

 

[AmieV]

oh, and hey you! Stop trying to get a thing done, you have a tiny baby! That's the thing you get done.

Letting go of my expectations of how much I could realistically get done has made my world a much better place. It was my fantastic DH that opened my eyes to that. Use those power naps to recharge yourself.

Also...where is this munchkin taking these naps? When DD was little, if I laid down with her she'd nap for 2 hours or more but in her crib 40 minutes. I'd nap a little with her and then read a magazine or book. Or would a sling help? Use these tricks while you can because they don't work for me anymore!

 

[mamameg]

My DD was always a short napper and the only way I could get more than 30 minutes out of her was to either lay down and nap with her (although even this didn't work all the time) or to sling her. If I needed a break, I would park myself in a rocker and watch a movie with her in the sling. Give up trying to get anything done. Your plate is full enough with that tiny baby. Submit mama, submit.

 

[alegna]

Normal. That's the stage when your best chance is to sleep with them.

-Angela

 

[rzberrymom]

DD was like this--the only way we could get her to sleep more than 15 minutes was in a sling, and we had to keep moving constantly. At around 4 months, she was able to nap without the sling, but I had to lie down with her to get her to sleep more than 30 minutes. By 7 months, I didn't have to lie down with her anymore. But, then I no longer really had an excuse for the messy house.

I'd say what you're dealing with is very normal.

 

[Grace and Granola]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmieV oh, and hey you! Stop trying to get a thing done, you have a tiny baby! That's the thing you get done. Letting go of my expectations of how much I could realistically get done has made my world a much better place. It was my fantastic DH that opened my eyes to that. Use those power naps to recharge yourself. Also...where is this munchkin taking these naps? When DD was little, if I laid down with her she'd nap for 2 hours or more but in her crib 40 minutes. I'd nap a little with her and then read a magazine or book. Or would a sling help? Use these tricks while you can because they don't work for me anymore!

Thanks for the reality check! I'm not trying to get TOO much done! But I do have to bottle feed and getting bottles ready is one thing that has to get done...and eating and showering! Those are my main objectives in any given day!

My little guy is taking his daytime naps in his swing...that used to be the best place for his naps....since he hasn't been doing so well this past week, I've tried him in the bed, in my arms and laying with him. In my arms he could sleep for weeks! The rest turned out the same...30 minutes. I tried a pouch sling when he was tiny...he doesn't like it. He's very strong and independent. He refuses to lay his head down on my chest or shoulder, he doesn't like being confined. I recently bought mei tai carrier...which he is getting used to, but will only ride forward facing! Can't really sleep that way!

Thanks for all of your words of wisdom ladies! I'm glad to hear I'm not alone. I just hope this doesn't last forever!