Wake Windows

My 5 month old always seems tired waaay before her age recommended wake windows. Has anyone else experienced this? I feel like I try to pay attention to her cues but it’s 90 minutes and she’s fussy and furiously rubbing eyes and yawning. If I put her for a nap, it’s 30 minutes. If I wait until 2 hours, it’s 30 minutes. If I go longer to 2 hours 15 minutes, it’s a 30 min nap. I feel like I can’t win and I can’t figure out what she actually needs in order to get better naps on her own. I’m getting tired of having to come in at 30 minutes and help her extend her naps if I don’t want her to be a fussy mess all day. Her night sleep is pretty good. She takes a while to settle the first few hours, but then sleeps all night. Is she just tired all the time?

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Wake windows are suggestions. I'd still go by sleepy cues at this age. 30 minute naps are developmentally normal at this age and they should start to elongate again in the next month or so.

Do you use noise makers or anything or the sort?

yes I have white noise and the room is pitch black. Like I’ve literally taped up the windows so there isn’t a crack of light.

I never follow what the parenting apps/books say on sleep, they are generally based off one baby or a handful of babies 🥴
Following baby’s own sleep rhythms is proven to be better. They’ll sleep when tired, (obviously they may need helps so watching for tired cues and breastfeeding, rocking, patting, pacing, etc to sleep) and wake when they have had enough sleep.
The long sleep at night may not last as it is normal for them to tend to wake up as it is a protection against SIDS. So don’t be surprised if that stops and she then has longer naps in the day.

My little one was the same it was difficult finding that perfect wake window schedule but I did !!! What wake windows are you currently following ?

My baby will only do 30 mins in the crib as well - apparently it will lengthen once they’re 6 months old. We’re working on independent sleep at night and will slowly move to encouraging her to fall asleep on her own for naps which will hopefully help make them longer too 🙏🤞 I feel you tho it’s frustrating I end up contact napping for the second half of the nap

I feel like it’s gotten off since switching to 3 naps instead of 4. She does about an hour 45 min the first wake window and around 2 hours for the rest. I feel like it was working and then suddenly everything seems to have gone to shit haha.

oh yeah nap transitions are rough my LO was for the first 2 weeks barely making his wake windows.

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