Naps

My little boy only cat naps through the day 15/20 mins at a time and it’s starting to really drain me mentally as I cannot get anything done around the house! He sleeps amazing at night, doesn’t wake sleeps from 8pm until 6am. What can I do to get this little man to nap during the day. I can’t swaddle anymore as he’s rolling, I’ve tried a dark and quiet room, I’ve tried contact naps but he will only sleep for 15/20 mins at a time! Help me please 🙏🏼

Little one is 3 months old for reference - is this normal for a 3 month old? I did think maybe it’s regression but only affecting him during the day but I don’t know if that’s possible!

Read more on Peanut

The views expressed in community are solely the opinions of participants, and do not reflect those of Peanut.

Learn more about our guidelines.

Add a comment

My lg is exactly the same, the only time she sleeps for a long time is in the car but I can't drive that all day. I have tried just putting her in her carry cot and that seems to work for a while, longest today was 45 mins, managed to get the kitchen and get some wash in and out

I’ve tried literally everything, my little one is the same with the car sleeping but the same as you I can’t drive around all day! I’m hoping its just a phase🤣

Is he having lots of stimulation beforehand? Do you do lots of playing? My baby at that age would sleep for 4 hrs, wake for an hour or so and go back for another 4 hrs! Try reading a load or books to him, and singing, presenting him with puzzle pieces and saying what piece are etc if you don’t already do stuff that.

I attended a free baby sleep class on the weekend by the baby academy and they were saying that all babies will have a limit as to how much they sleep in a 24hr period, so if you're LO is doing long stretches at night it's likely they'll sleep less in the day. I'm the opposite to you, my LO (16 weeks) has 3 1-2 hour naps a day but wakes every 3 hours at night 😅

yes lots of stimulation, books, singing, I sign to him a lot, play gym, I’ve got flash cards and I tell him what they are

My little boy is exactly the same tried everything and nothing has helped. He did sleep for 3 hours one day last week but that was after baby sensory and a long walk, left him all cosy in the garden cause he was asleep in the pram and it was a nice day so dunno if that was just a fluke or not 🤷🏼‍♀️😂

oh okay I didn’t know that, thank you xx

I have started to put my pram inside, I’ve literally wrapped clingfilm around the wheels 🤣 I push her in it for about 5 mins after her shouting and resisting she is sleeping in this for 30min - 2h at a time!! I’ve put lullabies on the sound machine and got a rockit and this has honestly been a life saver. She was starting to resist naps in my arms so I had to do something x

Perhaps just your baby then! Not all babies need as much sleep and it’s totally normal for some to be fine without sleeping loads.. just a pain for you that’s all haha

I say a house I’m actually a top floor flat without a lift so there is no way I can bring the pushchair inside🤣 it stays in the car 24/7 xx

Well he can’t sleep all night and long sleeps during the day…

I don’t expect him to have lots of sleep during the day but maybe more that 2 15/20 minute naps. Otherwise as most babies when they’re tired he’s super grizzly. I’m a first time parent so not sure how long babies should sleep in the day. If I wanted to be made to feel intimidated I would have asked, thank you all the same☺️

oh bless him, we do a lot of things during the week, baby sensory, lots of at home play, tummy time, flash cards, lots of lights, music, singing to try and stimulate and tire him out but he fights sleep so much in the day, and when he does eventually go he’s up 15/20 minutes later. It’s a nightmare as it’s so hard to do anything around my home. I’ve tried putting him in a carrier to do stuff as well and he just hates it, and screams murder my poor neighbours🤣

hun you’re 100% right in what you’re saying. An hour 4/5 times during day and then a good night sleep is typical for our babies age! No need for that lady to make you feel like that x

thank you hun, I did think it would be around the 4-5 hr mark but wasn’t 100% sure, I’ve looked online but everywhere says different guidelines. As you can imagine he’s so grizzly when he wakes as he’s not had enough sleep in the day! And it makes it hard to enjoy it when he is awake because all he does is cry. I appreciate it thank you hun xx

well I try have my baby down for 4 naps a day but most times she needs 5 naps due to only napping for half hour but she’s done more in the pram these past few days. Every day varies but I really hope you find something that works for you xx

Aww I've been there. Our baby will only contact nap but she really fought her day naps and would constantly wake. Could be a sleep regression. Ours has just passed after what felt like forever. Or it could be that he overtired, I would look it up as it made a lot of sense with us as she would constantly wake after trying ages to get her to nap.
Take the win of that long nights sleep though!

I try and get out at least once a day as it’s good to get the fresh air in the hope that he goes to sleep but he’s the same in the pram, short cat naps and I unfortunately don’t have the option of bringing the pram indoors as I’m in a top floor flat with no lift so it would be a pain to carry the pram up the stairs. He sleeps well in the car/car seat but I can’t drive around and keep him in the car seat for every nap! Do you think I should try a bigger sleeping area? He’s currently in a snuzpod at night and sleeps amazing it’s just the day naps. The sleep deprivation is real🤣

he’s 100% over tired, but I just don’t know what else I can do to help him sleep for longer, he wakes after 15/20 mins even with a contact nap, I find myself sat rocking like a lunatic during the day to settle him to sleep🤣 I’m not sure whether it’s a regression that’s affecting him during the day only maybe? I don’t know if that’s possible at all. Oh I am with the long nights sleep, it’s been lovely but I’m expecting it to change at any moment as I know it can with babies xx

Normal for 3 month olds to cat nap as they can’t link their sleep cycles together yet. Ours is the same unless contact napping or being worn in a baby carrier.
I totally feel you when you say you don’t have time to get anything done around the house. I’ve struggled with this a lot.
Luckily I have a great husband who helps a lot.
He also takes little one out for a walk in the evening after work so I can have an hour to myself before bed ☺️

horrible some days isn’t it. Your hubby sounds so supportive. My partner helps when he’s not working I don’t know where I’d be without mine

My little one is the same. Power naps during the day but a fabulous sleeper at night. Even though it drives me insane and I would love to finish a coffee while it's hot, I'm also extremely grateful that I can have a good night's sleep. Hopefully one day we will manage to finish a task we start while our little ones sleep during the day.

amazing that little one sleeps at night. Oh I love how alert he is don’t get me wrong it’s just when he’s so grizzly because he’s over tired. I’m sure we will be, I just keep telling myself it’s just a phase and it will pass! Hopefully sooner rather than later, but I wouldn’t change it for the world xx

in our community

Baby clothes

Just out of curiosity, why do parents love zipper onesies?

Don’t get me wrong, I tried zipper ones it’s easy to zip in and out when putting it on the first time and taking it out, but I find it difficult when changing diapers especially when baby is asleep.

I prefer those kimono style buttons where it’s easy to button or too down button with crotch snaps.

Is everyone thinking the same or different? Lol

At this point I’m not enjoying motherhood

My 22 month old is horrendous at the moment🫣 biting, hitting, pushing, pulling and shoving not only adults but children he also wants what other children have and will just snatch it away from them.

We repeat ‘nice hands’ ‘be gentle’ ‘let’s share’ etc

But how do I make him understand what he’s doing isn’t very nice? At the end of the day I feel like I’ve just been saying his name all day and nothing else.

What can I do?

This might rattle some people

Ok, this might get a bit long, and a bit bumpy, so get comfy and buckle up.

So about a week or 2 ago, there was a post on here regarding sleepovers. Not letting their child go to them as you can't trust who'll be at the house etc.

Now, given recent incidents in nurseries and schools, plus my own experience back in the 90s, I am more concerned about sending my child to nursery and later school than I am to a friend's house for a sleep over.

The other day a man was jailed for abusing children at the nursery he worked at. A woman has been arrested for sleeping with an underage boy and then getting pregnant by a different underage boy while on bail for the first offence.

Young girls and boys get sexually harassed and bullied when at school, not all of them. But more than you think. And not just by other kids, but by adults who we as parents are trusting to look after our kids.

A sleepover, is a more controlled environment, with only a handful of people coming into contact with your child. A school, a club etc there can be 100s of people coming into contact with your child.

I was targeted at 7 years old by the owner of a prominent private school. Thankfully, I wasn't SA'd. In year 5 of primary school, I started to develop early, I was harassed by the boys and teachers made remarks about how my uniform didn't fit right, always "adjusting it" around my chest and legs.

Years 7-9 of secondary school were hell. But it was all under the guise of "we're just messing around". A teacher twanging my exposed bra strap (none uniform day) is not "messing around".

Boys pinning me down trying to rip open my shirt to see my breasts.

I fear for my daughter. I hope she takes after my father's family, flat chested.

We need to educate all our children, what is acceptable behaviour. And to come to us, as their parents should ANYTHING happen.

Dummy

My baby has had a dummy since about 2 weeks old (now 5 months) and over the course of the last month we weaned her off it during the day only for naps and night (which was fine) and then 5 days took it completely away during the day.

The first day no dummy was fine, the second bit rougher. But now it feels impossible she just moans and cries all the time it takes ages for her to go down to sleep (she’s always been an amazing sleeper)

I thought it was meant to get better as time went on not worse. I’m at my wits end I dunno what to do.

Currently typing this as she screams uncontrollably in the car and I cry with her cos I can’t do anything.

Help

My LO every feed. Drs don’t seem to think it’s a problem the whole Muslim cloth gets soaked so much I’m using towels now. I’ve tried size O teats he gets really frustrated and still spills it out :(

How to help my husband understand why I'd like to breastfeed

My husband is very supportive, but he is also someone who wants to make things as easy and as stress free as possible.

With our first child, I tried to breastfeed, but due to my own medical issues postpartum, baby and I were separated a lot and my milk dried up so quickly. We introduced formula around 2 weeks PP, and I tried pumping as much as I could, but it just lead to nothing. It was heartbreaking. It definitely ruined a lot of those early weeks for me, I was wrecked with guilt and sadness. I cried every day and felt like such a failure.

Now my son is a healthy, happy 2 year old and I eventually came to terms with formula feeding him. He was quite content with the first formula we tried, never had feeding or gas issues etc, so it felt like a much easier option.

Obviously my husband witnessed all of this and now we're expecting our second baby, he sort of assumed we'd just go straight to formula.

I told him pretty early that I'd like to try breastfeeding again, and although I won't be putting so much pressure on myself this time, I've also done more research and I'm more prepared for the hard times that might come up in the early days/weeks, and I'm trying to prepare for any complications.

He's very supportive and says it's totally up to me and hasn't tried to sway me either way, but I do get a feeling the moment things get difficult PP he will automatically be buying formula. And he won't mean it in a bad way, he'll just be trying to make things easier for me and take off the pressure. He won't understand that it's unhelpful.

His thinking is that as long as baby is fed that's all that matters, and I agree mostly! But I also understand how beneficial breastfeeding can be and want to give it all my effort if I'm able!

So I guess I'm asking, are there any good resources I could send him to read? Preferably nothing too long/wordy, but something that explains the benefits and how to best support me during this time too? (Also something preferably from the UK as I know guidance can differ depending on country)