Nap times

My babies 13 weeks and she likes to avoid naps. The only way I can get her to nap more then 10 minutes is to contact nap. Then she will sleep for 2 and a half sometimes 3 hours. I have to make sure everything is boring though, no new people, no new items. Just on the sofa being bobbed on the feeding pillow and she's off in less then 5 minutes. I have to make sure I've peed before hand and have snacks and a drink I don't have a schedule. She does sleepy ques after an hour or two but fights going down

At this age I’d just go with the flow tbf Contact naps for longer naps and pram walks. Once they get a little older you’ll probably get into a better routine, if night sleep is good don’t worry too much though!

@Amy thanks! What age would you say to start a routine and how do you go about doing it?

@Helen thanks! How long does your little one stay awake between naps? My little girl fights it and can be awake as long as 4 hours sometimes!

@Hannah she normally does sleepy ques after being awake for an hour and a half to two hours. If a feed is due soon I keep her awake for it and see if she will fall asleep while eating. She does fight going to sleep even though she's rubbing her eyes and yawning. She's just repeatedly punched me in the face and grabbed my hair fighting with me as she didn't want to nap. But after 3 minutes she stopped fighting her eyes rolling back and went to sleep. She has gone up to 4 hours before & she either just suddenly falls asleep or we have a very upset baby who is red in the face and failing about as I try to get her down. So I try not to let her go that long. It's only in the last week she's been really fighting naps, even in the car she fights in. I've gone for an extra 30 minute drive to try & see if that means she will go down finally

@Helen yeah my little girl doesn’t really do this, she’s just happy and looking around cooing when she’s awake haha! Maybe she’s just not tired?! A drive is a good idea though as she always sleeps on a drive x

They say a routine from about 4 months once the sleep regression passes. Contact naps are definitely your friend as they don't know they are separate people yet. @Helen if baby is rubbing eyes and yawning they are ready to already be asleep. Trying a bit earlier should help with the fighting.

I just went with babies flow and eventually she found her own routine and I just followed it

@Hannah I had abit of a ish routine from 5 months but the routines always change once they get older, longer wake windows etc. I’d just look online for wake window suggestions on age and just see how long your baby can manage being awake being having a nap. Try not to stress I ended up being abit obsessed with sleep and wish I hadn’t 🙈

Yes! My baby has slept since about 7 weeks also and the last 3 weeks the day naps are out the window, she used to just fall asleep or be able to go in the travel cot and settle after a bottle now I’m physically rocking her in the pushchair whilst she moans as she’s so overtired and she’ll fall asleep 30-40mins. She’s 16 weeks we just follow cues we know after 3 hours she’s definitely in need for a sleep, try to follow wake windows. I think they’re still young for sleep routine in the day. Xx

Naps don’t start to consolidate until about 5 months. Cat naps are super normal, albeit annoying at this age.