Short naps
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We have had that all day today… short naps and waking up cranky :( I have heard of crib hour so I might try that as well if this continues
Yesss the crankiness that comes after these short naps 😭
@Katie Duggan @Lina for the crib training, when they wake up you leave them in the crib until the one hour mark? And if they cry do you go get them or still just wait until one hour? I haven't heard of this so just wondering!
This has been my baby since 3 months and she’s currently a little over 5 months🫠 Sometimes contact napping helps but other than that, she’ll wake up happy as a clam after 30 minutes
From what I’ve read, you can comfort them but try to do so without picking them up out of crib. They just have to be in crib the whole hour
How long is baby awake between naps? It’s possible they just haven’t learned to connect sleep cycles yet. Are they able to soothe themselves to sleep independently or do they require comforting from you to fall asleep?
It’s their natural sleep cycle and they aren’t linking to the next one and wake up
@Brooke do you know how we can help them learn?
@Katie Duggan I’m working on drowsy but awake for all naps. And I usually have to help her get into the next sleep cycle with some shusher noise or I take the pressure off and let 2 naps be between 30-45 minutes and I try to aim for one 1.5-2 hour nap. Usually mid day nap. That might be a half crib half contact nap. When the sleep trainer was her she would try to let her resettle on her own for 10-15 minutes before intervening. Usually she isn’t crying just up and talking to herself or a small of fuss. I have blackout curtains I use the same swaddle for all sleep. We use the crib for all sleep so it’s a consistent routine and I’m helping her self soothe. She’s working on self settling, which is sucking her finger, paddling her feet up and down. If she takes the pacifier, but that’s a double edged sword because if they can’t put it back in themselves that they will rely on you.I definitely don’t have it all mastered down. I just take the pressure off myself and know some naps are short
@Paige I have tried wake windows of 2, 2.5, and 3 hours and the short naps still happen. I think it's not being able to connect the sleep cycles. Baby requires comfort to sleep and has not been able to fall asleep independently
@Katie Duggan we did that. Sometimes I go in and finish with a contact nap. Usually just put the shusher on or some lullabies. But if I go in to comfort during a nap she wants me to pick her up and she thinks the nap is over.
Hopefully they start connecting soon. Developmentally, they would only start learning how to do this around 4/5 months anyway. Being able to fall asleep independently is what helps them to connect the sleep cycles. But I know how tough it can be - we went through short naps too! I follow Taking Cara Babies recommendations - she has a ton of free information on her website which was super helpful for us!
@Paige thank you so much! Do you happen to know if they will be able to connect sleep cycles if they can't fall asleep independently?
When I contact nap she has not issues connecting sleep cycles but it’s not ideal for everyone. Occasionally I just get lucky. If the sleep pressure is high enough. I honestly don’t know what causes me to get lucky at times in the crib.
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I do believe so. We want to make sure they have enough sleep pressure as that will help as well (so 2.5-3.5hrs daytime sleep at this age with 2-3hr wake windows). Some strategies that may help are ensuring there is absolutely no light in the room, potentially even blocking the light underneath the door, white noise machine, and implementing a nap routine like you would bedtime to try and cue baby that it’s time for sleep.
What helped our baby with short naps: Adjusting wake windows – Making sure baby has enough awake time before naps to build up sleep pressure really helped lengthen naps. Active play during wake windows – We found that engaging in active play helped our baby get the kind of tiredness that leads to deeper sleep. Calm wind-down before naps – We slow things down before nap time by just walking around with her or looking at pictures together. A short massage before bedtime – A gentle 5-minute massage helps relax her. Babies' nervous systems aren’t fully developed, so this kind of physical cue helps her recognize she's tired. Tracking total daily sleep – Understanding our baby’s individual sleep needs made a big difference. She usually needs around 13 hours in a 24-hour period. We aim for 10 hours at night and 3 during the day. If she sleeps too much at night, her naps tend to be shorter (and vice versa).
Literally SAME! Like clock work my baby gets up after 30-40 mins max. I read it’s pretty normal at this age. I also read adjusting wake windows, and “nap training” them (leaving them alone in the crib etc. for an entire hour for the nap even if they’re not sleeping) can help. But I’m just going with the flow and watching my baby’s sleep cues for napping. He will wake up after 30 mins, be up for 15, and then want to nap again, so I might try the nap training to help him learn to link his sleep cycles. Idk. The short naps are tough though!