7-Month Old Has Trouble with Napping

My 15 month old has only been napping well for about 3 months. When he would wake early, I would rush in at the first bit of noise and pat him. Sometimes, it worked and sometimes not. I used the Ferber method at 6 months to get hime to sleep through the night and to get his naps to be longer than 20 to 30 minutes. So, I became satisfied with a 45 minute nap. It could also just be a phase if he has always slept better.

My second daughter, who is one, does the same thing. Sometimes her naps don't even last a half hour. If there's anything I've learned about this, it's so hard to put them back to sleep if they wake up crying frantically and I just let them stay up until they get too tired to fight it. Both of my daughters have done this at different ages and maybe that's all the nap they need at that stage. It changes all the time. I know that every doctor has told me something different, but they don't know your child like you do. If your child is sleeping more than 10 hours at night, I think maybe they're only needing an hour or so for each nap, that sounds like plenty.

I have to admit that I'm a little sad to think of a baby as small as 7 mos crying it out, but that may be because my biggest baby (the only one I've never tried CIO with) is 5 while my smallest baby is 7 mos (with one, a 2 year old, in between). So, compared to his big brothers, my 7 mo just seems so little! lol

Anyway, to be more constructive, have you read the No Cry Sleep Solution? It's got really good stuff on getting babies to nap that are alternatives to CIO. So, although it's written from the perspective of not wanting to CIO, it would also work for someone who has found CIO not to work. It's good stuff!

Also, just so you know, you are getting a lot of sleep! I know a lot of people with babies this age and none of them are sleeping that long at night. If my 7 mo slept 12 hours at night and took two 45 minute naps, I'd be giddy. lol Just so you know.

When my boys wouldn't take good naps around the same age, I started letting them take one nap a day. Usually about and hour after lunch I put them down and they would take anywhere from a 1 1/2 hour nap to 2 hour nap. Hope this helps and good luck.

Hi There!
I have a 10 month old with the same issue...What I try to do is after about 40 minutes, I go to his room and if he starts to stir just a tiny bit, I start to shhhshhhshhh shhh him...sometimes he gets all comfy again and goes right back to sleep and other times he decides he wants to be up...so it is a hit or miss but worth a try..I have also decided that if he is the least bit cold, he won't sleep long so I put a ceramic heater in his room and that helps.. Good luck!

Is he teething? I find most of my sleep problems are related to teeth. If that is true though he would be waking in the night as well. As for how long he should nap, it depends on the baby, I would think one of the naps would be longer, probably the afternoon, maybe 1.5 hours or so and that a shorter nap in the morning. I am not a big medicine giver, but man if it comes to sleep I am queen of ibeprophen (works for 8 hours instead of 4) Also, if you really want to try to get him back to sleep get to him right when he wakes, you have little chance if he has cried alot, it will have totally woken him up.
Good Luck

Maybe there is a reason your son wakes up--- my daughter had difficulty sleeping through the night and with naps (she was a second child who had a noisy brother)-- during her naps-- I turned on a radio in her room so there was a little white noise and she wouldn't wake up. Being a "light sleeper" myself, I can appreciate that. I found out later at night she was too cold so I bought heavier sleeper and "ta-da"-- she slept through the night. I never thought about environmental issues until my friend pointed it out to me and that was definitely it for her. She still sleeps with a radio on at night (or, as it is cold season, the humidifier) and she has never had a problems since that time -- she's almost 3 now. It's worth checking out!

Mel

my son was the same way at that age. i'd say just give him a few minutes to cry to see if he will go back to sleep and if not, there isn't much you can do, at least not with my experience with my son. i will tell you that he does great now (he is 16 months) and has been taking long (usually 2 hours) naps for a while now. he is down to 1 nap a day now, but he had been taking 2 naps until the past month or so. just try to hang in there, it will get better!

Check out the message boards at www.babywhisperer.com There's some great information there (and great supportive mothers) on how to actually teach an infant HOW to fall asleep. I can't remember (sorry) how long the typical sleep times are at that age (they change so much over time!), but you are right in saying that 45 min. is definitely not enough.

Oh, I finally remembered how to lengthen out short naps. (Been a while since I've had to do it.) All you do is interrupt his sleep cycle part way through it: 30 min. after he falls asleep since his sleep cycle is 45 min. long. Just walk into his room and if he reacts to your entry, that's all it takes. If he doesn't notice, gently pat or rub his back/tummy until he moves a little in his sleep. Then tip-toe right on back out. It may take a few days to break the habit, but keep it up. It's been such a lifesaver!

Hey J.. My daughter is 11 months old right now. She
has always slept through the night. She can sleep for 11-12 hrs still at night. And she takes 2 naps a day also. The first nap will be around noon. She'll sleep till 1-2pm. The second nap is around 5pm. Then she'll sleep till 6-7pm. When my daughter gets cranky, I leave a few toys in her crib, along with her bottle, and just leave the bedroom door cracked. She'll play with the toys a bit, drink her bottle, and crash. I don't have that problem at night. She doesn't wake up, and if she does, she is a bit older now and can find her bottle in her crib. I love how I don't have to get out of bed that often anymore. =] Plus another advantage with a few toys in the cribs, is when she wakes up, she doesn't scream to let us know she is awake, she just bangs her toys together. lol. Keeps her preoccupied just for me to get a few more minutes of shut eye. I hope I answered a little bit of your questions! Good Luck!!!

Hi J.,
My son was exactly the same way. However, when my son was 7 mos old he still took 3 naps a day. Have you considered adding a nap? My son's naps at this age were still only about 45 minutes each, but when he outgrew that 3rd nap, his other two naps got longer.
We also got a white noise machine for his room, with napping altogether. I think it just helped drown out house noise. We also got a room darkening curtain for his room to cut out the daylight. He just had his own sleeping preferences, and for him it was a very dark room.
Good luck!