Please help me, my five month daughter will only nap for maybe 20 minutes at a time. I know how crucial sleep is for growing babies so I've been racking my brain trying to come up with ways to get her to take a good nap. She use to nap well during the day (two 1 hour naps and one 2 hour nap), now she takes two naps (three if I'm lucky) that usually only last for 20-40 minutes. She's FINALLY sleeping fairly well at night, but now her napping has become difficult. I know she's tired because of the way she acts, but she just won't stay asleep. Could it just be a phase? Any suggestions or advice?
NOTE: Don't bother suggesting "Babywise", it would be wasted on me. I just don't feel like that method, schedule, routine, or whatever you want to call it is right for my daughter.
Try swaddling in a small quilt or thick blanket and then turn on an oscilating fan. The swaddling makes baby feel like being held and the fan turning back and forth is a gentle, lulling sound (it also keeps baby from getting too hot). I used it on both of mine and my 11-yr-old still likes the fan in his room.
Blessings,
P. <><
Every baby needs a different amount of sleep. I would try limiting the naps to two daily. If your baby gets up around 6am, then aim for a 9am nap. Then try another nap at 1pm. For a few days your baby will probably be VERY grumpy, especially in the evening. Do whatever you have to do to keep her awake outside of naptime - take her outside to look around, take her to the store, give her a tour of the house, etc. (whatever it takes to keep her engaged and up). Then put her to bed at the time you would like her to go to sleep. At bedtime she will poop out and then the next day she will be more willing to nap longer at naptime. Don't let her go more than 1 hour 15 minutes at her first nap so she will sleep at the second one. You will have to do some tinkering to get your naptime schedule just right, but it will work. I just have spent the last five days doing this and it has been a huge success. I was hosptalized and my son got off of his schedule. It was a nightmare getting him back on it but all I can say is good luck and you will survive it! It is the best for your daughter. And it is ok to let her cry for 7 - 10 minutes in her crib if you know she is full and her diaper is dry. If you can tell she is tired, then you have to give her a chance to fall asleep on her own. Good luck to you! :-)
When they start sleeping well at night, naptime often suffers. And truly, when would you rather they sleep? When my youngest was 5 months (she's almost 7 now), she started sleeping a good 11 hours at night, but her naps were rarely more than an hour each, and she only took two. She doesn't sleep much during the day, but if I can get 12 hours out of her at night, I guess I shouldn't complain!
Once they get mobile, they start wearing themselves out, so naps get longer and better again.
I have a baby that is almost 5 months old and he is only taking 2 naps now. I was giving him 3, but then he didn't want to sleep very well at night. You might try giving only 2. It was very hard doing the change at first because he was so tired. I give him a morning nap and then an early afternoon nap. Then I try to keep him awake for the remaining 4 hours of the day. It is hard sometimes, but that is how he sleeps best. He only naps about 45 minutes to 1 hour at each nap. Good luck with that because I know it is so hard dealing with a tired cranky baby.
I know you said you don't want to use schedule, routine, etc. to help your baby, but I do not really see a better way. All 3 of my kids, my 2 year old and 1 year old twins were on a sleeping routine, and I believe that is why they sleep so good. If they are not on routine, (and I have never read the book "babywise") they will be tired at different times, and you will have varying sleep patterns with her, even at night. If kids are put on a routine nap/sleep schedule, they tend to start getting tired at exactly that time you are putting them to bed. And by the way, I have never had to rock, sing or whatever to get my kids to sleep..I just lay them down, tuck them in and they are asleep in no time. BUT..one thing I might suggest is reading a book every time before nap/bedtime...this helps them understand when nap & bedtime is going to be. My kids all sleep at right around the same time, and if they don't you can tell, they are very tired because they didn't get their nap in or bedtime when they were supposed to. To me, this eliminates a lot of things, because you always know when your child is either tired, hungry, or not feeling well. My 2 year old takes 1 nap a day now, and the twins still get 2 naps in and at night they all go down and NEVER wake up unless my 2 year old has a bad dream or they are not feeling well. Good luck to you, I wish I could give other advice, but I truly believe that this is the best way to help your daughter sleep better & more like she needs.
Hi J.,
I don't know if you're familiar with the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, but I love it. It's not a regimented program, but it gives you a good idea about sleep rhythms in babies and children.
Different babies do need different amounts of sleep, but if you are noticing that your little one is acting tired, she probably does need a little more sleep.
C.
My babies slept on pillows and were very comfortable. It made for long naps.
