[ShannonMVT]

I'm wondering if there is any way I can encourage longer daytime naps?

The past couple nights he's slept 4 hours, then up for an hour, then back down for 3 hours (well, he woke up in the middle of that last night), which is overall not too bad to me for nighttime. I keep it dark, dress him in a SwaddleMe, nurse him, then hold him up (due to reflux) and rock him until he's sound asleep and then put him in the bassinet.

During the day though, he will fall asleep in my arms as I hold him after a feeding for 10-15 minutes, but then usually wake up when I put him down. Or if he is asleep he'll only sleep anywhere from 30 min to an hour before he wakes up and wants to eat again. It sucks because when he sleeps for such short times it's not long enough for me to catch a nap and I need one (or two). He's also eating every hour or so during the day, not always for a long time, but so frequently. And last night he nursed for 2 hours straight and was still hungry. So I'm guessing this is the 6 week growth spurt? When do I catch a break from all these growth spurts, it seems like he's been in one since he was born!

I'd say during the daytime yesterday he only slept a total of 3 hours. Aren't babies supposed to sleep?!

[soImarriedAnerd]

sounds like----He is sleeping so good at night (and only eating once) that he just likes to eat in the day more to make up for it. Most common growth spurts are 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months....then you graduate to teething! LOL
Doing great job though moma!!!!!

and happy anniversary!!!!!!

[szczepanski]

I am not a mom so I am not recommending this as something I have tried....but I do read a lot doing my "momma research" and I was wondering if you had tried laying down in bed with him next to you, side by side with him close to you so that you can nap, he can nurse and drift on and off to sleep. So that way you are resting, if he wakes up fussy you can just pop your boob in his mouth (since he is right there) and you can both sleep a little.

Of course, I don't know how that will help his reflux from acting up...but it might help you get a little bit of sleep.

[Resi]

That sounds about how Oliver was at that age. He slept best in my arms. If I layed him down he would always wake up after 20-30 mins. When Matthew gets a bit older nap time will become much better. He will start taking two naps per day around the same time. I think Oliver got much better at this around 3-4 months old but it's hard for me to remember. I always have let Oliver go with the flow and followed his lead for the most part. I miss those times of letting him nap in my arms. Now that he is older it doesn't work. Can you try to lay with him to nap?

Originally Posted by szczepanski

I am not a mom so I am not recommending this as something I have tried....but I do read a lot doing my "momma research" and I was wondering if you had tried laying down in bed with him next to you, side by side with him close to you so that you can nap, he can nurse and drift on and off to sleep. So that way you are resting, if he wakes up fussy you can just pop your boob in his mouth (since he is right there) and you can both sleep a little.

Of course, I don't know how that will help his reflux from acting up...but it might help you get a little bit of sleep.

That is what we do at night! All night long.

[**Jenn**]

This sounds just like both my boys. Neither one tolerated being layed down for anything! So we napped together. Usually I'd doze while they were nursing/sleeping or with them sleeping on my chest. Mostly I did this with Liam since there really was no napping time for me when Loch came. It did get better with Loch but Liam was a horrible napper up until he was about a year old and then he started taking good naps. Loch took a couple months though until I could lay him down for naps (I want to say about 3 or 4 months old?). It does sound like a growth spurt too. I think the first 8 weeks especially all I did was nurse. I can't remember being able to do much else. It does get better though and easier and he will put some more time in between nursings and get more efficient at it. As exhausting as it is and as frustrating as it can be try to relax and just enjoy it because this time is so fleeting. We're down to only once a day nursing now and I long for the days that the boob fixed everything and I had my little snuggle baby so close and warm all the time. *sigh*

ETA: I found the biggest problem with laying them down was the transfer. Going from warm snuggly arms to cold sheet wasn't good. So with Loch I started nursing laying down in my bed (with him next to me) and when he was asleep I could slip away (or nap myself). That turned into being able to lay him down in his crib (by about 6 months) but making sure the sheet was warm--I'd have a fleece sheet or blanket to lay him on so it was warmer. Then that progressed into being able to lay him down no matter the sheet. He did always have to be nursed to sleep though but weaned himself from that in time. I've also heard of letting him sleep on one of your shirts (unwashed) so he has your smell.

Shan, what happens if you lay him down and he wakes up and you leave him? Does he cry? If not, try to leave him and encourage him to go to sleep in the bassinet instead of in your arms - I say this cos I have the big problem of Kirsty not being able to go to sleep unless I nurse or rock her. SHe is much heavier now and it's proving a big habbit to break - I have no idea how to break it.

The baby whisperer recommends the "shush/pat" method for babies under 6 months. It's where when you know he is tired, you swaddle him, lay him in the bassinet on his side, pat his back in a rythmic motion (like the tick tock of a clock), and shush at the same time... you keep going until he falls asleep. You can stop shushing if he stops crying, but BW recommend to pat for around 7-10 minutes so he's in a deep sleep.

This wont work for Kirsty - 1. she wont allow swaddling anymore, 2. she gets too upset - so I'd say start it asap. I know I prob sound quite harsh or forward in this, I just know how frustrating it is with Kirsty just now - if you are happy to keep rocking to sleep then that's fine. This method however, teaches baby how to settle himself/herself so that if he wakes in the night but isn't hungry, he should be able to resettle - Kirsty can't. She wakes up and I'm not there, therefore screams in panic. I've taught her this with my feeding/rocking to sleep.

(sorry this turned into a long one!) Did you know there's a change in the sleep cycle at approx 20 mins & 45 mins? It's most often why babies wake up at these points. They can't transition from one sleep to the next. The shush/pat can help through this, if he wakes, you can shush/pat him back off (that's the theory anyway). The more you persevere with helping him into the next sleep, (apparently) eventually he wont need help to do so & will sleep longer.

[Mars]

I'm not sure if you can do this because of his reflux but I read recently that the lying down feeding position can help here. Because he's already lying down while you're feeding him, when he drifts off to sleep and you remove your boob, he may continue to sleep because there's not much disturbance between the transition as there would be when you have to put him down.

I don't think this would be a long term solution though.

[.Brandi.]

Originally Posted by Resi

That sounds about how Oliver was at that age. He slept best in my arms. If I layed him down he would always wake up after 20-30 mins. When Matthew gets a bit older nap time will become much better. He will start taking two naps per day around the same time. I think Oliver got much better at this around 3-4 months old but it's hard for me to remember. I always have let Oliver go with the flow and followed his lead for the most part. I miss those times of letting him nap in my arms. Now that he is older it doesn't work. Can you try to lay with him to nap?



That is what we do at night! All night long.

That's how we do it at night too! I'm no help to you Shannon, Preston is past a year now and still sleeps best on my chest/in my arms. I can lay him on my bed if I lay with him and make sure he stays asleep. It's a struggle with us too!

[ShannonMVT]

I can't really do co-sleeping or side laying nursing with him because of reflux. He'll spit up everywhere if he is laid flat. I have his bassinet mattress inclined. He's also a noisy sleeper and I am a light sleeper and wake up at every tiny noise. This sounds funny, but his bassinet is in our bathroom right next to the bedroom and I keep the monitor set so that I only hear him if he wakes up (and not all the little grunts). I also struggle with him sleeping on my chest because I can't really sleep on my back. I wish I weren't such a picky sleeper! Dh can sleep with Matthew on his chest and that has been a lifesaver in the past. It just doesn't work for naps during the day obviously since he's at work.

Fi, usually he will start to cry once he wakes up but sometimes he will just lay there awake, but not go back to sleep. So sometimes I just use that time to get things done like brush my teeth, etc, till he starts to fuss and wants to be picked up. He also does this thing where he wakes up and will start to cry, he cries for about 30 seconds, then suddenly stops and goes back to sleep. He did it today in the middle of his nap. I've finally learned to wait a few seconds before I rush in there, because so many times I get there and he's already stopped crying! But usually that continues until at some point he reaches full on screaming so sometimes I have to go get him before it gets to that point, even though it means waking him up. Anyway, yup, Matthew almost always has to be nursed to sleep and rocking usually helps as well. I can see how that may be tough later, but it's tempting to just keep doing that if it works. It's only recently he started sleeping these longer stretches at night in his bassinet and it is really nice! I just need that extra bit of sleep during the day and I will feel awesome.

I had some success today with a nap... I undressed him and swaddled him, then nursed him and rocked him to sleep and was able to put him down after one false start. He slept 2 hours! I hadn't wanted to swaddle during the day because I read you should only do it so many hours, but maybe I'll start trying this for an afternoon nap. It may have been a fluke but hopefully not!

I guess this was Matthew's anniversary gift to mommy and daddy! Dh and I are celebrating 5 years today! And I had a shower this morning AND a nap this afternoon! Woot! I may be ready for sexy time.

Thanks all for the suggestions and advice, I will be trying some different things you brought up and see how it goes.

[*Anna*]

Happy Anniversary Shannon

Originally Posted by Resi

That sounds about how Oliver was at that age. He slept best in my arms. If I layed him down he would always wake up after 20-30 mins. When Matthew gets a bit older nap time will become much better. He will start taking two naps per day around the same time. I think Oliver got much better at this around 3-4 months old but it's hard for me to remember. I always have let Oliver go with the flow and followed his lead for the most part. I miss those times of letting him nap in my arms. Now that he is older it doesn't work. Can you try to lay with him to nap?



That is what we do at night! All night long.

Thats what we do all night long too and it works great. During the day we have only been successful with naps while I or DH are holding her. I usually hold her and take a nap too... and she does about 2-4 naps a day. BUT!!!! Right now!!! She is fast asleep in her swing! Has been for almost an hour now!!!! Its a start!!!!-- ok she woke up after about 48 mins... so its a start... Right!!! Interesting about the wake cycle at 20 mins and 45 mins... Fiona where did you read that... I tried the shush patting... my jaw hurt after about a min of shh shh shh... breath... shh shh shh... and so on!!! Hard!@

[ShannonMVT]

Originally Posted by *Anna*

I tried the shush patting... my jaw hurt after about a min of shh shh shh... breath... shh shh shh... and so on!!! Hard!@

I tried the shushing a week or two ago when I had a cold, and then I'd start hacking and coughing! Less than successful!

Oh now we are eating dinner had him on his tummy for tummy time and he just fell asleep. He loooves being on his tummy. I wish I felt okay letting him sleep that way all the time, but I only do it when we can watch him.

[.Brandi.]

Shannon, I don't know if this will help you, but I thought Preston had some issues with reflux so to nurse during sidelay, I would prop a pillow under my arm (tightly) and then put Preston with his head in the crook of my arm and his face at my breast. That seems to help him with reflux and I could nurse without hurting my incision from the c-section.

I know what you mean about doing what works - and that is perfectly fine, don't let anyone tell you that you are spoiling him or anything. I just came through a rough few weeks because MIL drummed it into me I shouldn't nurse to sleep. I tried everythig else & all it did was result in a cranky Kirsty, and upset me and a stressed daddy.

Do what works as long as you are ok & comfortable doing it. I hope my post up there didn't sound preachy

The shushing does hurt your jaw!!!!

I K her own room at 3 weeks old!!!!

[ShannonMVT]

Fi you don't sound preachy at all! I am glad to get BTDT advice. Sorry your MIL was giving you a hard time. I think loads of women have to nurse their babies to sleep.

When I find something that works I cling to it like a spider monkey on crack. Then I get irritated when it stops working and I have to find something new! Like when he stopped liking his swing.

[Frozendesire]

Haha Shannon, I'm the same way with both boys. When we get into a perfect schedule and things are working great I stick to it... then they change their minds and I just go outta my mind! haha.

I don't have much more advice then what the ladies have given you. I'm pretty relaxed in my parenting. Both Curtis and Dustin have slept on their tummies starting early because they slept wonderfully that way. I also am nursing Dustin for night and nap time, as I did with Curtis. Hey, it works!!! Usually those if Dustin wakes up during transfer from my arms to crib I just pat his back and shhh him. It "usually" works haha.

Oh and he wont nap for long unless we are both laying down in bed, then he nurses and sleeps off and on for a couple hours... so this ONLY happens if Curtis naps and well... that doesn't always happen. Other then that he just naps for 30 mins or so here and there.

sounds like a lot of our babies are very similar!