DD2 now 17 weeks, is a queen catnapper...sleeping only 20-60mins all day til night time.
I am wondering how long this phase will last and if I can help her sleep longer?
Any stories, help or advise welcome.
Nina was a catnapper, and I had to teach her to sleep through the first cycle so she would then sleep through for 1-3 hours at a time.
Babies generally start getting restless at around 30 min into their sleep (first cycle). So at around this time, go in to her, and when you see her starting to get restless, resettle her. You don't need to pick her up to do this, pat her on the back, put her dummy in, give her a bottle/boob (however it is that she has her milk). Keep doing this for a few days and you'd be surprised how successful it is.
my DD was the queen of catnapping - until Saturday. we just decided we couldn't deal anymore, so started doing everything to extend her sleeps. she's now having at least two decent day sleeps of between 1.5 and 2.5 hours, and, if she wakes early in the morning, a third shorter nap in the early evening.
we started by feeding in the lounge (different routine to bed time so she knows day from night still), up to her room, put her down awake, and off to bed. we play the same music as we do at night. as soon as we heard signs of stirring, we'd go and put her dummy back in - it was enough to get her to stay asleep.
for a little girl that used to refuse to sleep for anyone but me, no where but ON me during the day (great night sleeper though!) - she is now sleeping much much better. yesterday was a bad day, but she hadn't had a dirty nappy in nine days so was rather upset by it! even daddy can settle her now! woot!
Yes it does end! DD only used to sleep for 30-40 mins, every 2nd or 3rd day she would have a 1 1/2 - 2 hour sleep in the afternoon. These days she usually has 3 or 4 sleeps during the day, one or two of them might only be half an hour/45 mins but she will have at least one 1 hour sleep, and if I'm lucky a 2-3 hour sleep. We didn't really do anything, but if she woke up either crying or still looking tired (rubbing eyes, grumpy etc) then I would put her dummy back in and 8 times out of 10 she will go back to sleep.
I know how frustrating it can be when they only have short sleeps during the day, it makes the day seem to go forever!
Yes it can get better. My DD knew how to self settle herself to sleep from a young age but STILL catnapped for months 40min cycle that was it - couldn't resettle herself we couldn't either, so just put her down for 4 40min sleeps a day . Then she just stopped around 5/6 months and started sleeping for 1.5-2 hrs at a time twice a day. No idea why.
My DS was a great catnapper - 30-40 min sleeps during the day was all he would do. Until, at 6 months, I started wrapping him again (I use the angel wrap but I had stopped a few months earlier as that seems to be the general advice). Anyway, he's 10 months now and I still wrap him during the day and it's still working. On the days when he manages to get one or both arms out before going to sleep he seems to wake himself up after 1 sleep cycle, but if he stays wrapped he'll go 1.5-3 hours Strangely enough, he is fine at night and doesn't need to be wrapped then.
I've tried everything except wrapping DD (now 7 months - she hates being wrapped), and she still catnaps most daytime naps. One exception is when her dad sleeps with her - that seems to keep her out - maybe the sound of his snoring?
But she's happy. I stopped worrying that she wasn't getting enough sleep months ago, because she seems fine. Very calm and cheerful.
My cat-napper had to grow out of it himself. He was a great self-settler at night, but nothing could convince him beyond 40 minutes during the day. Eventually I just went with the flow rather than killing myself trying everything under the sun to get him to nap longer.
He started taking longer naps somewhere around 7-9 months, I think. It tended to coincide with an increase in his activity- ie- crawling, which must have tired him out a bit more, and also with his dropping to two naps. Actually, his naps seem to get longer the older he gets
It will pass- I rarely hear or 12 or 18 months old children who will only sleep for 40 minutes.
Catnapping - does it end? Can I 'fix'it?
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. Then she just stopped around 5/6 months and started sleeping for 1.5-2 hrs at a time twice a day. No idea why.
Strangely enough, he is fine at night and doesn't need to be wrapped then.
I was so excited maybe a sign things are changing? *fingers crossed*
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