In looking around the interweb, it seems that my DD's pattern is not at all abnormal, but I'd just like to hear it from some BB folks!
From ~6am through to ~4 or 5pm, DD will be up (feed, change, play) for 60-75min, show tired signs, I put her back to bed and she sleeps for dead on 45min. (She sleeps 5+ hours at a time through the night). It's beautifully predictable but I get tired of the constant up and down and never being able to get into any jobs properly myself.
Do I just keep rolling with it, following her cues, or do I impose longer times on her? (what does a 3mth old baby do for more than an hour up each time?!)
When did your baby 'decide' to stay up longer and stay down longer through the day?
Yeah, just go with it. She'll change when she's good and ready Do you wear her to sleep at all? Sometimes if they're in a wrap/sling they're more likely to roll over into a longer sleep.
If you can manage to keep her awake longer she 'might' in turn sleep longer (this was the case for some of my friends), although she may be just like my DD1 and no matter long I tried to keep her awake she'd wake at 45 on the dot. Resettling never worked. On the plus side, I've learnt to become really efficient at housework
DD still only wants to be up for 90-120 minutes at a time. I usually feed her to sleep on our bed or on a cot mattress on the floor in the lounge so I don't need to transfer her. It also makes it easier to resettle her on the breast so she will usually go back to sleep easily.
What methods have you used to resettle bubs?
Yeah we still have that at 18 weeks, but like Frangipani Lou, i use the breast to resettle during the afternoon sleep so he gets a big block and i have a snooze too!
Nappy free time is pretty exciting for a three month old!! Watching you hang up the washing while they sit in their rocker and also you talking/singing to them as you do the housework around them are both fairly entertaining.
Yes MadB, if we're out I'm usually wearing her and she definitely gets more sleep if she's in the sling for more than an hour. I don't tend to wear her at home coz I'd rather her play on the floor or sleep in her bed where she can.
To be honest, I guess I haven't tried much to resettle her during the day. She seems very clearly awake when she wakes up and is ready to get up for milk and play. Her tired signs are also really clear so I'm pretty vigilant about putting her to bed as soon as she shows she's ready - trying to avoid overtiredness at all costs!
I guess this pattern suits DD just fine. Perhaps I need to manage me better? lol.
Just roll with it hun, it's not worth the drama of trying to conform to "what's right/normal". This did my head in. I tried ignoring him. Letting him cry a little longer. Doing the "there-there" pat. Doing anything to get him into another sleep cycle so he would do what he was supposed to do.
I ended up buying one of those vibrating bouncer things on gumtree. He would happily sit in that and gaze at shadows on the wall while I vacuumed, dusted, cleaned etc. Other times I'd leave him in his basinette but with me - my basinette was my pram so I was able to wheel him about the house. Sometimes he'd drift off to sleep, other times he was happy just to gurgle and coo and play with his hands and feet. And I'd talk to him and tell him what I was doing. Made for some rivetting conversation...er, not.
I just did what worked for me and for him. I ignored clocks and followed his cue.
He was happy. I was happy.
Oh, and if anyone asked, I'd smile and nod and say yes, yes, of course he sleeps through.......
Agree, just go with it I reckon. Their sleep patterns change so often, and that age is notorious for catnapping. My girl was exactly the same. I despaired of longer naps and then when she hit 7-8 months, they just started happening. I was in shock!
From what I remember with DS, 40 min naps and 1-1.5 hrs of awake time max was the norm here. I sometimes resented that 40 mins wasn't long enough to do much, but I'd choose 1 or 2 short jobs, or break jobs into parts. I also got very adept at folding washing etc while holding a baby! DS hated being worn, but had to be touching me when he was awake! I 'always' put him to sleep in his bassinet as it was the only time he wasn't attached to me! Don't let it worry you, things will change again soon enough!
I agree with the others. Go with it. We have 4-5 40 mins sleeps a day and if I'm lucky a longer one in the arvo resettling on the boob on the couch until my DD wakes us all up from her nap. Sleep changes over time and this will be just a memory before you know it. I agree though, it is tiring so I break up my day to ensure 1-2 sleeps are out and about in the car, pram or carrier. I think DS gets sick of going back into his cot all day too
Thanks all so much for the reassurance
In the days after posting this thread, DD's rhythm went all out of whack and I thought things were magically changing, but no...
I think it's me I need to manage, lol. Would like to be better at attacking jobs in small pieces so things actually get done.
But really, I just want to enjoy my babe while she's little!
This brings me back. My oldest son slept for 40 minutes to the minute from 6 weeks until around 9 months when he moved to 2 solid sleeps. I tried everything but he just grew out of it on his own.
Life was much easier when I stopped stressing around it and built our 'routine' around the shorter sleeps.
Go with it. We are so obsessed with making babies sleep. If she is waking happy and ready to go then she is obviously getting enough sleep. My 6 month old did this at 3 months and has just started sleeping up to 2.5hrs for his day nap and another smaller one. She is sleeping well at night so I'd just go with it. If she wakes up cranky and crying then maybe try resettling.
Both my kids were 45 min nappers at that age. They would have up to 5 x 45min naps during the day and sleep great overnight
I think it was about 6+ months when they started to do the 1-2 hr naps, once the started moving around a bit more and using more energy
Reply With QuoteDo you wear her to sleep at all? Sometimes if they're in a wrap/sling they're more likely to roll over into a longer sleep.
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45 min day sleeps at 12-13weeks
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