35 minute naps!?!?!?

All of a sudden my boys are taking 35 minutes naps (well, I think one is and the other is being woken up), which isn't even one sleep cycle. It's driving my crazy since they obviously need more sleep, so I'm looking for advice.

• They are almost 8 months (6.5 months adjusted)
• They sleep from about 6:30-6:45pm to ~6:30am (used to be 7am, which is much preferred, so we leave them talking in their cribs until 7am), with one wake up for Bfing sometime around 2 or 3am
• I have always followed the 90 minutes awake and then back to bed and until recently has worked out to 2 approximately 1.5 hour naps and one 45 minute cat nap in the late afternoon
• Up until this week, if they had a short nap it was always 45 minutes which is what I think is one sleep cycle for them, and as they get older their sleep cycles should be getting longer, not shorter!
• We still swaddle, and everytime we've tried to wean them off they've shown they aren't ready as night time sleep gets really interupted
• We are not CIO people (not that they need it since they are actually quite happy when they wake up albeit after only 35 minutes)

I realize that their sleep needs are probably changing since they are getting older, and this is what I've tried:

• Separate cribs in the same room, up until about a week ago (actually when their naps went from 45 minutes to 35 minutes co-incides with this...we tried separate cribs thinking they were causing a rash of only 45 minutes naps by waking each other up)
• I've tried awake times (for the first nap) from everywhere from 1:15 to 2 hours
• Tried soothing back to sleep (didn't work, only woke the other baby)
• Tried leaving them in their room for 1 hour...eventually they get cranky
• Just right now I tried putting them back in the same crib...we'll see what happens

The reasons I think they still need longer naps are:

• One day after only 3-35 minutes naps the day before (and interrupted night sleep) they took 1-45 minute nap, a 1:15 nap, and a 1 hour nap and had a good night's sleep that night
• For the third nap of the day, one boy WOULD not go to sleep (he had been so tired (due to 35 minute naps!) that he fell asleep nursing despite everything I did to keep him awake and got enough of a sleep, like 5 minutes, to make him not feel sleepy), so I put him in a carrier and got him to sleep on me for 1:45 and his brother slept for 2:15!

I realize this is a lot of information to wade through, but do you have any advice? Could this be a phase? Is there anything I can do to help them sleep longer? Did this happen with your kids and they eventually went back to longer naps?

Thank you in advance!

 

It's possible they are ready to drop the 3rd nap (and change the timing of the other two naps). Mine did that around 8 months (though not as early as 6, I don't think).

One thing I eventually learned during the first year, though I know this is not what you want to hear, is that no sleep "schedule" lasted more than a few weeks.

For us, this was partly because of daycare -- they would put them down for a nap whenever they "looked tired" (which was probably well past their sleep cues) and then get them up as soon as they started making any noise at all, for fear of waking up everyone else who was napping at that time. So for much of the first year, their naps were anywhere from 20-60 minutes and they took anywhere from 2-5 naps a day! (Counting things like falling asleep in the car on the way home from daycare.)

But even without daycare, they just may not settle into a predictable schedule until they are down to 2 naps or even one. They're growing so fast and their sleep needs are changing.

I would certainly split them up (in separate rooms) if at all possible. On weekends, ours actually napped mainly in the stroller (because it was the most reliable, and also the most pleasant, way for us to get them to sleep) until about 6 months. At that point it got too hot to be taking 2-hour walks at midday, so we put Amy in a Pack & Play in the office and Sarah in her crib. That's where they stayed (for naps) until they were 3. Amy always took longer to fall asleep and woke up first, and Sarah needed her sleep. :ibiggrin:

Also, weather-permitting, do consider the stroller as the world's best sleep-induction device. Sorry not to have more advice -- maybe someone who is more in the FY trenches will have better suggestions.

 

I agree with the pp that maybe they are ready to drop to two naps. Our boys did that around 8-8.5 months. I know the 2-3-4 schedule works really well for some people. If you aren't familiar with that, first nap is 2 hours after wake up, second nap is 3 hours after waking from morning nap, and bedtime is 4 hours after waking from afternoon nap.

Our boys are awful catnappers - a normal day for us is 11 hours at night and two 40-minute naps, and they have been this way for months (and they didn't STTN until 9.5 months). Every once in awhile, a longer nighttime sleep or nap will get thrown in there, but for the most part, they seem happy, so I try not to worry too much. Today they took TWO 90 minute naps - not sure where that came from, but I got a lot done! :laughing: Naps can be frustrating - as soon as I think we have a schedule, it changes and gets all mixed up again, so hang in there!

 

I was going to start a similar topic.
I have 1 who naps for around 30 mins even though she seems to need more sleep. Most times though she just. won't. go. back. to. sleep!!!!
The other usually wants to sleep for much longer and usually I wake her after an hour so that they are on a similar schedule. Is this wrong?! I don't know what to do. I 've always done this with them but as they get older, it seems cruel to be waking the sleeping one.

They have been having 2 naps for a few weeeks now.

 

Oh boy, did this post take me back to when my girls were young... they did the same thing, 35 minutes was the magical time and they would wake up consistently at that time. I was SOOOOO frustrated. It seemed as though their sleep cycle was just 35 minutes and they COULD NOT get past that first arousal period without waking.

Unfortunately, we suffered through until we did CIO at 8 months and since that time they have been GREAT sleepers!

You're not alone, but i do remember how difficult it was. I think it is just a phase, but consider CIO to help them develop HEALTHY sleeping patterns so everyone is more rested! GL

 

I'd probably try dropping the 3rd nap and spacing out the two naps a little more. They're probably ready to start being awake for longer periods of time. From until about 7-8 months to about 15 months mine had a morning nap from 9:30-noon and then a shorter afternoon nap that was pretty variable but usually started around 2:30.

CIO was really the only thing that worked for us, so I am not sure what other advice to give. If they're sleeping through the night mostly you've got a pretty good start! Naps do seem to change frequently in the first year. I would probably put them down consistently at the same times every day for a good solid 10 days and leave them for at least 45 minutes until they get the routine. Whatever you choose to do, just make sure it's consistent for a couple of weeks so they get the idea. I know it's frustrating when they're not sleeping during the day, but consistency does really help set up a good schedule.

 

I think I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that T1 wants to sleep more through the day and t2 75% of the time will wake after 30mins in the day. Occasionally she'll have 1-1/2 hrs but usually 30mins.

I usually leave her in her cot for another 1/2 hr while her sister keeps sleeping to try and get her to go back to sleep. But....... when she's awake, she's awake. :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:

I'm sure too that if my day sleeper was allowed to sleep as long as she wants during the day instead of being woken up, she probably would sleep alot better at night! :gah: :gah:

 

I would say they are ready to drop one of the naps. (which has already been said I'm sure).

Sounds like you are doing an amazing job though. Just keep it up. Sometime they just go through rough phases...

 

I agree they sound ready to drop that cat nap and space the other 2 naps out more. Mine did that around 7-8months too and they were 6wks early as well. I also agree to be consistent...they will follow your cues as well as you following theirs so as long as they aren't beyond tired at 2 hours try putting them down after 2 hours awake time rather than 1.5, stick with it for a week or so before trying something new. I will say as they get closer to 1 their naps will become more consistent and stay that way until they drop to 1 nap. Good luck!

 

We have had a very similar problem. They were wonderful nappers and night sleepers for several months and then when DD1 started pulling herself up in her crib they both thought it was party time!! Mine are almost 9 months and still take the 3rd nap if they didn't nap well for the other two naps.. the one thing that helped us get them to stop playing and talking so much was to seriously darken the room. I am not a fan of separating them, but have done it in the past and it does work when they are really tired. The problem for us was that the less sleep they got during the day, the more likely they were to wake up at night.. which is the first time that has happened since they were 4 months old..

The one thing you might try.. I don't think I read it anywhere yet on this thread... is to try putting them down for a very early bedtime.. I'm talking very early. If our girls did not take a nap they are seriously in bed and asleep by 5:30pm and sleep through until morning. If you do the super early bedtime for a week or so and let them get caught up on the sleep they have missed, then their naps may very well lengthen.. ours are finally getting back to a better length of naps now that we get them caught up on sleep. The other thing that we are trying is playing with the timing of the naps.. it def seems to have an impact on the length of the nap. The only other thing that really works for us is something it doesn't sound like you would want to try, but we did CIO at the beginning and have not had to do it much since then.. but we do leave them in their beds for a full hour and a half for BOTH naps.. the thought is.. they can talk, they can fuss (we usually check them if they are full out crying and make the decision whether to get them up or not).. it doesn't really matter what they are doing as long as they are "resting."

It has def worked for us twice in the past. Good luck to you! Sleep is such a tricky thing!

 

I do usually leave the early waker in her cot for another 20-30 mins even if she is awake. She rarely goes back to sleep.

One question. I agree with trying to leave them in their cots for some time if they wake too soon.
But how do you find that impacts on the length of time until they have their next nap.
EG.If they are normally awake for 2 hrs between sleeps, and they wake after only 30mins and are left in bed for another hr, would you wait another 2 hrs before naptime or count the 'awake' time in bed as part of that 2hrs? (I hope that makes sense!)

Who would've thought sleep could be so technical?!!

 

I would just set specific times of day to put them down.. naps are at 9 am and 2 pm, for example. I don't think it will take long before they figure out the routine.

 

On the days when I'm tearing my hair out because t2 has woken after 30mins yet again, I try to look at it a different way. (In the hopes of calming myself lol :headbang: :headbang: :FIFblush:
They are 2 different babies, with 2 different personalities, and 2 completely different sleeping patterns. YOu can encourage those sleeping patterns to align, but you can't make them be the same. You wouldn't grab any 2 singletons and expect them to be the same.

:crazy: :crazy: :crazy: Note to self: The above comment is not working lol! :crazy: