45 minute naps *sigh*

We suffer from the 45 minute nap syndrome. Has anyone tried what the Baby Whisperer suggests and disturb the babies sleep before they wake up so that you re-start the sleep cycle. I'm always tempted to try this, but I'm afraid that the day I decide to wake them up will be the day they would have slept through on their own! Also, once my guys wake up, there is no getting them back to sleep unless I rock them and let them sleep on me for the second sleep cycle.

 

I never tried that - for the same reason you listed!

We, too, had 45-minute naps for quite awhile. Around 6ish months they started sleeping for actual chunks of time - like 1-2 hours in the a.m., 1-2 hours in the afternoon, and then a 45-60 minute nap around 4:00.

Hang in there!!

 

We have the same problem. A lot of our naps here are only 30 minutes! I haven't tried what you are describing. I am so happy that my babies are finally alseep that I can't imagine waking them. Even when I try rocking, mine are usually wide awake and won't go back to sleep. If they have slept 30 min. or more I usually get them up. That means we are doing 3, sometimes 4 naps a day. Do you think they will start to nap longer, or will they always be short nappers. I talked to our pedi. yesterday and he made it sound like some babies are born long nappers and other babies are born short nappers.

 

Mine did not start going for longer naps until after 6 months. I would be too terrified to wake them up during the few times they did nap prior to 6 months.
Once they started sleeping longer, they would go 90 min to 2 hours in the morning and the same in the afternoon. Hang in there!

 

I've never tried it either. I've always agreed with the never wake a sleeping baby motto. I'm pretty sure mine didn't start with the long naps until around 6 months. :hug: Frustrating, I know!

 

We experienced the same nap issues when our daughters were that age. I can remember being so frustrated. Their naps lengthened to 1-2 hours around 6 mos as well. We didn't try to intervene and let it happen on its own.

It gets better. Promise <_<

 

I never tried it either. Our naps were very inconsistent until 6 months, which is also when they were both sleeping through the night. I think I might have done CIO to get through the 45 minute awakenings.

 

I've never tried the baby whisperer thing, but I have lately just let my girls re-settle on their own for up to 1/2 hour if they wake up at that 45 min. time frame.

Most of the time it works. Just yesterday, they both woke at 45 min on the dot, so I knew it was a sleep cycle thing. I went in, re-tucked them in without picking them up, and let them talk/cry/sing for about 20 min and they both went back to sleep for an hour and a half!

So, it seems like they're still tired even if they wake up.

If, after 1/2 hour of letting them try to go back to sleep they're still awake, I go ahead and get them up, figuring that at least they've been mostly resting for over an hour total.

They are 6 months now, but this has been happening since about 4 months on and off; more consistently now that they know how to turn over in their crib and really wake themselves up!

HTH!

 

We too suffered from short naps (20-30 min) until probably about 9 months when I sleep trained using the Sleep Easy method. Now most days they can sleep 1-2 hours, unless I don't put them down early enough then its still only 30 minutes. I did not do the sleep training for naps but they just kind of fell into place. I HIGHLY recommend this method if you're not opposed to a little CIO.

 

My DS went through a pahse of catnapping like yours. I followed the Baby Whisperer, and still do, but I never tried that technique as I was afraid to. The good thing is that DS is now the better napper of my two. Hang in there, this phase will pass. :hug:

 

Same here! Before CIO at 5.5mths we were lucky to reach 40mins, i would go in and try to rock them back to sleep but it wasn't guaranteed to work.. it was hellish. Nowadays i can count on them taking a 1hr30min monrning nap, one 2h30min afternoon nap and a hit and miss 40min 3rd nap to carry them through bedtime. I hadn't heard of doing this back then but i would definately of given it a go, i tried everything!! Good luck!