drowsy but awake

My 34 weekers are 3 months old today and I'm having a difficult time with daytime sleeping. Nighttime sleeping is pretty good, they go to bed drowsy but awake around 8:30 or 9:00pm and then we get 2 5-6 hour stretches of sleep out of them getting up for the day around 8:30 or 9:00am. Daytime sleep on the other hand is proving to be difficult, I'm learning their tired cues and I try to put them to bed swaddled and drowsy but awake and they just don't fall asleep. They don't seem particularly unhappy, they just lay there quietly and eventually do some happy baby squawking. From what I've read, if you get their cues right, they will fall asleep on their own, but my boys seem to need help falling asleep (holding, patting, sucking my finger). Do I just keep trying the drowsy but awake and eventually they will get it? What about them getting over tired when they don't sleep? Any hints? I want daytime sleep to be good so we don't end up messing up the night time sleep. I do realize that it is too early for them to have a nap schedule, but I want them to be able to sleep without me helping them to do it. Thanks for any help!

 

Your guys adjusted are only about 6 weeks, so I'm not surprised that daytime sleep is not great yet. Personally I wouldn't worry about them being awake when you lay them down yet. I would be more interested in making sure they are sleeping so they don't get overtired. In another month or two they will be more ready for self soothing. We rocked ours to sleep until they were about 4 months (ours were 37 weeks) and they still learned to fall asleep on their own without too much problem.

We made sure that we put ours down about 90 minutes after they woke and they slept better if they weren't overtired.

 

I agree with pp. I wouldn't worry about them being drowsy/awake right now for nap. At that age(adjusted) we were putting the kids down no more than 90 minutes after they last woke. Sometimes even earlier. Even if they don't seem tired-or showing many cues. With Annabella-I could just put her down around that mark and she would go right down. She was just that tired. But watching her downstairs walking around, etc-you would have never known it.

At that age I usually put them down asleep-I wanted them to sleep! By six months old, I made sure that they were drowsy, but awake.

 

I don't think a little patting is so bad to help them. They are still so young. Also, what about a pacifier? Not sure if you use them.

 

how long do you usually leave them for?

 

I have left them as long as 45 minutes without them sleeping. They aren't upset, just quietly awake.

 

if it were me, i'd just keep leaving them as long as they were content. i would try it for a couple of days & just see what happens. i mean, who knows? maybe they'll fall asleep at the 50 minute mark? ardon: babies are weird.

or the other option would be to soothe them to that super drowsy state & put them down. then just watch for a couple of minutes. if they start to wake up rather than drift off, pick them up & re-soothe to that super drowsy state, and repeat until they drift off on their own.

anyway, just a couple of other things to try. GL!

 

I also think you should just let them hang out - if they are content and not fussing then why not? I am sure they will learn to fall asleep on their own soon.

 

If they're content, I would leave them too! If they have a mobile or something to look at they're probably quite entertained. And I would also soothe them right to sleep at this age.. you can save all the fun CIO and whatever for when they are older and need to learn to self soothe.