Longer naps?

My boys are the kings of 20 minute naps. I have tried..patting their backs when they start crying and also letting them cry for a minute or two. Neither of these 2 things work. They will be 4 mths old on Friday. I can usually get them to nap without too much of a problem but the staying asleep part is what the problem is.
Any ideas for me? They are clearly still tired but keep waking!

 

I can relate. Mine ONLY sleep for EXACTLY 45 minutes.. I can set my watch by the time. It's incredible. I have tried everything and have finally accepted the fact that this is how it's going to be.

They are often still tired but there is nothing I can do about it. Nothing works.. once they're up; they're up!

I do use a vacuum cleaner cd that is one hr long and put it on repeat (of course- I have never needed repeat LOL..) but the point is- if they did sleep longer there is a cd to "help" them..

I don't have any tips for you except to maybe work on accepting it for what it is.. Don't fight it. It just makes it worse. They might get longer once they get a bit older also. The patting back thing never worked for me and I always wondered how in the world it worked for anyone else.. There is no way mine are going BACK to sleep.. Once I see the eyeballs-- it's all over! Now that I KNOW that-- I'm okay with it.. It's much much much harder when you mistakenly thing you're going to change it- .

Good luck and give it time.

 

QUOTE(ivfbound078 @ Apr 2 2008, 04:21 PM) [snapback]701748[/snapback]
Once I see the eyeballs-- it's all over!


OK, that cracked me up.
Thanks.

yes, my daughter was a 40 minute napper at this age but 20 mins...just crazy! I guess they figure they are doing 20 mins each that equals 40 mins and all is good??
I guess I will just wait it out....thanks again!

 

mine only really started taking longer naps at about 4.5 months. They were doing the short cat naps too and it was driving me nuts so I really worked on only having them up for 2hrs max before putting them down again. The first time I did it, they took a 2 hour nap. First thing in the morning when they get up, I feed them then cuddle with them for a half hour to an hour and then put them right back in the crib and they have a very good nap. I LOVE it! Good luck!

 

QUOTE(PJ @ Apr 2 2008, 07:09 PM) [snapback]701729[/snapback]
My boys are the kings of 20 minute naps. I have tried..patting their backs when they start crying and also letting them cry for a minute or two. Neither of these 2 things work. They will be 4 mths old on Friday. I can usually get them to nap without too much of a problem but the staying asleep part is what the problem is.
Any ideas for me? They are clearly still tired but keep waking!


Don't feel bad - our boys (will be 4 months next week) & they both did the same thing... 20 mins... no more, no less and NEVER at the same time! Our oldest is "slipping up" & napping a little longer the past few days when I feed him, let him get REAL relaxed & then put him in his pappasian swing. He talks himself to sleep after 10-30 mins & will sleep between 40 mins to 1hr. now. I think the only saving grace that changed his no nap pattern was that he seems to be going through a growth spurt & he's sleeping more. The younger boy however still isn't giving in. He wakes up @ 3am & thinks it's play time until bedtime @ 7pm!!

~ Mom of Zackary (9lbs 11 1/2oz) & Ethan (8lbs) @ birth
Born 10 days early on 12/6/07 - biggest twins ever born at our hospital!

 

QUOTE(rudy893 @ Apr 2 2008, 06:51 PM) [snapback]702010[/snapback]
Don't feel bad - our boys (will be 4 months next week) & they both did the same thing... 20 mins... no more, no less and NEVER at the same time! Our oldest is "slipping up" & napping a little longer the past few days when I feed him, let him get REAL relaxed & then put him in his pappasian swing. He talks himself to sleep after 10-30 mins & will sleep between 40 mins to 1hr. now. I think the only saving grace that changed his no nap pattern was that he seems to be going through a growth spurt & he's sleeping more. The younger boy however still isn't giving in. He wakes up @ 3am & thinks it's play time until bedtime @ 7pm!!

~ Mom of Zackary (9lbs 11 1/2oz) & Ethan (8lbs) @ birth
Born 10 days early on 12/6/07 - biggest twins ever born at our hospital!



OK, off topic, but WOW on your little ones birth weights!!! How oh how did you carry those babies??!!!!!! Superwoman!!!

Mine take 20 minute naps too & it killlllls me.....I cannot wait till they sleep for longer so I can actually get something done around here

 

I followed the advice of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. At 5 months we started implementing a nap schedule so my girls were left in their cribs for 1 hour, 3 times per day whether they napped or not. Of course I never left them in there screaming but otherwise they were in there for that length of time. Eventually naps settled into place and they started extending them. It did take some time though.

 

Athena is a brilliant napper andcan get a good 2 - 3 hours stretch and look vry sleepy still when she wakes up. Victoria on the other hand needs ver little sleep AND she sleep very light. I have given up on getting her to sleep more. She just dont need tht much seep. Path of least resistance.....

 

Well it's nice to know I am not alone with the 20 minute nappers.

Michelle, I have just put that book on request at the library. Not sure when I will get time to read it but can't hurt to try.

Rudy, wow you had HUGE babies! good job!! My boys were born 12/4 but not quite as big as yours..

 

wow- mine were born very close to yours and the same way- don't really know what to do either- have tried putting them in the crib during the day... but the most I usually get is an hour if I am lucky. they like to tag team each other and sleep at different times! ugh!

 

I hear you on the tag teaming!! Same as you the most we get is an hour and that is So rare. They love 20 minute naps and it's crazy! Mine sleep in their cribs too...they hate the swing. I wish they liked it.

 

Have you tried playing music, that helpd teach mine to take longer naps and STTN. Help get back to sleep. My DD once awake, doesn't go back, So I know the feeling, but usually she will nap for longer. YOu could also try blocking the windows to make it darker. I had my DD sleeping in my closet for a while and it helped. Hopefully they will settle down soon..

 

If they wake at 20 min, they are probably waking after completing one deep sleep cycle and are having a brief awakening before going back into deep sleep and just don't transistion into that next sleep cycle, but stay awake.

If they wake at 20 min, try waiting outside the room a few minutes before you anticipate them waking and going when they first start to stir (before crying, before you see eyeballs!) and pat their bottoms or whatever you think would work to help them sleep longer.

A few days of this and maybe they will sleep longer on their own.

I did this my my ds. I nursed him for a few seconds (we co-slept so I just laid down on the bed and didn't have to pick him up) before he fully awoke. I did this for a few days and he started to take longer naps on his own.

HTH

 

I don't mean to rain on the parade of anyone, but mine are STILL short nappers at times....and they're pushing 9 mos! I usually get an hour now, if I'm lucky more than that...but we still get 30-40 min naps. It's SOO frustrating!

Here's my tips for what helped mine nap longer (aside from just getting older & stretching time between naps):

Room darkening shades
White noise machine
Lullaby CD (which we actually STOPPED b/c it seems to 'wake' them now)
The SAME routine before laying down (naps & bedtime)
Separating them so they don't wake each other
Making sure they're FULL before naptime (we go straight to our cribs after breakfast & lunch in their high chairs)


Really, time is what it took for mine. On the RARE occasion that they wake REALLY early from something....like a noise, coughing, teething, etc....I can MAYBE soothe them back. Conner likes his head rubbed & Aiden likes his back rubbed. Teething tablets have also helped lengthen our naps during teething times...it's amazing how quickly they'll fall back to sleep after I shove the tablets in their mouth !

Crying has NEVER worked for mine. I've let them cry for an hour & they still haven't fallen back to sleep.

Hang in there...it does get better. In the mean time, try not to glare too much at those who get 3 hr nappers (even more so, those who get 3 hr nappers who nap at the SAME time!)......