Since my daughter was born, she never really napped in the day for more than about 20 - 45 minutes here and there. At first I thought that it was just something that she would grow out of as she slept better at night. Well she is now up to only one wake up at night.
I start with a nighttime bath around 7 - 7:30... and she's asleep by 8:30 PM. She then wakes up usually somewhere between 1 & 2:30 AM and stays awake for about an hour. She then wakes up around 7 AM to start her day. By 9 AM, she falls asleep for about 20 to 30 minutes. She's then awake for an hour to 1.5 hours in continuous intervals with naps from 25 - 45 minutes until the nighttime bath.
When she wakes up from her cat naps, she is not always hungry & mostly just wants to play. She is a formula only baby, so it's not like a nursing thing.
I've tried talking to her, playing with her, taking her outside, ETC to keep her awake longer during the day but she literally passes out where ever/however. Loud noises don't even wake her up during this cat nap period.
Is this maybe something to do with sleep apnea????
This is very normal at this age..
I have an 8 month old (also a preemie) and she cat naps all morning and finally started a decent afternoon nap about 2 months ago..
and it's still hit or miss.
My four month old napped longer after I swaddled her tightly, so now I always swaddle her when she goes to sleep. I also read a few pages of the book "Baby Whisperer". I suggest checking it out. Her "Eat Activity Sleep You-time" routine helped a lot.
Good luck!! =)
Hi A.,
It is probably normal, but you may be able to gently organize her day into some longer rest periods. What I tried with my younger daughter was to feed her a nice, full meal, and then have her "play time" for about an hour or so, and then put her down for her nap. Gradually we were able to increase this cycle to 4 hours - so she would wake up, we would feed her, and then have a long play time (family time, go to the park, or whatever, but awake time), and then a 1-2 hour nap. In my opinion, if a baby wakes up crying from a very short nap, they probably need to go back to sleep because they're not done sleeping yet. I think the key to a happy baby and good sleep time is not putting them to bed right after they eat (not letting them fall asleep at the bottle). Give their little tummies some time to digest before you lay them flat on their backs! That may be especially true with your little one since she has acid reflux. One other thought I had was, is it possible to put the mattress at a slight angle so her head is a little bit elevated? Maybe ask your doctor about that. She may sleep better and have less acid reflux. Just a thought. Good luck!
IMHO this is within "normal operating parameters" of a 3 month old. They're doing an awful lot of growing at this stage so their bodies need a lot of rest.
The book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth does a nice job of summarizing typical sleep patterns during a baby's various developmental stages
hang in there - this is a stage and things *will* get better
Hi A.,
I HIGHLY recommend the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth for sleep training. I have used this book since my 2 1/2 yr old daughter was born and it's great. Because your daughter was born three weeks premature, she is biologically only about 9 weeks old. Dr. Weissbluth recommends putting a baby at this age back to bed within 2 hours of wakefulness. At nine weeks old, their biological rhythms aren't developed yet. At 3-4 months the morning nap around 9am develops. I saw this happen with my own daughter. The trick is to put her to bed before she becomes overtired. What has her doctor said about the acid reflux and apnea? Has he/she recommended switching formula? I have heard some babies have these problems because of cow's milk allergies. I would L. to help you develop a sleep schedule if you are interested. I am a huge advocate for sleep and have seen the positive affects good sleeping habits have on my friends' children and my own. Be patient with your daughter, she will develop healthy sleep habits if you try.
L.
This is not sleep apnea this is a baby, its what they do.. calm down and go with the flow. I am a mother of 7 so I have a huge bit of experience in this department. My son and final child is 4 months old and does the same thing. Its part of growing.
I would say she is trying to catch up on the sleep she doesn't get due to the sleep apnea. What does your Ped say ? It seems you have tried everything so far.
My second daughter had reflux, too. I do not know how connected it is to sleep prolems, but my daughter did not sleep more than 9-10 hours tops in an entire day until she was close to a year old. We tried reflux medication, changing my diet, then different formulas. I did not notice any change until she got older. I never found the answer I (and you) was looking for, but I would just encourage you to talk it over with her doctor until you feel like you're comfortable that everything is ok with your baby. Our doctor was a bit dismissive. Anyway, I guess it might be true that some babies just don't need as much sleep (which is hard for Mom's who need as much as they can get). If she is otherwise healthly, and happy, I am sure given time your baby's sleep will even out. Good luck!
I used to call our now 13 month old son "king of cat naps." He too in the beginning took small duration naps, which in my opinion (and from speaking with other mothers) seems to be common for infants under 6 months. Granted, differs across the board from formula v. breast fed, but even when our son was no longer BFing every 2 hours, I just let him nap as he needed. It wasn't until he was around 6 months where he started his 2 hour naps - 1 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon...and when this finally happened, I went into a brief shock!! I never thought he would ever sleep longer than 20 or 30 minutes during the day : ) With that said, at 6 months he was no longer a cat napper. I will also mention, that it wasn't until around 5 months where our son stopped the early morning wake and feed. For us, the 6 month seemed to be a landmark for sleeping "thru the night" and for longer naps. I think it's just a matter of time and well, a 3-month old is still very young and trying to adjust to their new world and working hard to become a "settled baby" --- I would have to say just be patient, but if you have medical concerns, do ask your pediatrician. But from what you describe and from a fellow mama, your lil' one seems to be doing fine. Just give her time. And well, with children, sleep patterns are ever-changing...this is only the beginning! Best wishes...
If my kids had ever slept as much as yours does. I'd be in heaven! But...your baby has some health stressors, so it definitely could be a factor.
I'm sure you've investigated other formulas to help reduce severe acid reflux. In any case if you haven't checked with an alternative health professional, I would.
Maybe cranio-sacracal therapy for the sleep apnea?? Check with a lay midwife or dula for referrals.
my son was just like this as a baby. by the time he was 1, i think he started taking one or two longer naps during the day...it's exhausting and frustrating, i know. i wish i had a solution for you, but at least i can offer support in that "i've been there" kind of way :). good luck!
