Wednesday, April 08, 2009
.question.
Okay, here's a question for any of you moms reading this. I am trying to get Daniel a little more organized with his eating and sleeping, and he's been pretty predictable about eating. But almost without fail, 45 min. into his naps he wakes up crying, and I can't figure out how to help him get back to sleep. Typically I'll lay him down about an hour after feeding him, and he'll fall right asleep, but then wake up at 45 min. on the dot. I remember Kathryn did this too until she was about 4 months old. Do some babies just need less daytime sleep? Advice? Thoughts?
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13 comments:
ill call ya tomm....i might have some suggestions:)
Rebecca,
I think both of my girls did this too. I just let them cry it out and they would go back to sleep. If you can't stand it, I would go in and give him a little pat and then leave and let him put himself back to sleep. For me, I was scared this would make it worse, so I just let them cry and figure it out. 45 mins is not a long enough nap. I think you can train him to do it. I do remember how tough this was! And I'll be doing it again before long. But be encouraged, both of my girls took great naps once they got into the routine. They would eat every three hours;be awake for one and sleep for the last two of the cycle.
I know, I know, not a mom yet, but your question reminded me of something I'd read about in a book recently . . .
"45-minute intruder: The baby wakes up 45 minutes into a nap. It could be caused by hunger or because the baby is transitioning between relaxed sleep patterns and active sleep patterns. Especially at 6 months, as your child comes out of the relaxed sleep state, his new sense of alertness is affected by familiar sounds...The alertness seems to trigger curiosity, and instead of falling back to sleep, he wakes and cries for you."
I had one sleeper and one non sleeper. With the sleeper, he slept 11-12 hours at night, but only 3 times for about an hour during the day (usually one of those naps was a bit longer). When he was teeny in the middle of the night, he'd nurse and then pretty much go right back to sleep. I was grateful for the long nights sleep, so I put up with the limited daytime rest. With my non-sleeper...it took us about 5 years (he!!) of training and training and he still thinks going to sleep at ANY time, is a foreign concept. I will say that with my sleeper, IF I LET HIM CRY IT OUT, IT DID NOT HELP. Most of the time, he just needed me for a few minutes, I'd rock and hold him and sing and within about 10, he'd be back sleeping again. With my "non sleeper" I'd just close the door, let him wale and do the 10/2: ten minutes of cry, 2 minutes of me patting, rubbing (but NOT picking him up!)
May be gas? :)
jason did that too, but he grew out of it. i let him fuss until he fell back asleep, usually it just took 20 min or so, and then he'd fall asleep for another 45 min. it really is just their sleep cycle. the only thing is i can't remember how old he was when it was no longer an issue.
Caleb did this and it would frustrate me so much because I wanted to be a baby wise mom! haha! it never worked....The Lord really humbled me through that time!!!He just took three to four 45 minute naps until he was about 6 months. He completely changed after 6 months. he started taking much longer naps and now takes 2 naps that last between 1 hour to 2 hours!
I was going to mention the '45 minute intruder' as well : ) Sounds like what you are experiencing. Praying for wisdom for you right now! I know that's hard.
First I would try letting him cry it out. If that doesn't work or if you can't stand it I would make sure he's tightly swaddled, give him a paci, and jiggle him (while he's still laying in the crib) until he's asleep or calm enough to go back to sleep. If that doesn't work I would put him down for his nap in his swing. Jonah napped in his swing for the first month or two. Oh, also try a fan or white noise machine.
There is absolutely a wide variance in how much sleep a baby needs - no such thing as a one size fits all schedule, as easy as that would make our jobs! My babies took better naps if I nursed them beforehand, and then I didn't have to worry about them waking up hungry 45mins into a nap. But Savannah went through one phase where she'd wake up early, and I found for her that comforting her back to sleep was the most effective way of keeping her from waking up too much, and she passed out of the phase before too long. So as you can see there are about a million ways to handle this dillemma... trust your mothering instincts and do what feels right for your own baby...and try not to operate out of fear that this will last forever because it won't. If you need more practical advice the book The No Cry Sleep Solution has tons of hints at helping babies sleep better and develop an individualized routine (but in a "gentle" way).
Hey girl, I'm sorry I read this so late. If it hasn't gotten any better, please, feel free to call or e-mail! I would love to share anything I can.
My girls all did that, and I let them sleep on their bellies. (I know. Totally against the rules. Shoot me.) Anyway, it worked every time. ; )
Elyana was doing that, but 30 minutes. I read somewhere (What to Expect the First Year maybe?) that their sleep cycles vary every 30 minutes or so: going from REM sleep to active sleep. She just seemed to not transition well. I guess everyone has their own suggestions. I know you'll figure out what works. I never handled it one particular way, but I always recognized it as too early to get up, and not true "wake-up" time. Remember, ask God for wisdom, since he promises he will give it!
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