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csburky
02-19-2005, 05:28 PM
Hi
My DS is 11 weeks old and is waking into every nap during the day after 45 minutes (as I mentioned in a previous response to someone else). I have been told to let him cry for 10-15 minutes but how do I know that he is still tired and not just ready to get up? If he is truly rested, will he wake up cooing instead of crying? I guess I just don't know how to differentiate when his nap time is really over. Thanks for any input

inmypjs
02-20-2005, 12:58 PM
Hello, I think it was my original post that you responded to and mentioned your 45 minute nap trouble. My son is now 13 weeks and often wakes up at 45 minutes on the dot. As I mentioned before, in the swing he would go back to sleep but in his crib he cries at this point.

For awhile I was wondering the same thing you are, so when he woke up at 45 minutes I just did different things to see what would happen. When I unswaddled him and tried to play with him, he always continued crying and fussing and rubbing his face and eyes (his major "tired" cues). I have also offered him food before, to rule out hunger, and he never ate much. So, that is how I figured out that he was still tired. My gut also told me that 45 minutes is just not a very long nap.

My son has sometimes woken up smiling, but more often than not he whimpers and cries. On the occasions he is ready to get up, I think he is just crying for someone to come get him and he will stop crying and be happy once he's up and about. If he's still tired he will continue to fuss and rub his face/eyes.

I hope that helps!

By the way, I have since picked up a copy of the Baby Whisperer book. My husband and I are currently trying to transition my son from the swing to the crib for naps. This is day 1, so we'll see how it goes. We are trying to be very consistent. In your response to my post you mentioned you had tried some of the things in the book? I would love to hear more about that if you want to email me.

Katie

csburky
02-21-2005, 02:09 PM
Hi Katie,
sounds like we have the same kids! I started following the E.A.S.Y program from day 1....literally, he was still in the nursery at the hospital!! I have found it to work wonders, especially in terms of having a definite feeding schedule. I always know when Jack is hungry because he has gotten so used to eating at the same times every day. i really like the idea of eating, then playing, then sleeping. it just makes sense. Jack has gone down in his crib fairly easily since around 2 weeks, with minimal crying. however, the naps that follow his 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. feeding are a different story. i, like you, would usually put him in the crib to ensure a good 2 hr nap. i just got the book that follows the original baby whisperer book called something like "the baby whisperers problem solving guide". i decided to implement her ssshhh-pat technique for when he wakes up after 45 minutes. i was gung-ho to test it today but he slept in the crib from 10:20-12:30!. he just went down again at 1:45, so i will see what happens. my next task is to stop his habitual 5 a.m. waking!!! write back with any questions that you may have!!
Colleen

jillylane
02-21-2005, 08:26 PM
Colleen, my daughter is 11 weeks old, and I'm dealing with the same issue. She almost always naps for exactly 45 minutes! It's frustrating not knowing for sure whether she's really done napping. Most of the time I just get her out of bed then, because she's crying.

So I was reading your post, and Katie's, with interest.

I keep telling myself that her napping will change (get better) as she gets older. But I guess I want to be sure that I'm reacting in a way which will ensure that. And so far, I can't find any answers in the sleep books that I've read.

Karenn
02-21-2005, 11:52 PM
Both of my kids started taking 45 minute naps at around 6 weeks. For both of them, I discovered that 45 minutes was not long enough. I couldn't tell by judging their demeanor when they woke up though. My DD will still sometimes wake up fussing after a 2.5 hour nap, but wake up happy as a clam after 30-45 minutes!

What helped me determine that 45 minutes was not long enough was the fact that both my kids would wake at night far more frequently on days that they only took 45 min. naps. On days when they took naps that were at least an hour, they slept significantly better at night.

The other thing that helped me realize that 45 minutes was too short was the fact that when they were sleeping in the sling, on me, or in the car their naps would last at least 1.5 hours. Only naps in the crib were short.

Until my daughter was about 4 months old, I made sure she took longer naps by holding her or carrying her in a sling. After that she was better able to nap in her crib and we did a couple of things to help her learn to sleep longer at nap time.

There are many sleep experts who say that a 45 minute nap might be long enough (Jodi Mindell and Marc Weissbluth are two that come to mind) so your baby might be fine after 45 minutes. I just found that my kids needed longer, more consolidated naps.

HTH,