Mummies with babies who catnap...

[Rooster30]

How do you cope?!

My daughter only naps for 30-45mins at a time. Frankly, I don't HUGELY mind. But I do find it frustrating because it gives me no time with my son. What is especially frustrating is that she will sleep for longer but really really fights it - but after settling down for the second time, she sleeps well.

Should I just leave her how she is and deal with the catnaps or try to encourage longer naps somehow?

She does sleep through the night - for this i am very grateful! But she is a clingy baby, very much a mummies girl and the short naps are hard work for me and my son to deal with, especially since she doesn't like me putting her down on a mat/bouncer for more than 5 mins at a time...

 

[CARNAT22]

We have a catnapper here. It's very rare for her to have longer than 30 minutes (she sleeps better at night but still nowhere near sleeping through)

I tend to just get on with my day. We go out by 10am most days. Usually home by 1-2pm but occasionally later. We have lots on offer locally but obviously I choose what we do to suit James. We do parks / museums / libraries / visit friends and family. Other than the occasional bum change and a quick feed Bee is happy in her pram and she'll nap or have a nosy or I pop her in the sling.

But yep basically she fits in with me and James. I know my attention is often divided so I make sure James gets to choose (within reason) what we do.

If we have a rare day in then Bee gets popped in her bouncer or jumperoo so James and I can paint or make cakes or whatever....

Bee was a complete limpet until she was about 12 weeks but she has eased up a lot now.

I'm not sure how I could make her nap longer to be honest so I just put up with the catnaps.

X

 

[candymycandy]

Same issue here. Joel would only rarely have longer than 45 mins and now for the last 1-2m it rarely goes past 30 mins. Fairly frustrating as it doesn't leave a lot of time to get stuff done around the house but I've tried everything I've read on the web and nothing makes him go longer. This is just the length of a sleep cycle. I shouldn't complain as he more or less sleeps through. Have you tried just leaving her 5 mins when she wakes to see if she goes back off? Sorry you probably have! X

 

[northerngirl]

Same here as well, fights sleep until the bitter end then half an hour is about the max when he does fall asleep. I feel your pain because it makes life very difficult sometimes.
I'm afraid the only things I can suggest don't really help you 'cos all I do is take him out in the pram or car to get him to sleep or let him nap on me, but that doesn't give more free time just means they get a bit of sleep xo

 

[Rooster30]

I think I might just have to accept that she is pants at pushing past that sleep cycle and accept it for what it is. My son was rubbish at getting to sleep but once he got to sleep he stayed there for a good 1.5-2hours. I guess i'm frustrated because she CAN sleep for longer; and after a lot of fighting she does sleep for an hour or more after waking from her 30-40min catnap. I also know she isn't hungry when she wakes too.

BUT she does sleep through the night so I really feel I can't complain. Maybe I should just relax about it all.

 

[CARNAT22]

For the past two nights my child has decided to catnap AT NIGHT. So for 2 nights now I have seen every bloody hour... and I am not a happy bunny.

X

 

[Rooster30]

Ouch!! Urgh, I don't think I could cope with that. I feel for you

My daughter has been a great night sleeper almost from the get go. So so so lucky. I'm definitely not taking it for granted.

Having her sleep through the night almost helps me cope during the day. Though I always get ticked off by her cat naps by about 1pm and hit my own wall of tiredness.

 

[Flosi]

My LO will not sleep in the day, I have now taken that as a given, and I make sire she is changed, fed etc and wants for nothing, of she is still being grumpy or not sleeping I just leave her in her own company for a while, if she cry's I just leave her to it for a few moments. 9 times out of 10 she will then stop and just watch the world go by.

 

[kitten2014]

how very unusual flossi but if that works for her then great, our lil miss is now getting so excited with things that she fusses when prepare her for naps simply cos she doesnt wanna miss anything...once down and settled she sleeps well...

 

[Lucyboo]

We have a cat napper too. She barely sleeps at all in the day, I'm lucky if I get half an hour maximum, the only godsend is she is currently sleeping brilliantly at night. most things in the day I have her attached to me.

 

[Kay Kay]

My lo used to be a cat napper. You could set your watch by him, 40 mins on the button. Unlike you though it really bothered me cos I couldn't get anything done. Then I read somewhere online that you should put them down for naps where they sleep at night. My lo napped in his carrycot from the pram in the living room so I started putting him down in his big cot upstairs and he did start sleeping longer. After he turned 6 months he was up to an hour then it got a bit longer. Now at 2 he can nap for 3 hours!

 

[littlemonkey]

My eldest was a really crap napper. He would only ever have half an hour. He napped better in the car seat, so I would always take him out for a long walk in the morning to get him to nap, when he'd probably have an hour and then I'd make sure I got out with him in the afternoon in the car. If we were home I just held his for naps. I hated it at the time but now I miss those cuddles! At three months, I gave up on the hope of him being a decent napper and started working around him. I got used to doing my jobs etc while he was awake. As long as he could see and hear me he was happy to watch me Potter about.

We eventually found out he had reflux and once we got treatment for this he was a different baby overnight. He started napping for up to two hours a time and I remember one day around 5-6 months being totally bored cost he slept so long!! I also think having him nap in his own room, in the dark and copying how we did it at bed time helped.

My youngest is the complete opposite. He's always been a fab napper. At three months I can put him into bed awake, give him the dummy, put on white noise to block out the toddler and he'll be asleep in five minutes, then have a good hour or two! I'm more relaxed about his napping, probably after the experience with my first. But I'm also not as obsessed about having a routine. We've kind of fallen into one that works for the three of us. Generally the youngest has a nap around 8/9 while I get the eldest and I dressed and ready for the day. I'm very similar to Carnat then, we usually go out and he will nap in the pram as and when it suits him. I feel like I'm constantly juggling my time between the two of them anyway! I just make sure I focus on the eldest when I can. Even just ten minutes of sitting on my knee reading stories while baby naps make a difference. Most of our activities are for my eldest and the baby gets dragged along or at home will sit and watch us. Yesterday we were playing with lego and I had baby on the playmat mat next to me. I'd build things, showing him and describing what I was doing. I also gave him a big piece to hold, touch and feel. This is usually how we spend our time!

 

[Mummybexee]

I havnt read all the replies but 1 sleep cycle is 30-45 mins so its not unusual for children to sleep in increments of that length