Napping at 10 Weeks

Keep up the good work you are already doing! I remember that my daughter was the same way at that age... a great night sleeper and a terrible napper. I did sleep training once she hit 4 months old, but it was a tough transition. She eventually got the hang of it and by 6 months was a beautiful napper 2 X (sometimes 3 X) a day. The longer naps don't really happen until they get to be towards a year old. For the moment, I would nap her however works best... in a sling, stroller, etc. My pediatrician said before 4 months you aren't establishing any habits that you can't undo later.

Ready Babywise. It helped me so much with sleep issues! I have Weissbluth's book also which I think it good when they get a little older. Babywise is a really easy read & it gives you the structure & guidance that you need. It really helped me!! Read it cover to cover. It shouldn't take you more than 2-3 days. It's quick & easy! I think it will really help you with the sleep issues. Once you implement the principals from Babywise you will probably have to let your daughter cry it out a bit but it shouldn't take long & then she will learn how to soothe herself to sleep. Good luck!!

My daughter just turned 3 months (and I'm certainly not an expert) and has a very similar sleep pattern, though now she is sleeping all the way through the night. And now I can put her down for a nap and she falls asleep pretty easily, but doesn't stay asleep for more than 45 min - 1 hour. In my mom's group, we were chatting about naps, and it seems like it's pretty common for babies to sleep longer at night, yet not nap very well during the day. At my 2 month appt, my pedi said that night sleep comes before day time sleep/naps. So hang in there! I also read Weissbluth's book and am trying to follow his advice. It sounds like you're doing everything right and the naps will come. My philosophy is that I'd rather have a baby that sleeps better at night than during the day :)

Have you tried to swaddle her? My 8 week old daughter will only cat-nap unless she is swaddled. Then she knows it is time to sleep.

My 10 week old son has almost the exact same sleep pattern as your daughter! During the day his naps range from 30 minutes to an hour. He sleeps his best if he naps on me. But, at night he sleeps great in his crib and usually goes to sleep between 7 and 8 and wakes once or twice to eat throughout the night. I have also read Weissbluth's book and have tried to use it as a guide, but not follow it word for word (since every baby is different). I talked to my ped. and he said to be very happy that he is such a good night sleeper and give the naps more time to work themselves out. He's still very young and since he's doing so well, there's no need to rock the boat. If we still haven't gotten into good nap habits by his 4 month b-day (which at this point would be getting him to nap in his crib consistently for at least an hour), then we are going to work on nap training. Good luck!

I'm a Weissbluth fan, so I'm right there with ya on the sleep training! However, you might wish to try to go more with the flow at 10 weeks. It appears as if the night sleeping pattern is establishing itself nicely, and it should only be a matter of time before the daytime nap periods fall into place. Just keep up the same pre-nap routines with checking for cues of tiredness and starting up that super soothing routine the minute you see the cues and the nap periods will extend. You'll likely start to see this more markedly around 4 months, starting with the first nap in the morning.

Just keep on doing what you're doing and around 4 months (like the book says) you will likely start to see some really solid patterns emerge. Be patient and continue to help your daughter by recognizing sleep cues and being consistent with pre-sleep routines. Sounds like you have a champion sleeper to be on your hands, and let me tell you - it's a nice thing!

Before reading (and taking to heart any advice in) Babywise, you should do some research on the author. This is a good place to start:

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/1998/08/cov_06feature.html

Hi there,

Try playing some music (softly/low) in her bedroom when you put her down for her nap. I had to rock my son to music (Randy Travis) everyday for his nap. I never kept quiet around the house. I played music, watched TV or ran the vaccum cleaner. This way he didn't get startled when he heard noises anywhere, and he slept well. You might find a radio station that she likes or cd's, etc. and play them when you're preparing her for her nap.

Let her be. She'll nap as she needs to. I think it's too early for her to cry it out.

Hi M.,

Here's some advice from another first-time mom: Take everything Dr. Weissbluth says with a grain of salt. My daughter, who is now 9 mos., has rarely taken naps longer than 1 hr., and has gone through periods of 30 min. being her regular nap length. I wouldn't worry about what Dr. Weissbluth says. My pediatrician told me that some babies are not nappers, and if your daughter is sleeping well during the night (it sounds like she's doing amazingly well for a 10-wk.-old -- much better than my daughter at that age) then don't stress about it. I personally think 10 weeks is a bit young to let her cry for a nap anyway. Take-away point: your baby is normal. If you really want to work on getting her to take longer naps, you could check out The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. But again, I recommend you take everything with a grain of salt.

Best of luck,
R.

totally normal. when they're that little, they take so many naps a day that they don't really nap for long. 10 weeks may be a little early to start sleep training... sadly most kids don't really start a good nap schedule till around 6 months when you'll get two longer naps a day. be patient and good luck. things will fall into place eventually!