Waking Up During Naps/First Going To Bed

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Waking Up During Naps/First Going To Bed

by Jonna
(Lelystad, The Netherlands)

I found my toes

My baby Quin who will be 4 months tomorrow wakes up during his naps/when he first goes to bed during the hours of 9am to 8pm after 45 minutes and is restless and can not get him self back to sleep. Quin is still tired and so we leave him in his bed but he can not get himself to go back to sleep.

I heard that babies can soothe themselves back to sleep if they do not use a pacifier when they go to sleep and Quin doesn't use one to fall asleep. I also put him to bed awake and he doesn't fuss for long!

Can you help me?

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Waking Up During Naps/First Going To Bed

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Mar 04, 2010

Catnapping Baby
by: Baby Help Line - Annie

Hi Jonna,

What a little cutie Quin is!

My babies never slept more than 10 minutes at a time in the first year. And definitely did not want to stay by themselves in the crib once they woke up.

I would say your baby is a short napper, not a long sleeper. Some babies will sleep for a couple of hours, but many just catnap. I suspect he is not tired, if he has already slept 45 mins and then wakes, but wants to be in on the action and be with you. Also, the younger the baby, the lighter the sleep and the shorter the sleep cycles. Read about baby sleep pattens here.

There are no hard and fast rules about how much sleep a baby needs and how often. (You can find an average baby sleep schedule by month here for comparison. It is better to work around his short napping, but try to have routines that are familiar at bedtimes, and as he gets older he will start to be more regulated.

Fantastic that he can get himself off to sleep when you put him down, that makes life much easier. I wouldn't worry about trying to get him to put himself back to sleep, he has probably had just enough sleep to give him the energy to get on with exploring the world, and of course being with you.

If you are wanting more time to get things done, then try wearing a baby sling. He may sleep longer when cuddled close to you, or at least you can get on with getting a few things done and he is included in all the excitement of doing dishes and washing!

Enjoy your lovely wee boy,
All the best,

Annie Desantis

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