I can’t even begin to describe the absolute exhaustion that comes from trying to keep up with these short “cat naps” throughout the day. When your baby is only sleeping for 30-45 min at a time it feels impossible to do ANYTHING for yourself. The only things you can fit in around your child’s crazy schedule are chores and the bare minimum, nothing that provides for your emotional or physical needs. Brushing your teeth? Pfffff who needs it!… Did you make your bed? Why bother!… Have you showered today? HAHA! This is the harsh reality of short cat naps.
My Experience
As I write this post my son is about 5.5 months. Around the 4.5 month mark I finally was hitting my breaking point and I thought to myself, I can’t keep doing this! I was spending all of my “free time” sitting in a dark room, rocking and shushing, just trying to extend the nap after he would wake up EVERY TIME at the 30 min mark like clockwork. I tried everything!
Things I had already been doing:
- I made the room really dark. So dark I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face.
- I always had the sound machine on for sleep.
- I did the same routine for sleep, naps and bedtime.
- I tried to follow his wake windows and sleepy cues.
- I made sure his diaper was clean and he was comfortable.
What more could I do, right? So I finally decided to get some professional help. I reached out to a sleep Consultant and she was able to assess my specific situation and give me curated guidance to help my little one get the sleep he needed. If you would like the info of the sleep consultant I used, seen me a message! Keep reading for the ultimate tip that that I believe solved our cat nap problem!
Things We Changed
- We worked on extending his wake windows so he would have enough sleep pressure to fall asleep, and then stay asleep.
- We added a 10 minute wind down time in the nursery before naps to help him relax before putting him into his crib.
- We transitioned away from the pacifier so that he would stop requiring help replacing it to fall back asleep.
- We worked on having him practice falling asleep independently without requiring being rocked.
- And finally, the BIG CHANGE I think that finally nipped this problem in the butt… We changed our feeding schedule! I was always doing a EAT, PLAY, SLEEP routine for all of his wake windows but with her guidance we decided to mix it up. For his very first wake window we went to a EAT, PLAY, EAT, SLEEP routine which helped fill his tummy just a little more before that first nap, and I will say WOW! It instantly helped. For his next wake window, since he had just eaten before his nap, I held off feeding him until at least an hour into his wake window. So his second wake window looked like PLAY, EAT, PLAY, SLEEP, which again had his tummy just a little fuller and helping extend that second nap! Then for his 3rd wake window I just went back to my usual, EAT, PLAY, SLEEP and hope we get our shorter 30 min nap in at the end of the day.
When I tell you it worked right away, IT WORKED RIGHT AWAY. I saw extended wake windows that very first day after implementing this new process and I couldn’t be happier.
Conclusion
So if you and your little one are struggling with short cat naps maybe give this a try! Sometimes babies just developmentally need more time in order to connect those sleep cycles, but starting routines early and consistently are steps in the right direction. There are a lot of resources out there to help you, but it can be hard to figure out what is right for you and your little one because there is just so much information out there to sift through. If you can, I highly recommend getting a sleep consultant, it was game changing for us.
