But sometimes things aren't so peachy in the nap world. I'm talking about the "45-minute intruder." I know it sounds scary, as it should, because it's an anxiety-producing phenomena that wakes up your child about 45-minutes into his/her nap and causes them to cry and fuss.
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I'm lucky because my DS goes back to sleep after about 5-minutes.
I found a good article that talks about the 45-minute intruder and explains it much better than I can:
Babies generally sleep in cycles during the day. Normally they fall asleep for about 45 minutes in the first cycle. When they wake from the first cycle they must put themselves back to sleep to get good, healthy sleep. A normal nap should be 1.5 -2 hours. Sounds easy, right???Note that the article appears to emphasize this happens to young babies. I don't remember my DS doing this when he was a baby, it seems to be a more recent thing.
Many babies, when they stir at around 45 minutes will find it difficult to fall back asleep. Sometime parents mistakenly believe when baby wakes after only 30-45 minutes of sleep that baby is no longer tired. This generally is not the case. Most babies are still very tired and need to move into the next phase of sleep to get a good nap.
Also, the article states that hunger is one of the more common reasons for the 45-minute intruder. For my DS, it's a matter of him being too tired, or not tired enough.
I found the best thing for me to do is leave my DS alone when he starts crying and fussing after 45-minutes. Like I said, he usually goes back to sleep after about 5-minutes, but it has taken as long as 15 to 20 minutes for him to go back to sleep.
Every child is different though. You may not have the option to let your little one cry it out. You have to do whatever works best for you.
The 45-minute intruder is just a really strange thing. My DS will wake up within 45-minutes, give or take a few minutes. Amazing. I can usually set my watch by it.
How do you deal with the 45-minute intruder?
I'm dealing with the intruder as I type this. My 5 week old DS had a great three hour routine from birth until yesterday. Previously he would eat, have some awake time, and nap until the next feeding (usually about 2 hours). Yesterday he woke from every daytime nap at the 45 minute mark. My husband & I ended up picking him up & allowing him to sleep in our arms. Which worked - in one case he stretched an hour before his next feeding. However, after reading around the internet I learned it could be a growth spurt & therefore he may need to be fed again. So, when DS woke at the 45 min. mark earlier today I offered a feeding - not only did he take it, but he ate a full feeding. Since then I have put him down for another (hopefully more restful) nap, but I have little hope this is over. I'm watching the clock for him to wake. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteHi Blair - thanks for your comment!
ReplyDeleteIt's impressive you can get your DS down at only 5 weeks. It took my son until he was almost 1 to take a nap by himself for a good 2-3 hours. Before that, it was just an hour here and there with me holding him.
I've read that a lot of younger babies wake up at around 45-minutes because they are hungry. Sounds like that's the case with you. Hopefully he'll go back to sleep after having a full tummy. Babies are notorious for luring us into a false sense of security and then suddenly changing their routine. Hopefully after a few days he'll settle back down again.
It's still amazing how spot on they are with 45 minutes. A few months ago I could set my watch by it.
Don't worry, it really does get better. The first few months were the hardest for me. If I can do it, so can you!
Just saw this blog! And we've been dealing with this for the past 3 weeks with my 4-month old. Please tell me there is an end in site! She'll wake around 8am, then eat, play, down for a nap at 10am, and like clockwork, she is up at 10:45am. We do the whole routine again and I put her down for a nap at 1pm - usually she stirs around 1:45pm, but I can sometimes get her to fall back asleep and she'll sleep for another 2 hours. When did things get better for you? Meredith
ReplyDeleteHi Meredith, thanks for your comment.
ReplyDeleteFirst, yes it will get better. I never thought it would with my son, but it did. I know it stinks now. Just take it one day at a time, or, like me, I had to take it one hour (sometimes one minute!) at a time. Heck, I'm even in therapy because of stuff like this.
The important thing to remember is that babies go through a lot of quick changes as they get older. Habits change. What wasn't working yesterday might start working tomorrow. It happens fast. I'd say once babies hit the 6 month mark is when things start to smooth out in a noticeable way.
At 4-months my son did the same thing (my wife pointed this out. I was wrong in my article). We put him in his swing for his naps. At 45-minutes, like clockwork, he'd wake up. Most of the time the rocking of the swing would put him back to sleep. There were many times though when he'd wake up for good.
As they get older it happens less and less. He still does it every so often but always goes back to sleep. I think at 4 months babies just aren't very consistant with their napping habits.
I can't say exactly when things will get better because every baby is different. Maybe try talking to your pediatrician about it. The solution might be as simple as changing her feeding times, or even adjust her nap times. Doctors see this all the time and will usually offer a few things to try.
Hang in there! I've been where you are, so I can sympathize. As the weeks and months go by, time will start to go by faster and before you know it you'll be celebrating here 1 year birthday.
-Brad