Sleeping FAQ: 4-6 Months – Lunchtime Nap

Despite trying with controlled crying for over a week I cannot get my 6mth son to settle when he stirs in the lunch time nap

My son will not sleep at lunch time. He goes off at 12.00 and wakes 30 minutes later and will not go back to sleep. I have been trying now for about 10 days doing the controlled crying method and it does not seem to be working. Sometimes he will go for one hour before waking and then will cry until it is time to get up. I have read all the case studies etc but I cannot seem to work out what the problem is. It is quiet in the house, we have blackout curtains and blinds, and he is feeding well and sleeps well at night time. If he does wake at night he will talk to himself for a while and will then go back to sleep. I follow all the rules and nothing seems to work. He has always had problems with this sleep but would go back to sleep after 20 minutes. Since he has starting sleep through the night the problem has got worse. I now dread lunchtimes and it is getting very depressing for us all.

My son feeds at 7am 7ozs, followed by 1.5 tablespoons of porridge cereal and 1 cube of fruit. 11.10am 5ozs followed by 3 cubes of sweet potatoes and 2 cubes of vegetables, 2.30pm 6ozs, 4pm a little water, 6pm 7ozs followed by 5 teaspoons of baby rice and 2 cubes of fruit puree.

He naps at 9-9.20am, 12-12.30pm and 4.30-5pm.

In order to help your son to settle for a longer period at lunchtime it is a good idea to work your way through the list of ideas to be found in Gina’s article Lunchtime Nap on the website.

Although your son appears to eat well at lunchtime, you do need to rule out hunger as the cause of waking. Before settling him for his nap offer him a feed of 2-3ozs. Continue to offer this top up until he has been sleeping through at lunchtime, or waking and resettling himself within 10-20mins without too much fuss, for at least a week.

To reset his body cycles, so he is able to stay asleep for a period of time, you will need to decide which method to use and persevere with it every day for at least a week, to begin to see some results. If you decide to take him out in his buggy then you must be willing to do this each day so he gets used to sleeping for a longer length of time. At first, he may wake after his usual 30 minutes but, after a few days, he should become used to settling himself back to sleep again. If it is not possible for you to walk at this time of the day you may decide to stay in his room, holding him in your arms, for the remainder of his sleep. Again, you will need to commit yourself to do this in the same way for at least a week or more.

Whatever way you decide to try, stay with it until you feel that he is more settled at this time of day. Even if he is still stirring after 30 minutes he should be settling himself back to sleep within a short time. Then is the time to go back to putting him into his cot for the nap. It should only take a few days of controlled crying for him to learn to settle himself should he stir after 30minutes.

If, after trying the methods described above and offering your son a top up feed before he settles, he still is unable to settle for the full two hours it would be better to get him up after an hour rather then leaving him to cry. He should then be encouraged to have a short nap after his 2.30pm feed to help him get through the afternoon.

Some mothers do find the lunchtime nap suddenly falls into place after a time of trying to get it right. This may be due to a baby becoming more active in the morning once he starts to move around. Making sure your son has plenty of floor time in the morning may help, as could a short walk in the fresh air before his lunch. Mothers have also noticed an improvement in the nap after protein is introduced into the baby’s diet. This is why your son should be offered a top up of milk before his nap even though he seems to have eaten well at lunch.