Sleeping FAQ: 8-12 weeks – Lunchtime Nap

I’m giving my 10-week-old her lunchtime nap later in the day – does it matter?

Hi – my 10-week-old daughter, Alice, has been following Gina’s routines since birth and is a very contented baby. Thank you. However, she is waking up 35-45 minutes after I put her down for her lunchtime nap. I know this is a common problem and I have tried all the tips that Gina suggests to no avail.

So that Alice does not get overtired later on in the afternoon, I put her down for an hour and 20 minutes after her 2pm feed.  My question, therefore, is does it matter if Alice has her lunchtime nap after lunch?

Antonia

If Alice is settling well at 7pm and sleeping through the evening to 10pm then I would continue to let her have her longer sleep after 2pm. But you may find in a few weeks time she is not so easy to settle at 7pm having had a longer sleep in the afternoon.

Keep trying to get Alice settled for a longer lunchtime nap as the timing of this coincides with her natural dip in alertness in the middle of the day. Learning to settle herself back to sleep after 45 minutes can take a while but, as she gets older, having a longer sleep in the afternoon is bound to affect her evening settling and sleep.