Sleeping FAQ: 8-12 Weeks – Lunchtime nap

How can I get my 9-week-old daughter to sleep better at lunchtime?

I have been having the ever popular problem of the lunchtime nap. At 9 weeks old my daughter hasn’t had the full sleep now for 2 weeks and is becoming a very unhappy baby as a result. For the first week I kept her in her cot, pitch black, well tucked in but every day she woke after 45 minutes. I tried giving her a top up before going down but wasn’t interested. I then tried giving the 11am feed at 10.15 but still not interested so I don’t think her waking is a due to hunger. For the second week I have been taking her out in the pram to see if I could get her past the 45 minute mark. Today is the 6th day and she has made it past then twice, even then she still spent a lot of the time awake and crying. I don’t feel as if this is working and I’m my feet are killing me; I’ve done so much walking! To get through the afternoon I let her have 30 minutes after the 2.30pm feed (which she will fall asleep half way through) then another 30 minutes at 4.30pm. She is still very unhappy all afternoon and almost unbearable between 5 and 6pm. She still sleeps well at night but am worried that it won’t last. I am tempted to just get her up after the 45 minute waking and let her make it up in the afternoon but I realise how important the lunchtime nap is so desperately want to make it work again.
At present she naps at 9-9.45am, 12-12.45pm, 3-3.30pm and 4.30-5pm.
She feeds at 7am 6.5ozs, 11am 6ozs, 2.30pm 5ozs, 6.15pm 6ozs, 10pm 4ozs. She weighs 11lb 5ozs.

At your daughter’s age problems can begin as a baby’s sleep cycles begin to change around now. It can take persistence to overcome the problem of 45 min waking but well worth making the effort.
If you have not done so already look at the lunchtime nap article written by Gina

When your daughter began waking after 45 minutes, how long did you leave her to settle again? At her age it may take 20-30 minutes of “crying down” to resettle herself. This is a skill she needs to learn. It can be hard to listen to a small baby cry but if you go in every 10 minutes or so to reassure her of your presence, trying not to lift her from her cot whilst you do so, she will learn how to settle herself back without needing your help which in turn may lead to more sleep associations.

Another alternative to consider is to lie with her for the time she should be sleeping. This option is another way to help her learn how to stay asleep throughout the two hours but obviously is a far more involved for you, although more restful than walking! It may take a week or more for her to fully adapt to being asleep for a longer period of time which is why you do need to be persistent in helping her to do this.

To help her get through 5-6pm better split her feed in the way you may have done when she was younger. Offering a small feed at 5pm will help her enjoy her bath time and then enjoy her feed afterwards. It can also help with the overall intake for a baby as the two bottles added together will be a slightly larger amount than she is managing to take now.