2 month old baby wakes up after 30 minutes of nap

sarahph1

Wed, Aug 10 2022, 1:48 pm

It’s VERY NORMAL. I took the taking cara babies course and she said that babies naps don’t solidify till 5/6 months and then they’ll be sleeping 1/2 hour naps. But until then they can take naps and wake up after one cycle with is between 30 and 45 minutes.
Sometimes we have days that my 2 month old takes only 45 min naps and others she takes 2 hour naps and I have to wake her.
It’s very unpredictable at this age but dw it will pass sooner then you know it! But Ik it’s super annoying.

AlwaysGrateful

Wed, Aug 10 2022, 1:48 pm

I think you need to read fewer books and use your own intuition instead.

As a first time mom, I read a ton of books. My baby slept like this -- 20 minute naps, 30 max. It was awful. And I was sure I was doing something wrong, but I was following all the books!

I finally gave up and started watching him. He would start to space out, or sometimes even rub his eyes, MUCH earlier than the books said he should. So I started putting him down about 70 minutes after he woke up. I also let him fall asleep in the carseat or stroller at least once a day so he could get a longer nap (sometimes while I was out doing errands). It helped a lot.

I would try to stretch out naps if he didn't look totally awake by giving him a pacifier. I would nurse him even though it wasn't officially "time" yet and see if that could get him back to sleep. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

Was he just a bad sleeper? Maybe. But I was so stressed out that he wasn't doing what he was "supposed" to do, when I was doing everything by the book.

I'm not saying to throw his schedule completely out the window. Babies need sleep. I'm just saying to be a lot more flexible with what they say "all babies SHOULD be doing." Maybe they should. But your baby is not "all babies."

SG18

Wed, Aug 10 2022, 1:55 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I don't understand your post. What are contact naps?

Holding baby for a nap. This can be in your arms, asleep on your chest, or in a carrier. It worked out well for me when I needed to work remotely and could use my laptop while having baby in the crook of my arm.
I would also do it in the house while making dinner, washing dishes, doing laundry, when I went on a date with DH, at a simcha, even running errands in a shopping center.
It's such a lifesaver and was much more practical than baby waking up every 20 minutes!