Article

Catnapping, Babies
Aged 8 to 16 Weeks
 Catnapping, Babies Aged 8 to 16 weeks

The Save Our Sleep® Article Catnapping, Babies

Aged 8 to 16 Weeks.
I define catnapping as daytime sleeps that are shorter than 40 minutes. The first
time catnapping becomes a problem is when your baby starts to sleep in daytime
sleep cycles (the process of drifting between light and deep sleep). An adult
changes sleep cycle every 90 minutes but in babies it can be as short as twenty
minutes. Daytime sleep cycles usually start when your baby is around eight
weeks old. Most parents who contact me with concerns about catnapping do so
when their babies are between eight and 16 weeks old. It is generally accepted
that babies in this age range should have two daytime sleeps of between 80 and
120 minutes in duration, and another shorter nap as well.

Many parents find that when they finally get their baby to sleep, they wake after
twenty to 40 minutes and start crying. This is not because the baby has had
enough sleep and is ready to get up but because she has not learned to resettle
from one sleep cycle to the next. As babies become more aware of their
environment and its distractions, it is the parents’ responsibility to teach their
baby to move from one sleep cycle to the next as quickly and as quietly as
possible.

Babies will never develop the skill to resettle themselves until they have learned
to put themselves to sleep in the first place. If a baby is unable to resettle herself
she will invariably start to cry, as that is her only method of communication. This
doesn’t usually mean that something is seriously wrong. However, in my
experience, 95 per cent of babies who only manage short catnaps, without
stringing together multiple sleep cycles, will spend most of the day grumpy and
irritable through lack of sleep. This is irrespective of how well they sleep at night.

There are a few reasons I have found for a baby to catnap. The first and most
common reason is the baby has always been aided to sleep, that is, given a
dummy (pacifier, soother) to suck on or fed, rocked or shushed to sleep by a
parent. The second reason I have found babies to catnap is hunger. The hunger
can be caused by snack feeding or can be brought on from dummy use, as I
believe the sucking reflex causes the baby’s digestive system to work too fast.
The hunger can also be because your baby is not being offered enough milk.
Please remember never to give your baby a set amount of milk in a bottle and
always offer your baby both breasts when breast feeding.

If you feel your baby’s catnapping problem could be the result of your baby not
knowing how to self-settle, I suggest you follow the self settling guides for your
baby’s age later in this article.

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 Catnapping, Babies Aged 8 to 16 weeks

Amy’s story

Amy was fifteen weeks old and had failed sleep school twice when I met her.
After talking to parents Gail and Enan, I discovered Amy’s routine was very
similar to mine and she was put to bed with no sleep aids, only her comforter, so
these factors weren’t the issue. So where was the problem? It turned out Amy
had not been able to self-settle at all before sleep school. After sleep school,
when Gail or Enan put Amy in bed and asked her to go to sleep, she would
usually take anything from ten minutes to one hour and twenty minutes to settle,
always waking again after just one sleep cycle. Gail had been told at sleep school
to then try to resettle Amy until her next feed was due.

Unfortunately, neither Gail nor Enan had ever managed to resettle Amy and I
explained that I felt the problem stemmed from these failed attempts. I
suggested putting Amy in her cot, asking her to go to sleep and getting her up
when she next woke, no matter how little sleep Amy had had. Then, when the
next sleep was due, the settling time should reduce to about half, and again for
each subsequent sleep. This would happen because they would be giving Amy a
clear message that she will get up after she has had a sleep. If they continued to
ask Amy to resettle and then, after maybe 40 minutes of a resettling challenge,
they go in and pick her up, all they are doing is teaching Amy that if she fights
sleep they will eventually come in and get her. This was why the ‘going to sleep’
time was not getting any shorter. I explained that once Amy went to sleep with
no protesting, she would resettle naturally and sleep longer.

The next day Gail put Amy to bed at 9 am and it took Amy until 9.40 am to get
to sleep. Then, like clockwork Amy woke at 10.20 am and Gail got her up. Gail
was concerned about how to keep Amy up until 1 pm but she managed it. At the
1 pm sleep it took Amy only eighteen minutes to get to sleep but again Amy was
up after 40 minutes. That night at 7 pm it only took Amy eight minutes to get to
sleep.

On day two Amy took twelve minutes to get to sleep at 9 am but this meant that
at 9.52 am Amy was awake. Now Gail was really concerned about how she was
going to keep Amy up until 1 pm as because Amy had settled faster, she now
had longer to stay awake before the next sleep. To Gail, the problem looked
worse. It was too hot outside for a walk so we decided to put Amy in the baby
swing where she could nap before her next feed if she wanted to.

At 1 pm Amy went down without a noise and Gail had to wake her at 3 pm for
her breastfeed. Gail was convinced this was only because Amy was so exhausted
after being up for over three hours, but the next day and every day since Amy
has not catnapped.

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 Catnapping, Babies Aged 8 to 16 weeks

TEACHING YOUR CHILD TO SETTLE

Self-settling guide for a baby who is between 8 and 16 weeks

At the recommended sleep time, swaddle your baby and put her in bed on her
back without a dummy. Walk out of the room leaving the door halfway open so
your baby can hear you. Allow her to protest (cry) for the amount of time you
feel strong enough to leave her for (you will need to stay out for the
recommended minimum time as per the table if you are going to successfully
teach your baby to self-settle).

Age After putting When you decide After your ten

your baby to you cannot minute break,
bed, walk out of listen to your put your baby
the room for a baby’s protest back to bed and
minimum time cry any longer, start again with
of: go in and try to the below
settle her for the minimum times
below time
before taking a
break

Newborn to 2 weeks 2 minutes 22 minutes 2 minutes

2 to 8 weeks 4 minutes 22 minutes 4 minutes

8 to 12 weeks 6 minutes 22 minutes 6 minutes

3 to 4 months 8 minutes 22 minutes 8 minutes

When timing the recommended minimum time, only count continuous protesting:
if there is a gap of five seconds or more you need to start timing again. The
longer you are able to resist going in and helping your baby settle, the faster
your baby will be able to learn the important skill of self-settling. When
employing transitional sleeping tactics as recommended here, always time the
period of crying as one minute may seem like ten to a parent listening to their
baby protest.

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 Catnapping, Babies Aged 8 to 16 weeks

It is important to remember that a protesting cry is normal and doesn’t

necessarily mean that something is seriously wrong. In teaching a baby to settle
herself, inevitably there will be some protest cries. If you listen to your baby’s
cries, you will notice they become very high pitched after a while. Most parents
have never heard this pitch of crying before and they therefore give up, thinking
there is a problem. However, when I am working with parents and their babies I
note this as a turning point: we are winning and the baby will soon be asleep.
This high-pitched crying is often described as ‘peaking’.

If you are strong enough to not respond to these high-pitched yells, your baby
will start to fall asleep. Also during this stage, there will be breaks in the baby’s
protests – these gaps will start to get longer and the shouting shorter until finally
your baby is sound asleep. When you are sure your baby is asleep, wait a few
minutes before going in to reposition or cover her up. Try not to reposition her
too much as you may accidentally move her away from something she was
comforting herself with before falling asleep.

Parents need to remember that the crying will be less frequent and shorter in
duration as the baby develops the skills to settle herself. The challenge for
parents is to resist the temptation to comfort their catnapping baby every time
she cries.

If your baby is sixteen weeks or younger, when you can’t handle the
protesting and the minimum time is up, go back into your baby’s room and
gently rub or pat your baby’s tummy keeping your baby in the safe back sleeping
position recommended by SIDS researchers. Try to avoid eye contact while
moving and settling the baby. You will try to settle her for 22 minutes. If after 22
minutes your baby has not settled, you could get your baby up for a ten-minute
break, but if you are still feeling strong, confident and patient, keep up the
settling techniques as the break is for your benefit, not your baby’s. If you
choose to take a break, begin the whole process again afterwards, starting with
staying out for at least the minimum time.

It is normal that when your baby has settled to sleep she will wake again after
just one sleep cycle. As frustrating as this may seem, during the day you need to
get her up and praise her for going to sleep in the first place. You won the going-
to-sleep challenge! Your baby will soon start to resettle and sleep longer but only
after she has learnt the skill of self-settling. If your baby wakes up before her
next feed is due I recommend you keep her wrapped, transfer her to her pram or
car seat and go for a walk or a drive so she can perhaps have a nap before her
next milk feed. Another option would be to keep her wrapped and sit on the sofa
with her wrapped and on your chest and tap her back to the rhythm of your
heart beat this might also encourage her to nap before her feed time.

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 Catnapping, Babies Aged 8 to 16 weeks

If your baby wakes during the night, feed your baby if she is still having night
feeds and then settle her with the appropriate settling techniques for her age. If
your baby is no longer having night feeds, do not go in to settle her until the
minimum protest time has passed. But remember that your baby is more likely
to get back to sleep if you stay out of her room – going in may wake her up
further.

Tips:
• Make yourself a score chart allocating a point to the baby if you have to give up
during settling or a point to yourself for a successful settle. You will surprise
yourself and after a few days you’ll be winning every time and remember that
good day sleep encourages good night sleep. The two complement each other.

• If your baby stops crying almost as soon as you pick her up, there is probably
not much wrong with her. If you are still not sure, try picking her up again when
she cries and see what happens. If she stops again, you can be reassured that it
can’t be too serious.

• Your baby may sleep for less at the recommended sleep times and this may
vary slightly from day to day.

• When feeding in the night, make sure you keep the lights dim and avoid eye
contact or talking. Only change his nappy if absolutely necessary.

• If you have no luck with this advice and my routine, your baby could be
suffering from reflux or it could be the result of a dairy or other food allergy or
intolerance. Please seek medical advice.

Frequently asked questions and answers.

I often get asked the same questions, so for your convenience we have included
the most requested below.

1. What is the difference between a sleep and a nap?

A sleep is when a baby sleeps for more than one sleep cycle, so it is usually over
40 minutes. But a nap is one sleep cycle or less than a sleep cycle so less than
40 minutes.

2. I am trying to follow your routine for my 11 week old baby but my

baby will only stay awake for 1½ hours and than only sleeps for 45
minutes. Is this normal?
Yes, this is normal because after 1½ hours your baby is tired enough for a nap
but not tired enough for a sleep. By following the times set out in my routine,
your baby will have stayed up longer and will be ready to sleep instead of nap.
Following the times set out in my routine is the most important part of curing
your baby’s catnapping.

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 Catnapping, Babies Aged 8 to 16 weeks

3. My baby keeps falling asleep during a feed, what should I do?

This is what I call a sleepy feeder. If he dozes off before taking enough milk to
get him to the next feed, you will start to have problems if trying to follow a
routine. If he dozes off, try changing his nappy or taking some of his clothes off
as the cool air might wake him. The other thing you could do is put him down
somewhere safe to rest for ten minutes, and then try the feed again.

4. Why do you advise not to put a baby in his bed to sleep at some points
in your routines?
The reason for this is I believe in giving a baby very clear messages. If you know
your baby is tired and due a sleep, then you should put him in his bed. The
message your baby will start to learn is, that if you put him in his bed, he has to
sleep. You should get in the habit of only getting him up when he has slept. But
at other points in the routine, I say your baby may need a nap, as we are not
sure if your baby will sleep. I recommend putting him down in a safe comfortable
place so if he doesn’t sleep, you may get him up without giving him mixed
messages.

5. Is it normal for my baby to wake in the night but not need any
attention?
Yes, it is normal for your baby to wake in the night. We all wake in the night. We
all sleep in sleep cycles starting with a shallow cycle followed by a deep cycle.
Everyone wakes up after the deep cycle, before going into another shallow one.
As adults we just turn, get comfortable, then go back to sleep, but for young
children and babies, it can often take them a few minutes to get back to sleep.
Research shows that the more a parent tries to help a child get from one sleep
cycle to the next, the less likely it is that the child will sleep through the night.
Therefore, the less interference the better.

6. How will I know if my baby is ill?

The best way of telling if your baby is ill or in pain, is not by her crying but by
her behaviour. Her cry maybe much higher pitched than normal or she maybe
whimpering or moaning. An ill or seriously distressed baby will look, behave and
sound different. Signs you should look for are if your baby is pale, floppy, less
active than normal, holding or rubbing her ear or tummy, breathing differently-
more rapidly or irregularly than normal. If your baby is hot with a raised body
temperature, you need to check this with a thermometer as children may get hot
from crying but crying will not increase your baby’s body temperature, your baby
may feel cold and clammy.

7. My doctor thinks my baby may have reflux. How can I be sure it’s not
another problem like you suggested in your misdiagnosis article?
You should try your baby on my routine and make sure your baby is self-settling.
If you are on the routine and your baby is sleeping and eating at the correct
times but the reflux symptoms are still there, your baby is most likely suffering
from a form of reflux. But if all the symptoms disappear, you will know it was not
reflux.

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 Catnapping, Babies Aged 8 to 16 weeks

8. Does using a dummy reduce the risk of SIDS?

Dummy use appears to reduce the risk of SIDS, but when you look at the
problems dummies cause I believe this benefit is outweighed.

• Dummies are the biggest cause of sleep problems

• Dummies interfere with the way your baby digests the milk in it’s’ tummy.
• Babies who suck on dummies are prone to more ear infections.
• Dummies delay speech.

9. Is it really alright to let my baby cry?

I do not think it is alright to let a baby cry. I believe the second a baby cries
you should run to them and comfort the baby. However I believe you may let a
baby protest, which to some may seem similar to a cry, but if you read my
advice on crying I explain the difference. Imagine if you responded every time
your baby protested. She would soon learn that whenever she wanted your
attention all she had to do was protest. In fact, you would be causing her to
protest more. It’s not fair on a baby to be taught that someone will respond to
every protest because, as your baby grows up, other people won’t like this
behaviour.

And don’t forget…

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Le gach dea-ghui,

Tizzie

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