What is Cat napping?
Catnapping can surprise you! Your baby has been sleeping uninterruptedly, going down for their morning and lunchtime naps, and then all of a sudden they wake after 30/45 minutes and cannot resettle. (WHY? I don’t understand what is happening?)

It is all to do with your baby’s sleep cycle. An infant’s sleep cycle lasts around 30-45 minutes, before drifting into (REM) lighter sleep. An adult would simply turn over in bed or change position, but often as your baby is growing and their little minds are developing, this cycle of lighter sleep will wake them up. 

How can I help my baby to sleep for longer?
It can be frustrating for parents or caregivers, as you pop baby down for their nap and within 35-40 minutes, they are awake and grizzling. This is normal and part of your baby’s development.

If your baby is under 4 months, I would begin by helping the baby to settle, a gentle hand on their back, a shush in their ear, a quick cuddle, or a gentle swing in your arms.
Difficulty can occur with settling a baby over 4 months of age. I have seen many clients with 4-5 month- olds, and older who describe they had the “perfect baby” and now they wake all the time and don’t sleep longer than 40 minutes!  WHAT CAN I DO?

Self-settling is a tool to help your baby to learn to soothe and settle. Self-settling is in NO WAY leaving your baby to cry alone, to become distressed or upset but if you hear baby wake, you wait a few moments to see how the baby reacts. 
Are they upset?
Are they distressed?
Are they babbling or cooing to themselves?
Getting to know your baby and responding to their cues and needs will help babies with the continuation of their sleep cycle and pattern.
Catnapping does pass, as baby grows and develops, so does their pattern of sleep.

If you are wanting some support advice and guidance then please call me or email me [email protected]. Together we can reach some achievable goals and help you and your baby on their sleep journey.

Not all babies experience colic, however, it is common. Colic can start around two weeks after the birth of your baby. It peaks at about 8 – weeks and tends to end around 12- weeks of age. (Hooray!)

What is Colic?
Colic is likely the problem when a baby cries for anything up to two hours or more, with a high
pitched “Wa waaaaa”.  Some parents I meet say it happens in the early evening around 6-8 pm, while for
others it can occur earlier in the afternoon.  It can be very distressing for baby and for you as their mother or caregiver.  The sympathetic nervous system is going into overdrive and the baby can scream
very loudly, and high pitched.

Sleepingbaby tips for managing your baby
I would suggest firstly remain calm. Try a tight swaddle, I know this is hard with a baby screaming in your ear and writhing around, but a tight swaddle does help.  
Have the baby in a side hold up on your shoulder or in your arms.
Try shushing quite loudly in the baby’s ear. Or place white noise on too.
Patting baby on their back, rhythmically and then lighter in a tick-tock motion.
Rubbabies back up and down.
Look at external stimuli, meaning if it is early evening and you are wanting the baby to go for their nap, darken the room and I suggest playing white noise.

Do not despair!
Some parents I have worked with find it doesn’t start at 2-weeks-old, but the fourth or sixth week. This does happen! If your baby was born prematurely at 37- weeks and the due date was 3 weeks from now, your baby could get colic at around 10-weeks of age from the original due date, not their birth date.
It does pass!!!

If you would like support and further advice, then contact me today and we can work together to help your baby on their sleep journey.

Want more?  You can read my other blog posts here.