I have been trying so hard to get Matteo to take decent naps. I follow the two-hour rule, a la Dr. Weissbluth. I use white noise, room darkening shades. Swaddle. Routine. But my little boy still wakes up after 45 minutes, wanting to eat, or play, or just hang out.
So. I've been doing something else. I've been nursing him to sleep. Not that he needs it to fall asleep. He's pretty darn good at that part. But, miraculously, nursing before a nap help stretch that 45 nap into an hour and a half, two, even two and half hours! It's blissful and he is so much happier for it.
But I have to wonder - am I starting a really bad habit? Will I regret this down the line? For now, I don't nurse him to sleep for the night. He nurses before I change him and bathe him and swaddle him and rock him. The nap thing is different, though. I think part of the problem is that he wants to eat every 2 - 2.5 hours. If he eats when he wakes up, then is up for an hour and a half, he'll want to eat again in less than an hour. So, I am hoping this is only temporary, and won't be necessary when he starts to stretch out those feedings. Lord knows when that will be. In the meantime, I just hope I'm not creating a little monster.
Hey Nicole, i don't think its a problem at all..I think they need to go to bed on a full tummy to get those long naps we all like!I have always fed mine or at least topped them off right before putting them down for naps/ bed at night. If your worried about the sleep/eat association, maybe you can try to keep him up while he's eating then put him right down after so he's full but can fall asleep on his own, or the other thing I would do if they fall asleep while eating is kind of wake them up while swaddling them so they fall right back to sleep on their own!
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's a problem at all. I always fed mine right before nap---full bellies are happy bellies! I even used to feed my son immediately when he woke up from a nap too soon---and then put him right back down again. He was probably about Matteo's age when we did that for a bit. They have both always taken great, long naps which fine, are disappearing now, but they lasted 3.5 years!! Do what works! Get 'em to sleep! He won't nurse to fall asleep when he's 16.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't sweat it. If something that easy and un-disruptive (it doesn't sound like it's causing you any problems, right?) gets you the naps? GO FOR IT. You know if it really becomes a problem, like he starts waking up a bunch of times at night when he wasn't before. But if nursing him down for nap gets a 2-hour nap? OMG, do it!
ReplyDeleteIt is fine for now. You can always try to change things once he starts solids. With him going down himself at night you know he still knows how to put himself to sleep.
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