Did I let her nap too long?

[Kittycat76]

My DD is 4 weeks old today and I'm wondering if I let her have too much sleep this afternoon? The rest of the day she had been going 3hrs in-between feeds (I'm breastfeeding) but she didn't wake up until nearly 5 hours after her last feed (even then I had to rouse her)

Do you think this could muck up her nighttime sleep? She really fought getting to sleep after her 8pm feed and then woke after only 45mins. Since then I've been up for the last 5 hours trying to settle her, but she just keeps waking up after 20 mins screaming and gets herself into a right state.

I know they say never wake a sleeping baby, but surely 5 hours is too long a gap for a LO?

 

[membas#1]

I"m not sure I have an answer for you. I've had my LO nap for longer than usual and I get worried it will mess up her nighttime sleep. I do know for my LO there is a balance as too much daytime sleep can lead to a more restless night, although it's never really kept her awake all night, just less deeper sleep. But not enough sleep and she's too tired and really crabby and screams a lot.

Hope you get some rest soon and hope your LO settles. My LO went through a growth spurt around 3 or 4 weeks and she had a couple days where seems like all she did was sleep.

 

[Surprise]

I never went by the adage "never wake a sleeping baby". Instead, I never let my babies go more than 3 hours without feeding during the day. This helps their circadian rhythms and they can learn night from day. Not to mention it makes sure they get enough milk. Mine is almost 5 months, and I sometimes let him go longer now, because his nighttime sleep is well established. x

 

[Kittycat76]

Thanks guys. I was kind of thinking along the same lines as you Surprise, as she's been eating every 2 1/2 to 3 hours recently, so in my mind 5 hours was almost like she had skipped a meal. I think the only reason she slept so long was that I had left her all cosy in her car seat when we came back home, if I had transferred her to her cot I've a feeling she may have woken sooner. Who knows though, all I know is that I'm totally shattered this morning!

 

[GeorgeyGal]

I know that sometimes LOs get confused by night and day as they dont know yet so just need guiding a bit.

1.5 hour nap rule has helped me loads (he does sleep a little longer sometimes if he hasnt stayed awake for long) and my LOs suffers from reflux (apart from longer at lunchtime, 2.5 hrs, he is fed at 10am and a top up feed at 11am to help him sleep this long) and set feed times of every 3 hours from beginning of one feed to the next (during the day only), unless LO is hungry before obviously, seems to work well, even if he feeds earlier than scheduled I give a top up feed at scheduled feed times and this has settled him into more of a routine. Also I know he will be feeling tired after being awake for 1 hour to 1 hour and half so know when to wind down and get ready for nap time, any more than 2 hours then there's the risk of meltdown overtiredness!

Doing this he only wakes for a feed twice between 7pm and 7am, once at 10pm and sometimes I need to wake him for this, if I dont he'll be up more int he night, and again at 2am.

Guiding LO towards this routine has cut down on crying loads, he doesnt cry at all until the evening, whats called the witching hour and thats because the poor guy has reflux and gets colicky around this time, even then its drastically improved as I know he will settle at certain times and sleep well at night.

 

[oliviarose]

At your LOs age, I was lucky of he went that long between feeds. But if he was coming up to 3 hrs since he was last fed I would wake him and feed him.

 

[nicole_]

ive let my LO sleep for 5 hours+ if he doesnt want to wake up. he knows when hes hungry and he usually makes up for the time hes been asleep with a larger feed when he wakes up.
normally the better hes slept in the day without being disturbed the better he sleeps at night for me