10Wk Sleeping Through the Night but Daytime Naps Really Short

My 10 weeks old baby has been sleeping through the night since she was 2 weeks old and her naps then was very long (3-4 hrs) she just recently having short cat naps after she got her first set of shots. Play with him a little longer than usual. Allow her to be more active on his own like lying him on his stomach on a blanket and letting him play. That's how my daughters naps got longer again. Good Luck!

Wow you guys are doing great! These short naps are completely normal, and they will lengthen with time. Just keep putting him down within 2 hours of waking (longer than that will make him over-tired), or whenever he's showing signs of being sleepy. My son started out with 15-30 minute naps throughout the day, and then slowly developed an early nap (about 8:30 or so) around 3-4 months. After that one lengthened to an hour or more, his midday and late naps developed. It all happens naturally, if you keep making sure he goes down whenever he's tired.

Most babies nap best in their cribs, as well. (At least once they're sleeping there regularly. At 10 weeks, my son was still sleeping with me.) By keeping his room quiet and dark, and staying home during his nap times, my little guy really learned to nap great! It's definitely a pain, being so shackled to the house. But it's also definitely worth it. He's well rested, and happy as can be!

Good luck napping!

awww, he's only 10 wks old, give him a break... I remember at 10 wks old, my son was all over the place.. once he got a little older, he settled into 2 or 3 longer naps, then 2, and at 18mos, now One.. it's a process. There is a book called BabyWise, I took what I liked and left the rest behind, but it did help me understand how to get him on a schedule for his own sake. As a new mom, i had no idea how when where, etc so those ideas were a godsend. Once we sorta sleep train the baby he knew when his naps were 'suppose' to be, if that makes sense. But at 10 wks old.. he's entitled to whatever he wants. :)

my son use to sleep a good 11/12 hours at night and still take 2 1-1.5 hr naps during the day..

Gerber has a good site about sleep needs of different ages, as long as his total sleep per day totals out in a certain range you're golden. And every now and then some babies just don't require as much sleep (not as much as we need them to sleep <huggs> As long as he's growing healthily, happily, etc.. I wouldn't worry, I would just be grateful you are getting a good night sleep.

I think that it is more important to focus on the total hours the baby sleeps a day and his temperment. Babies 10 weeks and older should be getting between 12 and 15 hours of sleep a day (roughly- i think i got my info from Dr. Sears....)

My baby is 5 months old and no matter how hard i try to get him to sleep two long naps (1.5-2 hours) each day, he would rather sleep 3 or 4 45 min. to 1 hour naps. I have accepted this as long as he is happy and whatnot when he is awake.

I have a 9.5 week old also and congrats on getting the sleeping through the night!!! Mine has acheived 5 hours and we couldn't be happier. The nap thing is perfectly normal, I keep reading that children our age should sleep about 12-15 hours that is including naps. Again congrats on the nightime sleeping.

Dear R.,

I think normal is different for each baby. My son slept 7 till 7 will a three hour nap in the daytime. My daughter slept 9 till 7 with two small naps during the day. I think as long as the baby is waking on his own and is not cranky then he must be getting enough sleep for now. His sleep cycle will change as he grows. The more activity he gets he may take longer naps. I think you should just enjoy getting your sleep through the night because that's half the battle. I am a big believer of fresh air. Take advantage of this beautiful weather and take him out for some nice walks that may help him sleep longer. Good luck!!

Hi R.
Congrats on new baby!
I sure wouldn't worry about sleep habits yet. Things change so fast.
Be thankful for a full nights sleep. I know it is harder to get things done during the day if they don't nap but I always liked mine to sleep at night. I actually could put up with anything with the ones that slept through the night. 10 weeks is early to worry about anything. Maybe he is just growing and needs that sleep.
Our oldest slept through the night almost from the time he came home. Our younger son never slept through the night. In fact he never napped either. Oh by the way, he only sleeps 2 hours in 24 even today and he's 32. His wife thinks its great because he takes care of their 7 week old baby who doesn't sleep well yet.
God bless you
Since I am old enough to be your mom, I always put in talk to your mom, she may have lots of stories to tell as well.
K. SAHM married 38 years 4 adult children 38,32, and twins 18 years. New grandma too.

Hi there,
My daughter did the same thing. She's 6 months old now, and still sleeps about 10-12 hours per night, and cat naps during the day. My doc said that's pretty typical, either they sleep well at night, or during the day.
Enjoy the restful nights!

Hi R.,

At 10 weeks, old, a baby's sleep and nap schedule can change frequently. There really is no "norm" or what he "should be" doing. When my daughter was born, she was sleeping 5 hours at night at 5 weeks, 7 hours at 7 weeks ... but she never took long naps during the day, never anything longer than 30-45 minutes. That was just her. My son at that age would nap for 3 hours at a time (but was on a 3 hour through the night schedule). Be happy that you are fortunate to have a 2 month old sleeping well at night. Daytime napping isn't anything that you need to give much thought to or stress about. Good luck and enjoy your baby!

Hi R., Your 10 week old sleeping for 10plus hours is amazing! The short daytime naps will lengthen when he is big enough to do things. Naps will change all the time. You should try taking him for a walk outside as the weather gets cool and he will sleep longer. Grandma Mary

babies change so much so next week he may be doing something completely different. like a previous post said, take total hours of sleep and his temperament as indicators. is he happy, smiling, ect, then i would say he is fine. a good way to think is when he wakes, in that first moment, does he scream and cry, or if you make a face, does her smile? after sleeping, he should be happy.

make sure though to try swaddling, pacifiers, white noise, ect. try things to keep him from waking. my daughter never slept, i never could get anything done. its tough, but some kids arent changable. good luck

Hi R.,

If it's not broken, please don't try to fix it LOL. Babies are constantly changing their habit. To have him go to sleep so early and wake up at 6:45 is a blessing in my book. Just let him keep doing what he does.

The very best to you.

With my 1st I won't even go into the 9 months of colic w/u - that was a nightmare but when our 2nd daughter came along we really weren't trying to push for anything, just a little sympathy! By the time she was 3 mos she would sleep from 8pm-5am of straight thru sleep which may be better then to have interupted sleep at night & more naps during the day - only u can really be the judge of this - if you think longer naps are needed, try it but realize it may shift the nightime sleeping around. Unfortunately there's no perfect science to this stuff, we do it on a wing & a prayer - Good luck!