Our 6 month old is doing a lot of things right but she (ok we) are struggling with her daytime nap lengths. She’s goes down to sleep very well and self soothes (finger sucking). But she won’t – or at least rarely does – stay asleep for longer than 30mins. Probably “just a phase” and things will even out but when I half joked about asking dadsnet, msjimmy wasn’t joking and is open to all comers for advice.

Black out curtains + black out blind? Feed before nap?

Warm enough? Cold enough?

Ye Olde Remady

Our 6 month old only went for 40 minute naps (3-4) per day and only up u til she was 12-13 months old did she shift her nap pattern to an extended 1hr to 90 minute nap.

Ours seemed to sleep better and longer when outside with background noise. Cars passing, wind in the trees etc. Darkness and quiet was not a good thing for her naps.

We stuck ours on the balcony in -15c and he slept for hours . Cold air , warm baby , well fed

Liking those last two. She is in a dark, silent room – I know I’d rather be wrapped up warm sleeping outside.

Babies will probably nap longer when they feel like it. Maybe try and guess why she’s waking up. Does she nap better in a chair or bouncer etc?

My wee boy is 18m now and since 10-11m has slept 12-13hr a night and 2-3hr in the day. It’s almost worrying!

Glasgowdan that’s what ours did we had to wake him from his naps so we could do things during the day.

OP Do you make noise when the baby sleeps? I don’t mean like drilling but general day to day noise . I think that can help in the long run.

Tried rocking her when she starts stirring? This usually buys you some time.

Couple of lunchtime pints helps.

As the father of a 5yo and a 2.5yo, my experience suggests it’s probably best to accept the only time they’ll sleep for any length of time (day or night) is when it’s really inconvenient for them to do so.

Colleagues who have teenagers tell me this is replaced by lying awake wondering where they are at 0300.

More seriously, I’m not sure she’ll have settled into a pattern yet. The thing that really caused ours to settle into sleeping for an hour and a half in the middle of the day was going into the toddler room at nursery.

Both of ours (now 3/1) only slept for half an hour or so to start, took till about 9 months to settle into 2hrs or so at lunch. Much of the above (blackout curtains, fed etc helps) as well as getting them into a routine. That said the routine thing can be quite limiting so it may be a trade off between them sleeping and you have some flexibility to do things at weekends etc.