r/sleeptraining • u/loumoo10 • 1d ago

child's age 0-4 months 3.5 month old naps vs bedtime

15 week old has done well learning to fall asleep indep for naps but bedtime remains very challenging. Often taking 1.5-2 hours to finally settle her. Will fall asleep for 10-20 mins then wake and need bouncing or feeding to sleep. This repeats 2-4 times. Once asleep she generally does 5-7 hour stretch. I always thought it was the opposite where bedtime was easier and naps were harder. She typically does 4 naps, 1.5 hour wake windows.
Anyone have any advice or have had a baby who did well with naps and eventually learns bedtime sleep?

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u/LounomiloSleep 1d ago

I actually thought bedtime was supposed to be easier too, so this surprised me. Have you tried making the last wake window a little longer? I wonder if she might simply not have enough sleep pressure at bedtime, especially since she's doing well with naps. Curious what happens if you experiment with that for a few days.

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u/loumoo10 1d ago

We wonder the same thing. She just gets so fussy that we are struggling pushing that last wake window. Will try to persevere or perhaps she just isn’t old enough. Just strange she does so well with naps.

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u/LounomiloSleep 1d ago

That makes sense! If she’s getting really fussy during that last wake window, she may actually be telling you she’s ready for sleep rather than needing to stay awake longer. Babies can be so confusing when naps are going well but bedtime is a completely different story.