u/Cruel_Summer73

Hi moms, I really need some advice because I feel like I’m drowning a little.

During the day, naps are extremely hard. My baby is 14 weeks and only sleeps on me, and the second I put him down, he wakes up. I basically feel trapped by naps all day long.

Then during his wake windows, I try to interact with him, do tummy time, play, etc., but I constantly have to be careful because he gets overstimulated really quickly. He starts kicking his arms and legs super fast, breathing rapidly, and his eyes get really wide. Because of that, I feel like I can’t leave him alone even for a minute.

I can barely get anything done around the house. I babywear a lot, but even then he doesn’t really settle or get tired.

Were you actively playing/interacting with your babies during every wake window? How much tummy time did they actually do per session?

And honestly… how did you find even a tiny bit of time for yourselves or to get things done? I feel like I’m completely losing myself. I don’t even have time to get dressed properly or put on a little makeup just to feel a bit better…

Would really appreciate hearing your experiences because right now this stage feels incredibly overwhelming.

Hi, I really need some real-life experiences because I’m starting to feel completely exhausted.

My baby is 13 weeks old and no matter what wake windows I try, daytime naps are almost always 20 minutes long. Sometimes I can extend them by resettling, but that basically means I’m constantly putting the baby back to sleep. And it started weeks ago

A bit more context:

Even in a sling, the baby wakes after ~20 minutes

Won’t really fall asleep in the stroller

Same in the car

I’m putting the baby to sleep probably 15–20 times a day and my whole body is starting to hurt

The interesting part is that nights are actually pretty good – my baby only wakes 1–2 times overnight.

I’ve tried different wake windows (from ~1:15 up to around 2 hours), but the result is pretty much the same.

My questions:

- Has anyone had a baby with chronic 20-minute naps like this?

- When did naps start to lengthen?

- Did anything actually help in your case?

-What wake windows worked for you at this age?

Honestly, I’m getting really worn out and it’s hard to imagine keeping this up much longer.

I’d really appreciate any experience

Hi everyone,

I have a 12-week-old baby and we’ve been dealing with the same situation for over a month now:

During the night he sleeps relatively well

During the day, naps are almost always ~20 minutes

Even when clearly very tired, still wakes up after 20 minutes

Seems overtired/overstimulated – hard to settle, gets fussy

Refuses the stroller (seems to get even more overstimulated in it)

We’ve tried earlier bedtimes, calm/dark environment, etc., but the pattern doesn’t change.

I’m wondering:

👉 Is this just a normal phase for this age (immature nervous system)?

👉 Do babies just grow out of this?

👉 Has anyone had the same situation and when did it get better?

Would really appreciate hearing your experiences 🙏