My almost 4 mo old sleeps pretty well at night in his crib (average 10-12 hours with 2 wake ups, first stretch 7 hours). Naps are another story. I nurse him to sleep and it is working for us at this point. However, length of naps is not! Typically, when I put him down, he wakes up after about 30 min. That's usually 30 min from when I put him down, regardless of how long he had been sleeping in my arms before that! He's done maybe 2-3 long naps ever. I know for some babies, short naps are the norm and they gradually increase the length as they grow and nap less times in the day. The problem is when he wakes up, he's clearly still sleepy and cranky. Usually what I do is nurse him back to sleep and hold him, and he'll sleep much longer. If I feel brave, I'll set him back down in crib, but he almost always wakes up immediately the second time.

I know if length doesn't improve I need to work harder at putting down drowsy but awake, but for now I am pretty set on continuing to nurse to sleep. But what my question is (if anyone's made it through this long post) is how long does he need to nap? I feel like he would keep sleeping forever in my arms. The only time he wakes up is when I move too much or try to grab something. Or of course, set him down. I am trying to achieve a wake up that's not a completely cranky fussy baby.