Forum home Babies Baby

Desperate to get lo to nap in the day.help!!

Morning.

Maiya is now nearly 16 weeks and used to nap on the sofa as refuses to go into her cot in the day. I have tried for over an hour to try and get her to nap in it in the day. Now though she won't nap unless in the pram (after I have walked for approx 30 mins she will start to nap) or out in the car (again after 30 mins and we cant afford to keep driving it so much). By the time bedtime comes at 7.30 she is like a wound up spring and totally stressed. also she's only getting in total around 10/11 hours sleep in 24 hour period as at most she'll nap for 20/30 mins in the day. have tried a swing but won't sleep in that. the day starts so early as she's up at 5.30am for a full feed and won't go back to sleep.

help!!??????

p.s she sleeps for about 9 - 9.5 hours in the cot at night. so why not nap in the day??

thanks xxxxxx

Replies

  • Have you tried a bit fof controlled crying? I did it with Harry, putting him in his moses basket with the curtains shut and just leaving him for a couple of mins before going in a settling him, lengthining the time i left him to cry by a little bit more each time. It worked brilliantly for us and it meant he eventually settled himself more easily and slept more at night! xxx
  • Have you tried using a bouncer chair? Eoin used to nap contentedly in his. Id put him in, pop him in his room, rock him off to sleep then leave him... It didnt affect his transfer to cot napping later on ... just an idea xxx
  • thanks for replies. i think i have what's called a high maintenance baby!! she fights and kicks, pulls at me and pulls her own dummy out when I try to calm her when she becomes tired. I've tried a couple of times to calm her, then put her in cot but she screams blue murder.

    how pathetic is this. i've had to draw all the living room curtains, switch off lights and put washing machine on. after 3 attempts have managed to get her to nap on sofa. I have to hide upstairs and creep down every few mins to check on her!! needed my purse a minute ago and had to crawl past the sofa to get it so didn't wake her!!! problem is she's so nosey everything and everything distracts her when trying to nap. i am so sad!!!

    have just ordered a baa baa black out blind as maybe if her room is pitch black she'll nap??

    things we do for a quiet life!!!
  • Barney was like this, he would only sleep in either the car or the pushchair, just not practical when I have a toddler as well!

    I had to get tough to teach him to nap, I tried using pick up put down but he just fought against it. In the end, following advice from www.babysleepanswers.co.uk I switched to controlled crying. He went in his cot when he was tired and he stayed there for an hour. Typically he would cry for about 25 mins (I checked him every ten mins) then sleep for 20 mins and then cry some more. To start with we only did this for one nap a day so it wasn't too much for either him or me. It did work (although he was particularly stubbon!) and he now naps in his cot. He normally has about an hour in the morning (2 hours after he wakes up) and then either 2 hours after lunch or 1 hour then and another hour about 4. The house is much more relaxed now I don't spend all day trying to keep a very grumpy baby happy!!!
    xx
  • I had a similar problem with my lo (still do sometimes). He needs lots of naps even now at 7 months he has 3 naps a day otherwise he is hell to be with and just so 'wired'!! I would advise not leaving it too long before putting Maiya down (after 2 hours of being awake works best) as otherwise she will be over tired and even harder to settle. x
  • I also had this problem with my lo (now 7 months) - he literally screamed the house down if I tried to put him into his cot in the day altho he was fine at night. In the end I decided to get tough too. I gave him lunch and changed him, closed the curtains in his room and put his heater on so it was nice and warm and put him down at the same time every single day. After a lot of initial protests, he started to settle really well and now goes down for 2 hours every day with no fuss at all.
  • right then. I think monday is going to be my start date for getting tough. will make sure her room is warm, stick her in her grobag and give it a go. no point trying over the weekend as hubby will no way have the stomach to let her cry.

    thanks ladies. lets hope a bit of tough love does the trick. thing is when she does have a nap she's a much happier baby!!

    xxxxxxxxx
  • Hello. just to say Ive also had this problems. Except for me, the only way I managed to get her to sleep was in my arms during the day.
    Tried the cot with grobag on and wrapped in a blanket but she woke up wouldn't go down. I let her fall asleep in my arms and then put her in the cot/or laid on floor with pillows. ...this only lasted 10mins. So I decide to try my last resort other than the car.
    I got the pushchair out, once she started rubbing her eyes, i strapped her in and wrapped a blanket over her legs. I then pushed her in the pushchair back and forth and rocked it from side to side. She fell asleep within 5mins. Yesterday slept for and hr in am and 1.5 in pm. I was really pleased, as it allowed me give my kitchen a proper clean! Was so relieved to find a solution.

    you could maybe give the pushchair ago in the house where its warm? I have the curtains drawn too and its quite. Shes now so comfy thats shes snoring away behind me! xxx
  • joey08 - glad you've found something that works. this whole day time nap thing seems to literally take over the whole day!! before you know it it' time to start the bed time routine!!!

    xx
  • ive been having fun with the bedtime sleeping too. Shes just far too nosey! I have to literally put her down when shes literally sleep, other wise she insists on turning over and playing!

    shes been asleep from over an hr now. Hopefully Il get a tidy house before Christmas...thats after 7mths though!

    I hope you find a solution too lynda.
  • don't feel bad about that. we always feed Maiya before bed and she's 99.9% asleep when goes into the cot. otherwise it would just go on and on and and on until the next feed! she then goes for approx 9 hours and stirs in the night but settles herself ok. weird!!??

    I saw your other post. I never know what to do when Maiya eventually goes for a long nap in the afternoon as how much is enough so doesn't disrupt night sleep? good luck!!!

    xx
  • OMG - read my post in the June 08 forum - exactly the same problem! Good luck girls.xx
  • HI, I think i reconise you from the aug 08 forum. Jamie my son is also 16 weeks. He'll sometimes sleep for an hour or so in the day, somethimes just 1-2 20 mins nap and sometimes nothing! I remember one of your previous posts about missing you old life. I hope your enjoying motherhood more now. Jamie never sleeps in his cot in the day but if/when he does sleep its in his swing chair. My personal opinion is that by tip toeing around her when shes sleeping is just making more work for yourself in the long run. Also if her sleeping patterns are upsetting you making you stressed or anxious. Don't forget she can pick up on that and that may be making her more stressed by bedtime. So if your not alread try and keep calm!! You might of done this already but have you tried bathing before bed. Make sure its nice quiet and warm with no interuptions make it a special time. Then maybe a bit of baby massage before geting her dressed for bed. I really found this helped jamie settle at night. I also talk in quite voice when do his bedtime feed. So that jamie doesn't get to stimulated before bed. Also I'll just add jamie doesn't sleep as well in the night. But then I think he's getting ready for something more than milk. Hope i've made some sense and not just rabbled but I prob have so I'll stop now. Take care xx
Sign In or Register to comment.

Featured Discussions