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My 10 mo DS REFUSES to nap!
I guess I should start out by saying he's an excellent sleeper. bedtime is 7:30 / 8:00 and he usually wakes up between 6:30 & 7:00 - he's always slept really well at night (knock on wood).
I have always had trouble making him nap during the day, moreso after he became mobile, but I used to at least get one decent nap in a day. But now, absolutely no nap at all. I try rocking him to sleep (which works maybe 1/5th of the time - until I try to lay him down, then he's up again... the rest of the time he fights me when I rock him). I try just leaving him in his crib (with or without music going) and toughing it through the whines. He used to give it up after 5 or 10 min... but not anymore!!!!
I know he needs to sleep - I just don't know how to get him to do it (aside from going for car rides every afternoon!) I guess I'd rather have him not nap and sleep well at night - but he should be doing both, shouldn't he?
He's typically very pleasent until around 4 or 5 and that's too late to nap anyways....
Thoughts?
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Have you tried putting him in your bed and sleeping with him? I do that w/dd because I need it as badly as she does. You can always get back up afer he's sound asleep.
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DD hasnt let me rock her to sleep since she was about 4 months old- she always fought me but its partially my fault if you could call it that- I've always layed her down after feeding time and she fell right to sleep instead of rocking her. Shes still very good about letting me lay her in her crib and she'll fall asleep- under one condition... she has to have a blankee. Does you DS have something that hes attached to that could soothe him to sleep like that? I know DD became attached to holding something to fall asleep around 6 months- shes 10 months now and still not particular about what she holds as long as she can snuggle up with it. She has one blanket that I prefer because its the kind that her ped recommended since if she covers her head with it she can still breathe thru it.
She usually takes two naps a day- one a little after breakfast and one around 2 and still sleeps wonderfully thru the night- bedtime is usually 8:30 and she normally sleeps until 8.
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My 10 month old has never been a great sleeper she just this week has started her longest night tume stretch from 8-4:30,5. If she goes back to sleep after I feed her and doesn't wake up till 8 she will onlt take one nap at around 1. If she stays awake she'll take 2 naps. Does your baby get fussy like he needs a nap and fights it? I would definately think a nap is still needed for a couple more years. Do you nurse and have had caffeine? I did that once! If all else fails I would let him fuss a little while longer and see if he puts himself to sleep. My dd used to scream her head off evertime I put her to bed or she woke up in the night I was getting up sometimes every 45 min. The doctor said "when you pick her up, does she stop crying right away? If si it's a tantrum" and to let her cry it out. I had tried everything prior sitting next to her crib rocking her, rubbing her bach, Well I decided to do it which was the hardest thing ever, It took everything not to go in. But that would have done me or her no good in the long run. Now it took awhile. Like a month (she's strong willed) but she is MUCH better now.
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No blankee - in fact no favorite toys at all, he's not overly attached to one single item (yet) He even decided he didn't like his nook at a couple months old!
I don't nurse... and he used to go down with his 10:00 bottle maybe about half the time... but I've cut that bottle out, we're down to two a day, morning & night and he doesn't seem to miss the rest (sleep thing aside).
He doesn't really get fussy until later in the afternoon.
mommy&wifeisme, how long did you let your babe fuss for? I've gone as long as 30-45 min but I feel TERRIBLE about it (I can't do it if there's anyone else home, it embarreses me and makes me feel like a bad mom!) He's not all out crying just 'yelling' for me. He used to give in after 15 or so min, but very rarely anymore!
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My baby used to fall asleep nursing, which was a problem because that is how I was teaching her to put herself to sleep. But I didn't know that, and when she would wake up she would look for me that's when the crying began. So when I started letting her cry. ( i soooooooo hated this, I always said I wouldn't do it) But it was my last resort. I did have to wait a good 45 min. but you CAN NOT go in once you have made up you mind to do this or you'll have to start all over and they may cry even longer cause it worked last time. MY toes would curl trying not to go in. Sometimes I peeked in just to be sure she was fine. But she had to put herself to sleep. it did take awhile. But if you go through the checklist, babies been fed, clean diaper, not sick, not teething, then you should be fine. Good Luck. Maybe give the ped. a call for some advice.
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My daughter is the same way - never was a great napper - I have started either just letting her skip a nap (she usually will take one on the floor or something if she really needs one) sometime I will take her for a stroll or run an errand late afternoon sometimes if she acts like she wants to nap but will not give up (the movement helps her sleep) because there is a "natural" end to the time (coming home) she wakes up gently and uncranky so a 5pm nap does not go too long and she is ready for bed at her usual time (7:30 or so).
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DH is 9 months tomorrow and a couple weeks ago I started the whole "cry it out thing" as a last resort. He had been sick for around a month and wasn't willing to take a nap without me being right there with him and he would wake up after about 20min when I finally would get him into his crib.
I did it differently then mommy&wifeisme. I didn't want him to feel like I was gone and he was all alone because I know he gets scared so I would go in and comfort him ever five to ten minutes. The first two days it took over a hour and a half for him to finally go to sleep, but he slept for a couple hours and was very pleasant when he woke up. The next couple of days it only took twenty minutes to half an hour.
I started on a Tuesday and was only doing it at nap time, but by Friday night we started during the night too because he was waking up every hour and would only fall asleep if we held him or let him sleep in bed with us. That first night it took about twenty minutes each time he woke up. Last night went pretty well. We only had to get out of bed for him once and that was at around five this morning. He was able to put himself back to sleep without us comforting him twice last night.
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Try reading "The No Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley. She also has a book of the same name "N.C.S.S. for Toddlers & Preschoolers" for the next stage. They're awesome!!!
Don't fight the feeling to go get your whining/crying/begging child out of their room. Listen to your instincts & you won't feel like a bad mom "Crying it out" doesn't only mean crying - it means that your child needs you & is trying to communicate to get your attention & help but isn't getting any response. I doubt any of us want our child to "give up" on the idea that we'll react when he needs us, so that's why I say you should react appropriately, whether that's taking him out of the crib or just rubbing his back for a moment to calm him.
Whether you nurse or not, cuddling to sleep is great, especially if you only have one child to take care of at a time. Don't you think it's nicer to fall asleep cuddled beside your hubby? Your child feels the same way about you! If you fall asleep, cool, a nap! If you don't, then just pop up out of bed & get some stuff done (or not!) Put a pillow on each side of your baby & turn on the monitor - you'll hear when he starts rustling & can get into the bedroom before he has a chance to wake up & try to get off of the bed.