I feel like many of us are struggling with naptime issues and I would say for me it is the single most frustrating thing about DS. If he didn't have to take naps, we would have no problems! I'm worried for when he starts daycare in September that he won't nap while he's there!
Night sleep gets better with age it seems but what about day sleep? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
Re: STMs - Do the naps ever get better?!
Yes, they do! Honestly, daycare was what helped my DD nap better. I find the more stimulation she got, the better she slept. That, and my DCP was a baby rearing ninja!
That said, DS (and, now, DD) is staying with my mom during the day. We are finding he really needs a quiet, dark place to sleep (he is not a "nap everywhere" kid). I am going to work on getting him to be a better napper this summer after school gets out.
Not a STM, but how often are you putting him down? I read that babies at this age can only be awake for about 2 hours at a time, and that is about right for my DD, sometimes a little longer in the evenings. She naps swaddled between 2 rice socks in the arms reach or her crib. I may start trying the sleep sack this week, but am keeping the rice socks until she can easily roll back once she rolls onto her belly, right now she can't. At night she is beside me and for naps I can see her on the monitor otherwise I might not put something in there with her.
We are so thankful that our second daughter, Lillian Elizabeth "Lily", was born healthy and happy on February 11, 2013. We love her to pieces.
We lost our first daughter, Hannah Grace on May 4, 2011. She was buried on May 14 during a beautiful service at my home church. We are grateful that if she could not be here with us, that she is healed and whole with the Lord. We look forward to the day when we will get to meet her. We love her so much.
He naps 4 times a day. He has no trouble falling asleep for naps - it's getting him to stay asleep. He typically takes 3 short naps and one long, but the long one is the kicker. He will wake several times crying and I have to soothe him again and again! It's just strange because he can self soothe at night.
So yes, I think it does get better.
my blog :: the domestic wannabe
Thanks so much ladies - this is very reassuring!! I figured when the number of naps went down things would hopefully be better!
DS has actually been taking a long nap this morning which he never does - but it's in the swing. He fell asleep when I went to the bathroom and I didn't have the heart to move him to his crib...
I hear ya on the hard work! Thank you for the support!!! :-)
Oh yes! It will get much better! I even have a kid we called "No Nap Nate" and it still got better as he got older (and then worse when he hit 2, as now he doesn't often nap! Eek!) And the best news is that they usually sleep 1000X better at daycare. Daycare teachers are magical people who can get any kid to sleep. I think when they are a little older it's kind of "peer pressure" - everyone else is asleep, so they might as well go down too.
Derek - February 2013 Caelyn April 2011
Parents were always amazed that I could convince 10 toddlers to all nap for 2 hours at the same time. No idea how sleep works in an infant room or at an in home, but in my toddler room all of the kids almost always napped!
my blog :: the domestic wannabe