DD will. not. nap. Like, hardly at all. She went from taking great naps during the day and being an overall happy, pleasant baby to taking a couple half hour naps a day and yelling/screaming/being a mess during almost the entire day. I know she's tired. She looks and sounds tired. But she wakes up after 20-30 minutes every time I put her down for a nap. Getting her to go back to sleep pretty much never works. Occasionally if I pick her up and rock her for another 5-10 minutes, she'll fall back asleep, but she always wakes up again very soon.
I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice/experience with this, because I can't go another week listening to a screaming baby all day and getting nothing done. I would not be opposed to a modified CIO method, but I don't really know how to go about that with naps. She doesn't really have problems sleeping at night, it's just during the day. Would putting her down awake and "teaching" her to fall asleep herself, instead of rocking her to sleep every time possibly help?
Re: I'm about to lose it
With DD1 (who had many other issues), naps were a problem from the day we brought her home from the hospital. She would only sleep 5 to occasionally max. 20 min in the crib / playpen. In my arms, she would sleep 2-3 hours 2 times / day and another hour in the evening. Because I had the luxury of being a SAHM, it was worth it to me to just chill on the couch watching TV and reading books while she slept.
I did that for 7 months, occasionally trying to let her sleep somewhere else, but it wasn't until she was 7 months old that Ferber's method worked for naps in her crib (for nighttime sleep it worked at about 6 months). 7 months of DD1 napping in our arms 3x / day. I just thought of it as forced relaxation time.
DD2 napped great but has now also started to only nap for 20ish min. I'm interested to see what others say because I don't know what to do this time around. Since I've got DD1 as well, I can't hold DD2 for naps.
BFP1: DD1 born April 2011 at 34w1d via unplanned c/s due to HELLP, DVT 1 week PP
BFP3: DD2 born Feb 2013 at 38w4d via unplanned RCS due to uterine dehiscence
Well, we can go insane together. I have no suggestions; DS1 wasn't like this.
no advice, i'm sorry to say, but i'm right there with you. i feel like i spend my entire life trying to make this baby sleep--he's yawning, he's rubbing his eyes, but the minute i try to put him to sleep, he's fighting me. once i get him to sleep, he's back up in 30 minutes or less. he gets progressively grumpier, fussier, and harder to put to sleep throughout the day, and if i'm not trying to make him nap, i'm trying to entertain him so he won't fuss/cry. i've tried shorter wake periods, longer wake periods; sleeping in the swing, crib, pnp, bouncy seat; rocking to sleep, putting down drowsy, nursing to sleep--nothing seems to make a difference, he fights them all and wakes up after 20-30 mins.
I like yarn: Learner's Per-knit
Preggo blog: There's No D#$% Stork
She usually starts off just babbling/squealing and I let her go, but after a few minutes it turns into crying. And then it seems like she's too worked up and awake to go back to sleep at that time.
My new method that I'm going to try is eliminating rocking her to sleep. I do it before every nap and bedtime, and I think she is associating that too much with sleep and can't fall back asleep herself when she wakes up in her crib. I'm going to sit quietly with her and get her drowsy, then put her down DBA and try a modified Ferber-type thing if/when she cries.
Thanks everyone for letting me know I'm not alone, that helps!
First round of Clomid in May 2012= BFP #1, DD born January 2013
BFP #2 in January 2014, DS born September 2014
I'm in the same boat! DS has done the short nap thing since about 2 months old. He used to give at least one long one in there (with definite soothing from me - multiple times) but a few days this week have been all short - it isn't pretty. Luckily he took a long one today - so I'm sure there's an end point for you Kleigh!
I should start doing this! He usually wakes up chatting and I go in and get him assuming he is "up"...I wonder if I should leave him in there for a bit...
I could never let her cry for any more than 5 minutes at a time while she's this young, and even that would really be pushing it. I just put her down pretty much awake. The first time she cried for 30 seconds before I went in to soothe. The second time it was about a minute. And then she went to sleep! It's only been like 15 minutes though so I don't wanna get too excited yet, haha.
I hope we can all get our babies to sleep better soon!
First round of Clomid in May 2012= BFP #1, DD born January 2013
BFP #2 in January 2014, DS born September 2014
Our struggle was our LO liked to be rocked to sleep for all sleeps... But at night we could eventually transfer him to his crib.
Like your LO, the naps were crappy, short and he was very grumpy. He got little play time in and I strongly felt he needed a better sleep association routine to get him better sleep.
We implemented Ferber last week and have seen a completely different baby. He sleeps now for 30 minutes, but will now have a long midday nap that can run about 1 to 2 hours long. And with that nice long nap, he is much more content between his cat naps. He also falls asleep faster on his own and if we are out of the home, we can convince him to nap in other places as long as it is quiet. Today he napped in my arms at a friends house, but fell asleep peacefully compared to the last time.
Before you commit to your chosen method, I recommend reading the book fully, or at least the chapters that really pertain to your situation. It gives you a better understanding of what to expect.
Declan 2.21.2013
Baby Boy #2 EDD 6.22.2015
Lately if DD2 is really overtired I either swing her outside on the baby swing on our swingset or wear her around the house for a while. One of those two things will work for me. Or, if all else fails, I lie down with her and nurse her to sleep.
But, my DD still isn't napping in her crib. I'm not worrying about that until she is at least 6 months because I know this wakeful stage takes a while to work itself out. If you want your baby napping routinely in her crib through this period, you will probably have to do training. Just remember you'll probably have to do it again in a few months when she is teething and then again during the 10-11 month separation anxiety phase.