My darling son will not take naps unless he's being held. Ideas?

tinydancerpammy

Hi, all!
I know there have been similar postings to this before, but our situation is a bit different.
Our little boy (18 weeks) has been sleeping beautifully at night since he was a newborn but hates taking naps. He still immediately goes to sleep at night and sleeps for roughly 11 hours straight through, but will only nap during the day if he's being held. He will be out cold but as soon as we set him down, he wakes up and starts crying. We have tried swaddling, noise machines, baby carrier (which works as long as I'm moving), and cry-it-out (which I hated, did not work, and I don't care to repeat). I am so thankful he sleeps through the night, but he gets so tired during the daytime and I end up being on the couch for about 4 hours a day while he naps.
Any suggestions, ideas, or things that worked for you?

chloeval

My lo is the same great night sleeper but not a good napper and I am also not a cry it out fan. Have u tried puttibg him down while still awake and drowsy and tried the shh pat method from baby whisperer that seems to work for me. Maybe he's waking up and getting scared or thinking wth when he was just asleep in your warm arms. He might cry a little when I first put him down but I keep a heavy hand on his chest and pat and sometimes I rub his soft blankie on his cheek to calm him. He feels safe or that it's ok to conk out. It might take a few minutes but it's not a cry it out method and it has worked for me. it makes it hard to get anything done during the day wheh they won't nap but I'm sure it will pass one day lol

chloeval

Here's a link.

https://www.babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=26672.0

jayro10

Same thing here. Try the No Cry Nap Solution. I'm in the middle of reading it, but it seems really promising and doesn't involve CIO.

runningwild

This probably sounds crazy, but I'm a little jealous of your situation. Lol You're very lucky that lo sleeps so well through the night. My DD is 17 weeks and still waking for at least 1 feeding at night. I sometimes wish she would nap in my arms. But she will ONLY nap in her swing (no crib, rnp, or car seat). My DD1 always wanted to be held for naps and sometimes I miss the snuggle time. No good advice from me really. Just thought I'd throw my 2 cents in!

brookelynn1983

Just want to say you aren't the only one! My daughter is napping on me right now. She is 16 weeks today... She also sleeps great at night but nap time is a nightmare!

chilie260

What I do is put my baby on the floor and we play and play. We practice tummy time , kicking and grabbing toys until I see her slowing down. then I put her in the swing with her favorite blanket ( or you can try putting a shirt that smells like you next to her) and maybe one toy ( like a soft little book or stuffed animal) with a view of the tv and play Mickey Mouse club ( her favorite show). She is out for at least two hours.

RIngReady

LO is 5 months and we are still have this issue at times. I think our LO likes the body heat and so when we go from our chest to the floor/crib the temperature change is noticeable. So  now when he does fall asleep on us we throw a thin towel in the dryer for 5-10 min so its warm and then lay him down with the towel over his tummy. He will generally stay asleep that way and about 5  minutes later I remove the towel with no issue as it has cooled down enough that he doesn't notice the heat change. 

It may sound crazy but it works for us. 

BC&LM

We put him to sleep in our arms (rocking/pacifier). We let him sleep there for like 5-10 minutes to ensure he is sleeping deeply enough, and then we transfer him into the Rock and Play, which is sitting right next to us so that he is only being transferred a few inches. If we try to pick him up and walk him all the way to his crib, he usually wakes up. (We can do that at night because he is so soundly sleeping, but never for naps.)

BC&LM

msspeedymarie said:

casey78 said:

We are pretty good at night, but naps are a different story. Even though she sleeps in sleep suit in crib, she naps swaddled in a swing. I found I have to get her down at the earliest sign of tiredness - usually just one grunt or fuss that happens after she's be awake 60-90 minutes. If I wait until she looks tired, she just can't sleep.

I've found that this is key to good naps- don't wait too long. If she gets overtired, that's it.

--------
This too! Put LO down for a nap every 60-90 minutes after waking just as this person said. Works like a charm. If we let LO go too long, he fights so hard, but if we put him to sleep earlier, he naps better.

kkdgirl

My little one sleeps through the night as well. He only takes 3 20 minute naps a day and if he happens to fall asleep in my arms. I have to hold him until he wakes up. I have tried several times to put him in his crib or pack n play. But he wakes up. If he is kind of tired or cranky and I am able to get him in his swing before he falls asleep, he will nap in there. 

I would prefer him sleeping through the night than taking long naps during the day. I guess its just me. I let him sleep where he is comfortable and I embrace those cuddles! 

Nora1985

we used ferber's method for the nighttime and it worked wonderfully...she sleeps 10 hours so i decided to try it for naps and it also works! key is to put baby down when you notice rubbing eyes or yawning

grapeskittles4lyfe

BC&LM said:

We put him to sleep in our arms (rocking/pacifier). We let him sleep there for like 5-10 minutes to ensure he is sleeping deeply enough, and then we transfer him into the Rock and Play, which is sitting right next to us so that he is only being transferred a few inches. If we try to pick him up and walk him all the way to his crib, he usually wakes up. (We can do that at night because he is so soundly sleeping, but never for naps.)

that's what we do as well!

anwgal16

My son did this also.  we bought a swing and put him in that and a few days later transitioned him to the crib.  now he will go to bed in his crib with out a problem.  Well we have a couple times here and there where i hold him on my own or when he was sick I would hold him.

henderson1026

get comfy, enjoy the cuddles and watch TV