i need nap help!!!

jenibeni227

My son does not nap. Well, I take that back, he does not nap unless someone is holding him or he is laying with someone. We have tried so many things to try to get him to sleep by himself, but nothing seems to help. The only good nap he gets is in the morning when the two of us get back in bed and he sleeps for up to 2 hours sometimes. I have to go back to work in a month so i know I need to stop bringing him to my bed in the morning and get him sleeping on his own, especially in the pack and play since that's what he'll sleep in at daycare (he currently HATES the PNP) I've tried swaddling him but he breaks out of everything, even the velcro ones. I put him down drowsy but he ends up screaming. Everything he sleeps in is elevated because of his reflux. He has a noise machine. We've tried music, no music, room darkening shades and even rocking him until he is completely out and then putting him down. He wakes up the second he hits the mattress. We've also tried the swing and bouncy seat. On the off chance that he does fall asleep he only stays that way for 15-20 minutes. I know he needs more than that because when I give in and let him sleep with/on me, he'll sleep for 1 1/2 to 3 hours and is a completely different, happy child. I feel like the only thing left is to let him CIO ( the pedi said we could for up to 15 minutes) but I feel like he is too little for that and I don't want to do that for a few more months.  What can i do? there is only one month until he goes to day care. People keep telling me it's a phase, but he shows no signs of growing out of it anytime soon. The ironic thing is that he sleeps well at night...in his crib...and he usually goes right down.

mrs.serrato85

J is similar. I have just put him down. He would wake up about 4 minutes later.. crying. so i would rock him to sleep (again) and put him back down i would do thi s over and over again.

He is getting better. He will now stay down for about 25-30 minutes. (hey, its something)

kcampy31

You just described DS in a nutshell!n It's so frustrating I know...b/c you want them to get sleep and happy but you can't always be there to have him slepe on you...i hope DS gets it soon!!!!!!!!!

ljw0424

Boy do I know the feeling, it went on for 3 weeks for me.  I bought the book secrets of the baby whisperer and tried the E.A.S.Y. method.  Eat, activity, sleep, you method and within 2 days he was taking hour long naps not on me!  Before that it was 15 min, I could get a 2 hour nap out of him if I laid down with him, my nipple in his mouth the entire time and I couldnt take too deep of a breath or he would wake up!!  I used to keep him up for up to 2 hours and then try to put him down and I think he was too overtired to sleep so he would cat nap and be up again.  I thought I was going to loose my mind!!  Now, he starts to get tired after only an hour of being up and immediately I scoop him up, swaddle him in a miracle blanket, pop the pacifier in, rock him in my arms for maybe 2 min and put him down, still slightly awake but falling asleep and he is out in a couple min.  I also lay him on his side with a sleep positioner, I dont know what it is but he falls asleep really fast laying on his side.  With my LO if he's overtired and we didnt respond to his tired cues quickly, forget it, he aint napping, and we pay for it for the rest of the day.  I find it kinda weird that he's 3 months old and tired after only being up an hour but maybe its a growth spurt.

cabo_kate

Ditto to the above post.

I read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" and "Baby Whisperer" and while I know DS is way too young to have any sort of routine implemented, the books really helped me see his "tired signs" so much better. Now I know that he can only be awake for about 60-70 minutes without needing another nap, so I can proactively start to soothe him.

For example, when he wakes up, he'll eat for about 20 minutes and then we'll change diaper and play for about a half hour. When we hit the hour mark, I swaddle him with a Miracle Blanket and walk around with him for a few minutes. Usually the eyelids start drooping quickly and he falls right to sleep in his swing. It doesn't always work this way, but it really has helped me. We had two weeks where he never napped and I thought I was going to lose my mind! 

POL2006

I know this is a SIDS taboo, but have you tried putting him to sleep on his side or his stomach?  DD would only go to sleep laying on me, until I tried putting her down on her stomach- out like a light.