Please help! Nap advice needed!!

CareBear2005

Let me preface by saying that up until a week ago, my son was being held for 2 naps a day and we were cosleeping at night....and holding him until we were ready for bed in the evening hours...so we have/had some tough habits to break.

Due to my pregnancy and getting up all hours of the night, cosleeping just had to stop...it worked great for us for a long time but I was waking him constantly and nobody was sleeping well anymore.

We basically decided on the Sleep Lady Shuffle, and we sit with him by the crib until he falls asleep....miraculously at night things have gone very well. We haven't "shuffled" any further away from his crib yet, but he will pretty much go down with minimal fuss within 20 minutes or so. I am stunned and thrilled because I never thought it would work so easily....he still has night wakings and usually ends up in our bed by 3 or 4 am, but I'm pleased that he can at least go down on his own at this point in the crib.

Our issue is NAPS...we've tried the same procedure but it DOES NOT WORK AT ALL. He will literally just scream and scream while we are sitting right there, patting his back, etc. I've tried rocking then putting him down, and he'll be sound asleep but wakes right up! I don't really know what the best thing to do right now is. The past week or so we've ended up trying for 2+ hrs. to get him down and it never happens, so he's gone a few days without a nap....and he NEEDS a nap!! (or 2!!)

So I told DH maybe we need to focus on the nighttime right now and make sure that continues going well....and maybe keep holding him for naps for a little longer and try tackling that later??? But he thinks the inconsistency will hurt us and make the nights harder.

WWYD???

Dreamsicle23

You've already started...I would not go back to holding for naps.  I am actually fascinated at the fact that you held him for all naps over a year - you mean you actually held him...not wore him or co-slept?

Anyway, I'd say that if you're there comforting him, that's all you can do.  I think at his age he's probably just more angry that he's not getting what he's used to and if you stick to it he'll learn to adapt.

Honestly, this is where people get the notion that holding "spoils" babies.  I know it's not true, however he did get accustomed to being held so that's why it's important to encourage good habits and not revert back to the habit you're trying to break.

CareBear2005

Actually, I should clarify that he would always nap in the swing when he was younger, and when he outgrew that we had major trouble, so that's where holding him came into play...it's the only way he'd sleep. So that hasn't been going on for a year, but since the swing was packed up!

I do agree with you....I guess my follow up ? should be at what point would you just give up and skip the nap? I mean, it seems crazy to try to get him down for 2+ hours when he'd only sleep 1 usually. Should I just try at the same time everyday and put a time limit on it?

Dreamsicle23

I don't really have an answer, as my child is younger so I don't really know about 1 y.o. nap habits.  I don't really follow a nap schedule, I go by his cues.  The SECOND I see an eye rub, I start putting him down for the nap.  If I wait until he's really tired it's much more difficult.  Maybe before he's super tired - rock, nurse, cuddle or whatever gets him nice and drowsy THEN try getting him down for the nap.

andiandlou

If he is already down to one nap per day I would just take the nap with him.  I'm sure it would be great for you to get some rest also, and he will grow out of this ONE nap soon anyway.  That's what I would do in your case....

finsternis

we were the same, wearing for naps& cosleeping at night, and we did something similar for her crib transition at 6 months [i don`t know what sleep lady is, but it sounds similar]. it worked really well--she was putting herself to sleep and sttn within days. but for naps, we had the same problem as you: she screamed and screamed, and went whole days without napping. i don`t know why it should be different for naps--maybe because they`re actually sleeping *on* us? anyway, we just kept going back to wearing and trying again in a week. it took about three or four weeks. she did get it, and is now wonderful with naps, but it seemed easier on her to back off and give her more time to settle in. we initially started naps a week or two after bed was going well. my lo is younger than yours though. good luck!