- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Attachment Parenting
XP: Desperation
What do you do when you don't believe in CIO but LO will NOT nap no matter what? I have even let him cry for upwards of 10-15 minutes (all while sitting next to him, patting his belly, rocking him, etc.) but he just screams. As soon as I remove him from the situation and don't make him take a nap he is happy as a clam. The problem is, he's still tired, rubbing his eyes and fussy 10-15 minutes later.
He will fall asleep if I'm wearing him but will only stay asleep this way for 15 minutes. The swing used to work like a charm but now it just makes him scream. I'm exhausted and super disappointed in myself that I haven't figured out my baby better 4.5 months into being a mommy...
This discussion has been closed.
Re: XP: Desperation
Honestly, they go through stages. For a while, LO would not nap unless we put her in the car. ugh. that lasted for about 2 months. It sucked, but it was the only way we could get her to sleep. She would also fall asleep if we were wearing her, but we had to keep moving the whole time.
There is also a 4 month wakeful, which might be affecting your LO's naps.
It's not your fault, some kids are just, um, better at sleeping than others. My friend has a baby that she can literally just put on the floor and he will fall asleep. I used to get so frustrated!
Is your LO really active? Mine seemed to not want to rest at all - always moving, looking around, that sort of thing. I think that was some of her sleeping/napping issues. She is still a pain to get to nap, but it did get much better as she became more mobile and active. Growth spurts and milestone times were the worst.
Hang in there, sorry I don't have much more advice.
I agree with PP's, it's probably just a stage. DD would only nap in the Moby for 3 or 4 months. Then she hated the Moby and would only nap if I was holding/nursing her. Then around 6 or 7 months, she started sleeping in our bed for her naps and still does that now. She will also fall asleep in the stroller and the car, which used to never, never happen.
Do whatever it takes to get him to sleep that also minimizes your frustration. My daughter would never go to sleep with patting/rocking, at least by me. My mom and MIL can rock her to sleep, but from me, she wants to nurse. So I nurse her, and we're both happier.
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
I held him. Till 11 months. He would sleep in his crib fine at bedtime, but naps were another evil nightmare. He would sleep 20, maybe 30 minutes then wake up screaming. So I held him in our recliner and would watch TV or Bump while he napped, taking breaks to pat/rock him back to sleep.
And don't beat yourself up for not knowing your baby better. That's their job. They get just predictable enough for you to think "I think I've got this" then they change everything up so that you're ready to pull your hair out.
I haven't really figured my DS1 out and he's 2.
At that age for us, it was swaddle and bounce on a ball - up to an hour, most days. For me, naps were non-negotiable, and even now, if it takes her two hours to take a nap, well, it takes two hours (I usually lay next to her). We skip nap on a few rare occasions, but it's RARE.
How long have you given him for taking a nap? (Whether it's in-arms, rocked/bounced, next to him, whatever...)