How do you get your baby to nap?

acia · November 2009

I'm running out of ideas here... I'm at the point where DD will only nap in the Moby, with a pacifier, while being rocked in a dark bathroom with the fan on. And then when she finally falls asleep, it's a restless sleep and I doubt she's even moving into the deeper stages of sleep and getting rested. And then she wakes up within the hour, clearly still exhausted but unable to fall back asleep. I know she needs more sleep - she usually only gets about 11-12 hours in a 24 hour period, and almost always seems tired. Nursing her to sleep rarely seems to work during the day, and if it does it's only a 20 minute catnap. Nighttimes are a challenge, too - it usually takes 2-3 hours to get her to sleep, and she sleeps at the most for 8 hours (with one or two feedings during the night)! I feel like if maybe she had better naps, she'd sleep better at night.

How do you get your baby to nap? Help!

E_sharp · November 2009

I don't know if this will make you feel better or worse, but it was around this age that my son started to nap for sh*t, but now at 6 mos, he is doing much better.
The fact that your baby doesn't seem to be moving to a deeper more restful stage of sleep is something that I can't comment on though. Have you tried reading the No-Cry Nap Solution?

atlbride23 · November 2009

As we speak, Finnley has just finished fighting her nap in my arms. Uuually, she's the easy napper- out like a light for exactly one hour. Isla, on the other hand, I swaddle as soon as I see a yawn, then rock, rock, rock for about 20 minutes until she gets dozy, then I put her down. I sometimes have to go in 3-4 times and calm her to finally get her to sleep. I will let them sleep in the carseat, sling, etc. as long as they want to. I t's not considered as restful, I know, but sleep is sleep.

Soon2BMrsN · November 2009

Wow, that sounds rough. My DS has never been a great napper, but I can usually depend on the swing. Do you have one? He's now 5 months old and I can sometimes successfully nurse him to sleep and then slip him into the crib. Months 1 and 2 were the hardest; he started napping better at about 3 months of age.

ljlkm · November 2009

Nursing works like a charm for DS for napping, but it's stopped working for nighttime sleep. For that I wait until I see yawning, and then either swaddle or restrain in my arms and rock/bounce. Takes forever, but it's the only thing that works right now.

emathis2 · November 2009

That sounds terrible! Sorry you are going through that. We had a hard time with naps until recently. Now he is doing a lot better and I think its his age (5 mo). I try to keep him up for anywhere from 1.5-3 hours and then I just put him in his crib, close blinds, paci and swaddle and I leave him there. Most times he goes right to sleep. Sometimes he dosen't but I at least try every 3 hours max and if he wont we play for a while and try again. I think you need to stick to a routine and they will learn that means nap time. I also try to do it around the same times each day and I do at least 3 nap attempts. Ususally 2 are sucessful. Hope it improves for you!

catrinawaves · November 2009

DS also started having problems napping around 3 months, but recently (at 5.5 months) he's doing waaaay better at going down without a fight. He still doesn't usually sleep longer than 45 minutes, but I've just accepted that's how long his naps are going to be.

I would usually nurse him down and that almost always did the trick. I bought blackout curtains and almost always had a fan going for white noise as well. On occasion I would hold him in a cradle position and rock or sway him to sleep.

Now we can usually put him down once we notice he's sleepy, without having to nurse/rock or really do anything first. He can also now go longer between naps-up to 3 hours-whereas he used to have to take one every 1.5/2 hours or so.

LittleEgypt · November 2009

I think No-Cry Sleep Solution has some suggestions for naps. Have you tried a bouncer that vibrates? This is all that would work for DS at one point. He loved it, and I could work at my desk nearby.

In dealing with a recent nap schedule chaos, I adopted this strategy (which only works if you can take the time). I focused on one nap at a time, and took the nap with him for a week. I was crazy well rested, and he got used to the schedule. It worked because a) he sleeps very well next to me or on me (yes ON me, even at 22 lbs), and b) he is at an age where there is some semblance of a routine. We started doing this with morning nap, and are working on afternoon nap right now. Morning nap is now lasting much much longer - it was only about 30 minutes before, and I thought he needed more sleep.

mfc2b4 · November 2009

I highly recommend NCSS. Once I started a bedtime routine, and getting my lo to get around 7-7:30, and he would get up for the day at 6ish (although he still wakes every 3 hrs or so...we are still working on that), he started napping better. My lo runs himself ragged if I let him. I have to watch him very closely for tired cues (about 1.5-2 hrs from when he last slept) and immediately work to get him to sleep. It now only take about 10 minutes. I hold him in my arms and bounce gently up and down with loud fan on. He loves staring at the fan, so I make sure he is where he can see it....sometimes I walk around with him, the motion calms him. AFter he is asleep, I rock or hold him for 5 more mins and then put him down. he sleeps longer if I co-sleep with him, but that isn't always feasible. if he always wakes at 20 mins (if you aren't wearing him) go in at 15 mins and be there to immediately comfort him so he will go back asleep...and not awaken fully.

Good luck!

PizzaBride · November 2009

Do you swaddle her? Swaddle, swaddle, swaddle, nice and tight! This is the only way I can get my DS to nap during the day...and last night he slept for 8 consecutive hours...all thanks to the swaddle. I

the swaddle.

elsaklynch · November 2009

For us, it was the three S's: Swaddle. Swing. Sunglasses. Talk about frustrating. And if anyone ever woke up the baby...grrrr...I even had to get a bell blocker to make sure no plumber or landscaper ruined the nap by accident.

scherza · November 2009

Watch for tired cues -- for DS, he gets a big burst of energy right before he slips into the overtired/impossible to get down stage, so when I see him start to crank into high gear, I take him into the bedroom, turn on the white noise, lower the lights, and rock him. He's good now for a 45 minute nap in the morning and 1-3 hours in the early afternoon.

Also, early bedtimes help with naps. It sounds really counterintuitive, but it worked on both my kids; they are in bed asleep by 6:30 every night and they both take pretty consistent and good naps.

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