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Nap Help

botanicalblissbotanicalbliss member
in Attachment Parenting
My little guy is almost 6 months old, and he isn't napping well.  He will do maybe 2 30 minute naps plus one 1-2 hour nap (if I sleep with him), and he can't fall asleep on his own.  He's constantly fussy and obviously tired all the time.  I don't want to sleep train, but I am getting so frustrated with his constant whining.  I've read The No Cry Sleep Solution, but what I've tried hasn't worked, and it doesn't really seem to pertain to his situation.  When he wakes at the 30 minute mark, it's pretty impossible to get him back down.  Suggestions?
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Re: Nap Help

  • jackersCUjackersCU member
    Sadly I don't have any advice, but wanted to give some encouragement! My DD had some issues from 5-6 months with naps (would wake up at 45 mins. on the dot) and wouldn't go back down (I nursed her to sleep each time). I stopped fighting it and tried my hardest to get 3 in per day (sometimes it didn't happen). Once she hit 6 months, things changed slowly. She's been sleeping longer and longer during each nap (usually 1-1.5 hours each time she goes down; I still nurse her most naps, but sometimes I rock her and she goes down). Not sure what happened (maybe developmental?), but hang in there. Hopefully you will find something that works or he may grow into longer naps. Good luck!!
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  • botanicalblissbotanicalbliss member
    Thank you @jackersCU!  I hear this is a really rough time and that it gets better after 6 months.  I sure hope so.  Usually, I can ride out his phases, but this one has been going on for a while, and it's really wearing me down.  I'm considering sleep training even though it's something I swore I would never do!  Gah!
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  • Emerald27Emerald27 member
    Have you tried making it very dark in the room for naptime? 5-6 months is prime time for gaining greater awareness of his surroundings, so the less stimulus the more easily he might fall asleep. I'd try black out curtains and white noise. Also keeping the house cool-ish and dressing him warmly.

    Not falling asleep on his own is totally normal and natural, and is something he'll outgrow. Falling asleep on his own is like any other developmental milestone. :) It's especially easy for babies to fall asleep while nursing because it's comforting, warm, safe, and there's tryptophan (containing melatonin, the hormone responsible for sleep) in your milk! Breastmilk is supposed to make babies sleep. Again...natural, normal, and good. :)

    It took lots of practice for me to be able to carefully sneak away from DS for his naps once he falls asleep, and he still naps longer if I'm with him, but we do that every day now (unless I'm tired and nap with him). One other thing that might help would be to wear him in a carrier for one of his naps. Easy access to the breast and you can get some things done.

    Hang in there! Sleep is always changing, so he's bound to sleep better soon.
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  • ncbellencbelle member
    Definitely normal that he needs help going to sleep :)  I still wore my babies for their naps at that age.  We had a special CD that we'd play and I'd bounce on the ball and work while they slept.  I'd suggest trying to get him down earlier for a nap - once he is showing tired signs, it's too late and he's going to fight.  I'd also suggest (if you put him down) to go in right before he typically wakes and shsh and pat him to help him get through that light sleep stage and back to sleep.  White noise and a dark room for sure.  If he sleeps well when you lay with him, lay with him until he is deeply asleep and work on sneaking away (or just enjoy the rest yourself!).


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  • =Lee=B=Lee=B member

    My daughter would 'ping' away.  She'd be out cold and then 'PING" WIDE awake with the goofiest grin on her face when she saw me. I would just get her up to play and she'd go down again 1.5hrs later.

    Then one weekend I was doing something and couldn't get her when she woke...so I sent daddy in to get her.  Well, he went in, popped her soother in and left the room.  A few minutes later I found him and was like "where's the baby" he was like, asleep.  I was shocked.  Turned out that despite being WIDE awake all she needed was her soother.

    Since that day if she wakes I can go in pop the soother in and leave and 9 times out of 10 she passes out before I hit the door...despite being WIDE awake, grinning like it's Christmas morning AND flapping her arms in excitement.  She started sleeping 1.5-2hrs at that point.  All because daddy didn't pick her up when she woke!

    Anyways, point of post is...that despite being wise awake baby may be able to go back down you just need to figure out what to do.  Maybe a soother and leave, sign a song, cuddle etc.  Babies are creatures of habit so they tend to sleep as long as they slept the day before and the day before that.  If they are used to waking at 30min they wake at 30min, just because that's what they did yesterday.  If your able to bring your phone in to baby's room and 'nap' with him for a couple days to stretch the naps out he may start to sleep longer on his own without you.

     

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  • youenjoymyselfyouenjoymyself member
    My daughter is the same way.  It's impossible to get her to sleep on her own.  She refuses to nap at daycare, so she's a hot mess by the time we get home.  I do go nurse her everyday on my lunch break, so she sleeps about 30-45 minutes with me at lunch time, but that's it.  She begs for another nap as soon as we get home, so I let her nap (nurse/with me) for another 30-45 minutes, just so she can make it through the evening and until bedtime.  We bedshare, so she sleeps pretty well at night, but I still have to put her back on the boob when she wakes during the night.  I am totally NOT interested in sleep training, but I do worry about her not napping without me during the day.  She's 8.5 months old, and I've heard that some babies "turn a corner" at 9 months and begin to sleep better and better.  *Fingers crossed*
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  • blu-eyedwifeblu-eyedwife member
    We had a very similar experience at 4 months.  Naps just went down the toilet.  He went from sleeping 90 minute-2 hours to 20 minutes.  He went from being able to be put down awake, to needing to be rocked to sleep.

    For us, this was part of the 4 month wakeful.  It took a good 2 months, but his naps did eventually lengthen back to 90 minutes. 

    And while he would still skip naps at home if we just put him down awake, at daycare he has no problem putting himself to sleep at naptime.
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  • musicalmama5musicalmama5 member
    My daughter is the same way.  It's impossible to get her to sleep on her own.  She refuses to nap at daycare, so she's a hot mess by the time we get home.  I do go nurse her everyday on my lunch break, so she sleeps about 30-45 minutes with me at lunch time, but that's it.  She begs for another nap as soon as we get home, so I let her nap (nurse/with me) for another 30-45 minutes, just so she can make it through the evening and until bedtime.  We bedshare, so she sleeps pretty well at night, but I still have to put her back on the boob when she wakes during the night.  I am totally NOT interested in sleep training, but I do worry about her not napping without me during the day.  She's 8.5 months old, and I've heard that some babies "turn a corner" at 9 months and begin to sleep better and better.  *Fingers crossed*
    I'm going to choose to believe this. :)
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  • botanicalblissbotanicalbliss member
    So, I laid with him for his morning nap and got 2 hours (and a nice nap for myself)!  Afternoon nap was a fail, though.  Got him down, but I didn't go in soon enough.  He woke up at 30 minutes and wouldn't go back down.  Oh well, the morning nap was great!  I'm going to keep on trying!  Thanks ladies!
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  • MommyPhoenixMommyPhoenix member
    edited November 2013
    musicalmama5 said:

    jennylyna said:

    My daughter is the same way.  It's impossible to get her to sleep on her own.  She refuses to nap at daycare, so she's a hot mess by the time we get home.  I do go nurse her everyday on my lunch break, so she sleeps about 30-45 minutes with me at lunch time, but that's it.  She begs for another nap as soon as we get home, so I let her nap (nurse/with me) for another 30-45 minutes, just so she can make it through the evening and until bedtime.  We bedshare, so she sleeps pretty well at night, but I still have to put her back on the boob when she wakes during the night.  I am totally NOT interested in sleep training, but I do worry about her not napping without me during the day.  She's 8.5 months old, and I've heard that some babies "turn a corner" at 9 months and begin to sleep better and better.  *Fingers crossed*

    jennylyna said:

    I'm going to choose to believe this. :)

    Me too!!! But we're already there (at 9 months) so I'll choose to believe in it happening at 9 months-ish! [-O<

     

        

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