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refusing sleep

eblomeblom member
edited March 2014 in Babies: 3 - 6 Months
My 5month old resists naps and bedtime...no matter how I try to beat her to it she always gets to the way over tired cranky stage. If she falls asleep while I rock her or on a walk or in the car or while nursing, as soon as she is put in her crib or the motion stops she wakes up. If I pick her back up right away she falls asleep, then wakes again if I try to put her down (sometimes 4-8 times we'll do this). Any advice? She also won't nap longer than about 30minutes, but the very few times she's done 1hr+ she is happier. I know she needs/wants more sleep--please help! I don't mind holding her for an entire nap sometimes, but can't always do this and clearly not for bedtime.
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Re: refusing sleep

  • LittleNugget93LittleNugget93 member
    I would try warming up her crib with a heating pad prior to putting her down. Even if it is a rice sock. Haha. I would also trying putting an extra layer on her. She may be getting cold.
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  • LittleNugget93LittleNugget93 member
    I would also make the transition from however she fell asleep to her crib very slow. Let her adjust to you standing up, walking to the crib, and stopping in front of the crib. It sounds tedious but it helps me.
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  • Patty MacielPatty Maciel member
    I am going through the same with my 6 month old. He never naps more than 30 minutes, however he is content. He sleeps well TTN and is not a fussy baby, yet. I also placed a post earlier with this issue looking for tips or suggestions to encourage him to nap, because if I am lucky he will nap twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. I usually soothe him by BF but as soon as he pops a tooth, I'll be looking for other alternatives. What helps for mine is that once I lay him in his crib to nap, I will hang over him for a minute or two still humming the same song and slowly releasing my arms from him. Also, we have a soft cuddly little lamb that I stick down my shirt every night when we bathe him to get my scent on it, and it seems to work to soothe him during those first moments of releasing him. He brings it to his face and rubs it around to soothe him. We just keep a careful watch that it doesn't cover his mouth.
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  • eblomeblom member
    Thanks for the tips! I've tried some of these things (laying over her and humming, etc)...I think part of my problem is she usually gets to the over tired stage. I'm not sure how to beat her to it, though, I try to put her down 30minutes before I think she's tired but not very successful at it :(
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  • tisunge602tisunge602 member
    I have to hold my LO til he's past the initial 30 min sleep cycle if I want him to nap longer than that. Once I see him cycle through that, I'll put him down and he'll sleep 1.5-2 hours. Probably a bad habit but it works!
      


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  • luvmygirlssluvmygirlss member
    This is exactly what a baby that doesn't know how to fall asleep on her own does. Allow her the opportunity to learn to fall asleep on her own, and your sleep troubles will be solved ;) 
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  • roo1ooroo1oo member
    I had to put an end to any holding during napping with my LO because very quickly he refused to nap any other way. Agree that it sounds like your LO doesn't know how to fall asleep on her own. My LO will take great naps in the car, swing or in my arms, which is great in the short term, but long term he needs to know how to fall asleep on his own so I only use those options if its late in the day, he's napped poorly earlier in the day and/or he's cranky. Most of the time, I can put LO down in the playpen and walk away, and he falls asleep in 10 minutes.
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  • eblomeblom member
    If I put her down alone eventually she starts crying (not sleeping)--and it's too early to CIO at 5mos, no? Thanks for the help!
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  • Jennybabe0706Jennybabe0706 member
    No advice, but I have noticed the same thing with my 4 month old. No matter how fast I think I catch her sleep cues she has all of a sudden started getting to that really cranky, mad stage and its so hard to get her to fall asleep. I hope it ends soon!!
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