so confused about naps

[meadowwalker]

This is my first post and I would be so grateful for some help!

My DS is 7.5 months. He has never managed to nap well anywhere but on me. When he was younger I could put him in the sling and get on with things in the house, but now the only way he will sleep properly is on me in the rocking chair. I do like sitting and cuddling him but it is frustrating not being able to get stuff done because I then have to do things when he is awake instead of play with him. He will sleep a bit in the car seat or pushchair but he wakes as soon as we stop moving and even if we keep going he only sleeps for 20/25 mins and still seems tired when he wakes. If he sleeps on my lap he sleeps for an hour or more.

I am going back to work in a couple of months and really need him to sleep by himself before then.

I should say that he does sleep fine in his cot at night.

Do you think I have to bite the bullet and just put him in his cot until he falls asleep there for a nap? I am dreading the crying that would involve and I also fear he might still only sleep for a short time. Is there anything else I can do?

Has anyone else had this experience, I would love to know what you did.

Sorry for long post and thanks in advance.

[LovesGSD]

I put my 10 month old in my bed for naps as I know he'll have a good nap whereas if he goes in his cot it's a 10 min nap. It also means I can sort out the bedrooms in peace while sleeps.

[meadowwalker]

Thanks lovesGSD, does your baby fall asleep in your bed? Mine will only fall asleep with movement to help, preferably (to him) on my lap on the rocking chair and he wakes up if I try and move him once he is asleep. I would love him to sleep somewhere so I can get on with things!

[LovesGSD]

I usually make him comfy with the pillows and stick the Disney channel on, I do this at the same time most days and he's asleep in 5 mins ........if only that happened at night time tho

[Mehrida]

So he goes down ok at night in his cot? We had the same problem with DS (now 8m). Slept cooried into me during the day but wouldn't nap in cot, but went down fine at night.

The advice I took was to do everything the same at naptime as we did at bedtime (minus the bath obv!)

Eg I take him upstairs, put him in his sleeping bag, read him the exact same book, put on Cyril his musical seahorse give him a kiss, say 'sleepy time DS' and leave him to it. Amazingly it worked straightaway.

Not suggesting you use the exact same routine (feel free to try tho) but definitely try whatever you do at night for naptime.

The downside? I now know 'Giraffes can't dance' off by heart!

[teacher123]

I second what merida said. For ages cot naps didn't work, and thinking back I was a bit random with them really. Now it's nappy change, grobag on, lights off, white noise on, kiss and put in cot. Shut door. Run downstairs, kettle on.

[meadowwalker]

Thank you mehrida and teacher, he does go down ok at night so replicating the routine makes sense. Did you both find it worked straightaway? I will definitely try it. Thank you for replying!

[teacher123]

I had to train him to have naps at certain times (DS likes routine. A lot.) we've had a bedtime routine since 5 weeks, but naps were still really haphazard until about 5 months. Basically I looked in Gina to find out when roughly he should be sleeping and for how long, and I took him in pushchair or out in the car at those times every day for about 2 weeks. So he got into his routine of having sleeps at those times. Then I started the mini bedtime routine at nap times and put him in his cot. There was a bit of crying, but not loads. Now I put him in his cot, go downstairs and put washing on, do washing up for 5 mins etc. if he's not settled, go back up, pat him, say night night, go back downstairs etc. it's not an exact science, sometimes he still refuses, or wakes up after 20 minutes, but when he sleeps for an hour and a half, it's bliss!!

[AmandaPayne]

Just to give another perspective, neither of mine were keen on cot naps (would sometimes go down for half an hour) until about 9 months. DD1 I did everything you 'should'. With DD2 I didn't both. Both sort of got it about 10 months. DD1 napped fabulously until she was over three. DD2 is 20 months and does.

[Mehrida]

It actually worked straightaway. I started it when he was about 7 months. Til then he'd slept on me or I'd been taking him out for super long walks as he slept ok with the movement.

Would make the room as dark as you can as well so he makes the connection with night time.

Good luckn let us know how you get on.

[meadowwalker]

That is great, it gives me hope! He is used to sleeping at pretty much the same times each day (apart from the last few days when he has been teething and very unsettled). So I think I will wait for this tooth to come through and give the mini routine a try. Before bed we do singing, nappy change, grobag on and breastfeed, so I would end up introducing an extra breastfeed into his day if I did the same before naps, but I guess that would be fine. Thank you wo much for your thoughts

[Mehrida]

Can also sympathise on the teething!

We do bottle before bedtime but don't before naptime e
and he's never noticed! So maybe even try without feeding first and if that doesn't work then try tinkering with feeding times?

[meadowwalker]

Good idea Mehrida. Black out blind on order (been meaning to get one for ages) and then off we go. Fingers crossed!

[Mehrida]

How's napping going now meadowwalker? Hoping no news is good news..?