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Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler.

Sleep

Baby settles at night but not for daytime naps?

15 replies

fatpony · 01/02/2015 12:09

I have a nearly four month old. Very happy little boy, cheerful, laughs, smiles at everyone. So long as he gets enough daytime sleep!

Since about six weeks he has happily gone down for the night around 7.30/ 8pm awake but full (warm, clean nappy etc) and takes 5-8 mins to nod off. Have never needed to rock him, no dummy - spits it out. Has never cried while doing so. He wakes usually once (twice recently) in the night for a feed and happily goes back down, sometimes talks to himself for a few mins. Wakes around 6.30-7 for the day.

Daytime naps: complete opposite. Won't go to sleep in his bednest, toddlepod or drift off in his bouncer etc. Gets outraged and works himself up very quickly to full on shrieking if I try to put him down ad leave him once I notice his tired signs. As a result for past six weeks I have taken him out in the pram 10-12.30 where he pretty instantly conks out and sleeps deeply. He normally sleeps for an hr on the way back from an afternoon activity (like 3-4pm).

I'm getting pretty tired of always having to go out in the morning rain/shine/whether I feel ill or not etc and wondered whether anyone has been in the same boat and how they resolved? I think part of it for me is being brave, choosing something and sticking with it. I feel now (esp as I am going back to work in ten weeks time and cannot expect his childminder to take him out constantly) is a good time to try and break the pram/movement related daytime sleep but don't know what to do! I read one thing is to exactly replicate the evening routine i.e. Feed, ewan dream sheep on then sleeping bag and white noise or whatever...
Any advice gratefully received!

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FATEdestiny · 01/02/2015 12:53

Personally, I didn't establish daytime naps in the cot until my 5 year old was down to just one lunchtime nap in the daytime, which was around 12 months old.

But that was mainly because that was how it worked best for us. I was on the school run every morning (with older children) so come rain, shine, if I felt ill or whatever, the school run always had to be done so baby would sleep in pram in the morning. Afternoon naps were wherever worked that day.

Once baby was not falling asleep in the morning, so I was required to establish a proper sleep at lunchtime (rather than several shorter afternoon naps), then it wasn't difficult to establish this at the time (around 12 months old) because baby was tired and ready for a sleep then.

4 months is young to be majorly worrying about this. My 18 week DD still sleeps wherever she happens to be when tired. Just because your DS won't daytime sleep in his cot yet, doesn't mean h never will. Especially so given that he settles so well at night (well done for complete self soothing without ant prop btw - that is a very rare thing at this young age so you are exceptionally lucky there!)

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fatpony · 01/02/2015 13:00

Thanks, yes I am very lucky he sleeps well at night without too much interference. The problem is he gets soooo grumpy without his daytime naps and I am stuck in a pattern of taking him out. I don't mind at the moment but for example wasn't feeling very well on Friday and still had to take him out when it was minus polar bear! Also worried about how he will cope when I go back to work at 6.5 months...

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fatpony · 01/02/2015 13:03

Ps Fate - it's not the cot issue per se (perhaps I didn't explain well) but the daytime sleep. Your 18 week old sleeps wherever she happens to be tired (lucky you and I'd settle for that happily)...mine just resists unless lulled to sleep by being on the move in the pram.

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GothicRainbow · 01/02/2015 13:05

Day time sleep has always been rough for us. My DS is now 20 months and has only just started self settling for his naps but still not in his cot! Usually sofa or my bed! He has always been great at night time though.

I used to rock and let him snooze on my chest or walk with him in the sling for his naps. We still had many days where he used to fight it but from around 4 months I introduced a sleep routine for the day - this was easy for me as I was bottle feeding and started the baby whisperer 7am-7pm routine. Worked really well for us and my DS liked having the predictability - still does now!

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icklekid · 01/02/2015 13:07

No advice but 6 month ds is exactly the same! Happily goes down awake at night screams if I try in the day. We often end up co sleeping to nap - in my bed or going for a walk. I have to catch him before over tired or a nightmare! Also after a solution as starting at childminders soon...

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MagicAlwaysLeadsToTrouble · 01/02/2015 13:09

Pop him in pram and then Rock it in the house? I used to do that, sometimes with the back door open for the all important fresh air!

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FATEdestiny · 01/02/2015 13:15

What about something to suck, but just used in the daytime? Sucking is such a soothing things for a baby. Dummy, hand, fingers, thumb, muslin, toy... that kind of thing. Maybe introducing a 'sleep prop' will help?

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fatpony · 01/02/2015 13:19

Magic, I've tried but he is a clever little bean and knows the difference between pavement and hallway! He insists on the real deal.

He doesn't seem to like co sleeping either. I've tried it and he just uses it as an indication to party/coo at mummy.

Doesn't fall asleep during the day on me (well, very rarely), won't fall asleep by rocking, jiggled or in the sling.

Puzzling little things aren!'t they!

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fatpony · 01/02/2015 13:21

Thanks Fate, I'll see if I can persist with a sleep prop. He took a dummy over Xmas but for weeks will only chew it briefly and his current obsession with his paws means he pushes it out in seconds in the effort to get his hands in his mouth.

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TwiggyHeart · 01/02/2015 13:29

Fatpony, I am having exactly the same issue with DD2 (apart from she doesnt go down until about 10pm). She is extremely over tired and will only nap for 20 minutes whether in the buggy/on the floor, if she goes down at all. 4 months is a time for a massive sleep regression, she has started rolling over and is almost constantly on the move, I think she is struggling with physically settling enough for sleep. I don't have any real advice apart from that I will pass and to carefully look for patterns if and when she does sleep so you can take cues from her.

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fatpony · 01/02/2015 15:48

Twiggy, snap on the physicality! His tired signs are eye rubbing and getting increasingly vocal with his coos and yells but he's so strong and active it takes ages for him to kind of calm down and relax. We have a lovely nighttime routine which winds him down over 40 mins and he seems to look forward to it. I think I'll start off by trying to replicate it a bit so dim room, Ewan the dream sheep on, boob, lavender oil on a muslin...and not letting him get beyond the initially tired stage.

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icklekid · 01/02/2015 19:35

Well decided to persist a bit today did a mini bed time routine- blinds down, light weight gro bag on, ewan white noise, cuddle and put down. Did a bit of pick up put down when really distressed but did eventually go to sleep. He then woke after 25mins but managed to get him back to sleep so got a proper nap out of him. Now to see if I have the energy if he wakes in middle of the night like he has last few nights. ..

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fatpony · 02/02/2015 09:22

Well done Ickle! That's a positive start. I think I struggle a bit with workng out feed/nap times. The easy routine would work for me (so if up at7, nap at 9) but can't see him settling down for a nap without a feed...

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TwiggyHeart · 02/02/2015 09:38

Great news, a bit of progress at least! I have borrowed a Ewan so am going to give that a go for the afternoon nap, I'm hoping it's a miracle cure!

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fatpony · 03/02/2015 11:18

Ok, some small progress. 1hr 45 after waking went upstairs to the room my baby sleeps in. Made sure was warm, Ewan dream sheep on, three small books, bit of boob, sleeping bag and down in cot. Bit of grizzling (not crying) for five mins then asleep. Woke after 40 mins and started crying, figured in could work on the longer sleeps later!