How do I get ds to nap on his own?

[Sparrowlegs248]

He's 8months. He has always been a crap napper and I have taken to feeding to sleep twice a day. Once the habit waw formed it was easy and I was happy he was sleeping. Now he is getting bigger neither of us are comfy enough with him on me and he wakes sooner. Yet he wakes if I put him down. He will sleep in a pram if we walk.

I would really like him to nap at home without giving me a dead arm and leg!

Has anyone managed this?

[Coconut0il]

No advice to break the habit but you're not alone DS2, 7 months, always naps as you've described. I use a v pillow but as he's got bigger I have started to get a bit of a dead leg sometimes. Think all I can do is try and feed him next to me in bed like at night... maybe someone else will have the answer for us I'll probably still lie next to him and read, just so he has the most sleep possible!

[Sparrowlegs248]

I've tried that coconut, it doesn't work in the daytime! It did a few times maybe a month ago but not anymore. Tried this morning, he just rolls and thrashes about, going on and off the boob. Rolling onto his front nd grinning at me like a loon..... Put him on my v pillow to feed and asleep in minutes. Left him for half an hour and was going to attempt a stealth put down. Moved my arm a millimetre and he woke.

[Notfastjustfurious]

Have you tried getting him to nap in the buggy in the house? I used to put my dd in the kitchen and rock her til she fell asleep. I also used the extractor fan for a but of white noise.

[Sparrowlegs248]

He wil ll nap in the buggy but only if it's moving. Eyes open with seconds of stopping!

[InsaneDame]

I transitioned from feeding to rocking for naps, when asleep I put him in his cot, if he woke or seemed to be waking I would gently pat his bum which would help him drop off again. He is now 2yo and I still sit and cuddle to sleep for nap as he is usually quite wound up so needs this to relax. At bedtime though I just leave him in his cot awake and he gets himself to sleep fine.

With my eldest I used to have to drive in car for naps from the age of 16mo until 2.5yo! Although once he was asleep I was able to transition him from car to bed quite easily.

[fluffikins]

No idea but you're not alone, mine only sleeps in the sling and then on me and she's starting nursery this week. I've had my head in the sand about it and just praying she'll magically do something different there. I worry she'll just not nap.

[Notfastjustfurious]

Don't worry about nursery fluffkins they find their own ways of napping there. I had no idea what my dd would do and am amazed to hear she falls asleep with the others on a mat no problem at all.

[daisydalrymple]

Hi dc3 was the same, would only feed to sleep for naps but would fall asleep in the pram on the school run. So possibly at the same age, I started trying him in his pram - kitchen works best for us with space. Conveniently, he will happily fall asleep to the washing machine (also partial to the Hoover ), but I also put a lullaby cd on to blend in general household noise.

I went with the pram as he would always drop off if out and about for a walk, but the weather isn't reliable for the walks every day. I seem to recall he grumbled 20 mins or so at the beginning, but soon got into a simple routine.

They just get to the stage where there's too much baby on the sofa don't they??? I do miss the box set stage now I actually catch up on housework whilst he naps.

[Sparrowlegs248]

I'd love to be able to do stuff while he naps. I will try the pram in the house tomorrow I think.

I am back at work in three weeks and have been leaving him with Mil in preparation, he happily falls asleep on her, obvs without bf.

[Sparrowlegs248]

Seriously, has anyone managed to teach a baby to nap in the cot? It's starting to get to me. Came up for morning nap thinking I would try pram this afternoon. Fed ds, he was very sleepy. Put him on bed and laid next to him. Wriggling, rolling over,pushing, fighting against it. Fed some more. Shush and patted, went very quiet for nearly 10 minutes then rolled over and was off again. Picked up and fed again. Scratching and pushing and generally complaining. Have put in cotbut is on front playing.

I thought it was a bind having to feed him and have him on me to nap, but now we are struggling with that I don't know what to do. When I say struggling, I mean he's too big and it's not comfy for either of us anymore.

[Sparrowlegs248]

He's getting cross in his cot. But now hasn't napped and possibly won't which will fuck up the rest of the day. I need to sort this out but HOW?

[daisydalrymple]

Any luck yet? I'd go out for a long walk if not, just to get him off today. I'm really trying hard yo remember exactly what I did, I have a feeling I did the 2-3-4 thing at that age, so 2 hrs after first waking, nap, but watch for sleepy signs 90 mins onwards, then when he wakes from nap, 3 hrs after waking from nap next nap, again watch for sleepy signs from 2 hrs or so, then four hrs or less from waking again should roughly take you to bedtime. But that's just s really rough guide and you'll obvioudly recognise the sleep signs sooner.

I also think that I did a week of walking with the pram religiously for nap times before starting the kitchen pram nap, so that he was used to going in the pram. Does he have a comforter? Ds used to cling for dear life into two mini handbag hair brushes

[daisydalrymple]

Typos sorry! All 3 dc have flu and I'm typing on phone one handed

[fluffikins]

Get a bigger sofa

[iemma321q]

Currently working hard on this with my 6 month old and we are getting there as long as:

1. I stick to the same exact schedule I.e. Put him down to nap two hours after he last woke up.
   
   
2. I close the curtains and give him his dummy and favourite comforter.
   
   
3. I switch on his night light
   
   
4. I sit on my bed reading till he falls asleep (this seems to be happening quicker everyday!)
   
   This all falls apart however if we leave the house at any point to run errands, go to a baby group etc. However on days like today where we stay at home it works really well and it gives me some time to get some jobs done.
   
   I think you just have to persevere with whatever routine you wish to use as babies take a bit of time to settle into them. The key for me was figuring out the amount of time he needed to be awake before needing his next nap without allowing him to become overtired and cranky.
   
   Good luck!!

[crayfish]

We went from him sleeping on me to sleeping in a cot at about 7 months, I didn't bf though so that might be different. I literally waited until he was tired, plonked him in the cot and left the room. As long as he wasn't crying I didn't go back in but watched on a video monitor. If he cried I went back in a settled him and left again. The first few times it took forever for him to go to sleep, literally an hour or so, but then he would drop off. Now he nods off in about 5 minutes and never cries first. He's nearly 9 months and all his naps are in his cot now, I actually struggle to get him to sleep anywhere else which can be a problem if we're out!

Perseverance is the key, and basically use the same process you would for night sleeping. It's great for us as I can do mumsnetting housework etc while DS sleeps.

[Sparrowlegs248]

I know when he needs to nap but he just cries if I put him.in the cot. I picked him up and fed him.again aftercare few minutes of crying and he went to sleep. Painful for my arm and leg!

[Sparrowlegs248]

Also refuses a dummy. He just rolled about, tried to crawl. Yelled. Bashed the bars etc earlier.

[iemma321q]

This might sound a bit strange but have you tried turning your hairdryer on. Whenever ds has been too upset to settle himself we have found a couple of minutes of the hairdryer helps him calm down. Strangely no white noise apps will do- it has to be the real deal!!!

[Purpleboa]

I'm with you Notta! We're at 9 months and not solved the nap thing. I go through stages of not worrying about it and then really stressing out especially after visits from my ever helpful health visitor and her judgement on my failure to get baby to nap in cot

DD starts nursery properly next week. She had her settling in period starting today. I had to fill in a form, and just laughed when I got to the nap section. Was tempted to write 'good luck with that!' Like Fluffikins, I'm hoping nursery will resolve it. Or I'll have a super tired baby on my hands!

[fluffikins]

Purple she did nap there, they got her down in a basket and just rubbed her tummy and off she went apparently after a few mins of grumbling (someone with her the whole time
though), when they told me I was like "ffs do it at home!"

[Diddlydokey]

I put him down and left to cry for a few minutes, until the angry cry stops then go back in and give him a bum rub but don't pick him up again. Repeat until asleep.

I did this from 3 months, initially responding after a minute & increasing the time as he got older.

Ds cried for every sleep though until he was 18 months ++ It didn't matter how he was settled. There was less crying being left alone in his cot than any other way.

[Sparrowlegs248]

His crying is heartbreaking though, I guess being my only child he's used to being picked up. I did leave him for a few minutes, it just got worse and worse.

I'm like you purple veering between not being bothered and thinking I need to do something. I would like to be able to do something or even nothing while he naps.

He is currently in his cot, ready for sleep but wide awake. Been there for 20minutes. Not crying though. But not sleeping.

[Sparrowlegs248]

That previous post didn't post when I was supposed to. Since then he has cried, I've patted, shushed and nearly lost my nerve about 6 times but each time he did stop crying so I just carried on shushing and patting. He fell asleep. It's taken 45 minutes in total. It's hard going as I kept thinking well I could just be sitting with him asleep on me. But that wouldn't solve the problem.

Let's see how long he sleeps for!!

[fluffikins]

Can you transfer him once he's asleep?