7 Month Old Difficulty with Napping

[user1474565301]

Hi, This is my first time posting, but I feel like I need some help.
I have a beautiful 7 month old little girl, who I love to bits, but she resists daytime naps so much. I know how much sleep she should be getting during the day and to watch for her sleepy cues etc, but whatever I try, I can't get her to nap without an hour (sometimes more) of fussing first. She just doesn't seem to switch off.
She has also started being anxious about being in places with noise recently and cries when we are in these places and not held by me.
I feel like I am failing her at the moment, as I can see she gets more and more tired during the day, but can't get her to give in.

[FATEdestiny]

How does she fell asleep at night time? Is she settling well then? Does she wake in the night much?

What are her naps looking like at the moment? How often and for how long.?

[user1474565301]

At nighttime, I do a bedtime routine which is breastfeed, then bath, into sleeping bag, story, then bed. She then falls asleep within about 30 mins, after some fussing. A lot better than naptime. She wakes once in the night, feeds, then goes back to sleep after 10 - 30 mins.
She used to settle really well for naps. Currently though, I put her down for her 1St one about 2 hrs after waking. Sometimes she will go to sleep, after 45 mins to an hour of fussing. Sometimes we reach an hour of fussing and I think it's gone on long enough and take her back downstairs. She currently only naps for about 30 mins. Again she used to be able to do one long one of around 90 mins to an hour, but hasn't done this for a few weeks now.

[FATEdestiny]

Poor sleep ends up spiralling. So a baby not getting enough sleep (in total over 24h) will be harder to get to sleep, be more restless when asleep, will wake more easily, will nap for shorter times and so will oversll and up with even worse sleep.

The opposite is also true: good sleep promotes better sleep.

So if she's sleeping for only 30 minutes, the key to breaking this cycle is to make the naps frequent so that she gets much more daytime sleep.

I would say if naps are 30 minute average then the awake time between one nap and the next wants to be 90 minutes.

If it is taking you an hour to get baby to sleep that will mean just 30 minutes awake (just about enough time for a solids meal) and straight back to Getting Baby To Sleep. It wont always take her long, the less over tired baby is the easier she'll be to get to sleep.

Have you tried a dummy?
Are you doing cot naps or pushchair naps?

[user1474565301]

That makes sense. I just couldn't see how to break the cycle, but your suggestion of more frequent naps during the day is great. I'll try it. Thank you.
I was a bit reluctant to give her a dummy as we have got this far without one, but as a last resort, I may have to try it.

[user1474565301]

Missed the last bit. She goes into her cot for naps, unless we are out of the house (three mornings a week)

[FATEdestiny]

I'd highlt recommend a dummy. You are getting to the outer edge of when you will be able to introduce a dummy, much older and it's unlikely she'll accept a dummy even if you want her too.

They are the perfect no crying sleep solutions. There's very good reason so many people use dummies - because they are so simple yet effective. Sucking naturally provides comfort for the baby.

Regarding cot/pushchair naps, movement often helps baby sleep. Movement is also very effective (along with re-inserting dummy) to extend naps - as a way to settle baby back to sleep if they slightly stir after a sleep cycle.

While longer term cot-naps are better, I didn't move daytime naps into the cot until nap had extended past 90 minutes in length without needing to be lulled back to sleep with movement.

While naps are short, having ways to settle back to sleep helps baby learn to sleep longer. I used a bouncy chair but a pushchair does the same to give ways to extend naps. Then move to cot naps once naps were longer and less frequent.