Why does 11mth old ds cry every time he goes down for a nap?????

[cruisemum1]

Ds used to only nap in his buggy or car seat (still can do both) but since napping in his cot for the past 3months he always has a cry first. he will then sleep for 1.5hrs in the morning and 1 hr in the afternoon so I don't suspect it is due to not needing the nap. I really hate it as it feels as if i am making him upset whne he has been happily puttering around in the morning. He stays awake for around 3hrs -3.5hrs before his first nap (varies depending on time of waking up etc.) so the timing seems ok but why oh why does he cry first???? Incidentally, this rarely happens at bedtime.

[cruisemum1]

oh and i watch for signs of tiredness before putting him down

[WendyWeber]

Just his way of putting himself to sleep during the day? My kids used to do this sometimes and it's a different sort of crying from when they're really upset - just winding down.

He's not unhappy and he does need the sleep so try not to feel bad

[cruisemum1]

wendyweber- thankyou! he sleeps soundly once he has stopped grizzling/crying so i know he needs the rest but he seems to object to the whole nap idea! If he was in his buggy he would be off without a peep (but then he wouldn't sleep so well/long) hey ho!

[Tapster]

My DD does this for nearly every sleep I never let her cry/grumble for longer than 10mins and if she gets too hysterical I go in earlier. She tends to fall asleep after 9mins. I hate it too but she won't fall asleep when I am in the room anymore.

[cruisemum1]

tapster - sounds like my lo. my ds only really grumbles/grizzles for naps - rarely at bedtime but i hate it! Makes me feel really mean . Like yours, my ds rarely goes beyond 10mins (that is his max) and it usually starts as a loud, angry cry and dilutes down to an intermittent grizzle after a couple of mins. i know I have come across you before (was it on SIFTW?)but could you remnd me how old is your lo?

[Tapster]

Hi was on on SIFTW DD has now turned 9months, she started sleeping through at 7.5months had 4.5 months of hell. GR/GW worked to some extent for us but final step of leaving her is what I went for. DH accused me of doing CC but I always go and pick her up and feed her again after 10mins, just had to do it this morning and off she went second attempt. She cries when she goes to sleep in the car and the very rare event in the buggy. Why can't my DD sleep in her buggy like the rest of the babyworld? I do feel like a prisoner in my own home but she sleeps so I can't complain.

[cruisemum1]

tapster - well done on getting lo to sleep through. i battled wth my conscience about cc but in the end i could bear no more of the 1.5 - 2hrly wakings. ds was miserable, i was miserable, dd was bearing the brunt of my short temper which made me feel dreadful as she has been absolutely wonderful since ds's arrival (she is 9yo) so I had to do it. I have to say that it was the best move i could have made. ds responded really well. He now sleeps like the proverbial baby and is doing soo sooooo well . We are all happy including dh who was bored to death with hearing that i was exhausted which made me feel terrible too. re: napping in the buggy - ironically ds would ONLY nap in the buggy/car for te first 8.5 months of his life. I found it to be so awkward when visitors came round etc. "shhh, ds is sleeping in the hall" blah blah blah. I had to tell people not to ring me at certain times as he was sleeping in the front room etc. I am sure if your dd was tired enough she would sleep anywhere. Try it one day! It is liberating to have a lo who sleeps anywhere so my early experience has kind of paid off for me now I guess. Bless them

[lilysma]

Hi Cruisemum, I've been offline for a while so good to see a familiar face still here . I've finally weaned dd (9 months this week) off daytime naps in the pram on the move and got her sleeping in her cot. This is a major breakthrough after MONTHS of wheeling her around for hours every day. Like your ds though, she does usually cry for up to 15 mins before dropping off. I also wish there was something I could do about it, but she started doing this even before going to sleep in the pram, so there doesn't seem to be any way out. She's definitely tired as she's furiously yawning away, but quite often she SCREAMS at me for several minutes and then slowly pipes down with me stroking her forehead/eyebrow. Then she suddenly conks out!

She doesn't sleep for long, though - usually only half an hour twice a day. She quite often seems tired when she wakes up but I don't have the heart for another 15 mins of crying and not knowing whether she actually needs to go back to sleep so I either get her up or feed her and let her doze some more in my arms . Wish I could find a better way of dealing with it though as I'm sure she gets overtired towards the end of the day, but like you I don't put her down until 8 in the hope that she'll sleep longer in the morning. Any ideas...?!

[cruisemum1]

lilysma - well done on cracking the cot thing. no ideas for longer naps I'm afraid. ds sleeps for 90 mins first nap and 1 hr 2nd nap. He just did it once he got used to cot napping. I am sure your lo must still be tired as that is prob not long enough to recharge the batteries so to speak. She'll do it soon enough I'm sure. Good luck