Daytime naps - everywhere put the cot!!

[andrea1906]

I'd welcome any advice on how to get my baby to nap in her cot. She's never been a good sleeper so when she was about four months I started letting her sleep in my arms... it seemed like the only way to have a happy rested baby at the time.

Four months later I'm kicking myslef for getting into this mess!! My 8 month old can only ever sleep in her pram or in my arms [yes I often hold her for over two hours so she can nap!]. Lately I've been trying desperately to get her in to her cot during the day [in preparation for nursery] now I just have an over tired cranky baby. Help!!

I was the same - 9 month DS only napped on me or in the sling. I had to prepare him for when I went back to work.

In the end, I started a nap routine (in bag, light show after telling him it was nap time). Then fed him and rocked to sleep. I let him sleep on me, then would put him down in his cot asleep. Kept doing it every day BUT I would give up if it didn't work. Over time, he got used to it and now there are no problems at all. I didn't teach him to self settle - his nanny would rock him (she used to work at a nursery and said they rocked them to sleep there too). She started when he was 1 and he was fine going in the cot then. Now at 16 months he self settles pretty well for naps.

Hi,

My DS didn't nap in his cot until he was well over a year old. I used to rock him to sleep, then put him on the sofa, bed (obviously wedged in with cushions and never unattended) or I put him on the doo moo.

When he got too big for me to rock to sleep I put him up in his cot for naps, he screamed for the first couple of times, but 'got it' quite quickly.

That was our home routine, he went to nursery at 6 months old and they had him napping in a cot with other children in the room within the first week!!

Will she not sleep at all if you put her in the cot? Have you tried leaving her for a little while to see if she'll settle herself? Does she go down ok at nighttime?

Look, don't worry about it, I find the best thing to do is to go with the flow on these sorts of issues. Kids are pretty smart and tend to work things out for themselves.

And don't worry about nursery - they'll have her sorted in no time, it amazes me how quickly children get into the nursery routine. My nursery has them all fast asleep in the bunks in the sleep room straight after lunch, you wonder how a room of 8 toddlers can possibly be a good place to sleep! But it works.

You'll be fine, try not to worry.

xx

I have exactly the same issues with my daughter who is 6 and half months old. She always slep on me for both her daytime naps!

I went cold turkey with the naps on me and started putting her down in her cot, initially with a blanket on. This wasn't very successful. Now I put her in her sleeping bag and it seems to work better. She's currently asleep and has been for an hour and a half! But it is a bit hit and miss (yesterday she only slept for 20 mins in total all day!). If she doesn't sleep in cot or in buggy (anywhere but me) she doesn't have a nap (which is tough).

Hopefully she'll get more consistent as time goes on!

Sorry for the rambling! Hope things get better!

Thanks everyone for your messages, they made me feel better... I thought I was the only one.

I have got her down a few times but she always wakes up after 30mins. Will definitely try a few of your suggestions and persevere.

Eds mummy she's not the best sleeper at night will usually be down for 8pm then need settling or feeding 3 times before 8am. I think as she is getting more aware of herself and us she is getting a bit more tricky to settle.

Thanks

Andrea x

there is no way u are the only one, i thought i was! my 2 yr old went through fabulous phases of sleeping in cot and mabye i could have continued that but i got a bit selfish and wanted to be out during the day so got into the habbit of walking her in the buggy to get her to sleep, i'm still doing it! it is so convinient sometimes as i can got shopping while she sleeps but there r days when we're at home and its raining etc or we just have no where to go! and then she won't nap but if she'd been up since five say i could mabye let her cry but its way more stressful than its worth can let her cry at night cause bedtime is bedtime and there is no comprimise but she's 2 will be 3 in november so not the end of the world if she doesn't nap. i would say to u though do what works for u, babies will sleep i think more or less anywhere if they r tired enough. good luck