Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Flip

Original poster

Help please - no cot naps

11 replies

suzannem · 29/05/2002 13:54

I need help! My ds will have naps in his bouncer (which, at 9.19 kilos he is too big for really), but, if I try to transfer him to his cot, or even try to start him off in his cot, he sits up full of beans.

I have tried leaving him in his cot anyway, to see if he'll drop off, but he doesn't. He also keeps banging his head on the sides of the cot!

I know that I must stop using his bouncer, as it is not really safe anymore, but I don't know what else to do to get him to have his naps. This morning he was really sound asleep, so I lifted him into his cot, but he woke up as usual, and was then really hyperactive. I have heard about a Chicco bouncer that goes up to 4 years, but it was on a US website, and I can't find it here.

Any tips?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

batey · 29/05/2002 14:12

Have you tried rocking him in his buggy for a while, my 2nd dd would never take her nap in the cot. On the odd occasion that I'd get her in there she'd always wake w/in 1/2hr whereas 5 mins of back and forth in the buggy she'd go off and sleep for 1 1/2 hrs. I think she needs an element of "big sis" noise around her, and upstairs, alone in her cot is too quiet so she'd wake to see what she was missing out on.

When you say bouncer do you mean one that hangs off the door or a bouncy chair?
Good luck.

aloha · 29/05/2002 14:20

I too swear by giving ds naps in his pushchair. I put him in, plug in the dummy, and rock him back and forth with my foot while typing on mumsnet/sending emails etc. It does work nearly every time.

tigermoth · 29/05/2002 14:56

Aloha, that sounds so calmy efficient

Suzannem, wow, that's tricky. I'm not sure what age your son is, but do you think he needs more exercise prior to his cot nap? is that one reason why he drops off to sleep after a good bounce? MY ds, once past 6 -9 months, needed more and more exercise before he would deign to sleep in his cot during the day. By age 18 months he had to be absolutely zonked!

Original poster

suzannem · 29/05/2002 15:37

No, he's always knackered, but hates being put down in his cot other than at night time. I can't bring our pushchair in, because dh has a thing about dirt in the house from outside ('Sleeping With the Enemy anyone'?! I just humour him most of the time).

I think that I may have to just let him play with his toys and crawl until he drops, and then try to get him into his cot. It's difficult, because dh works from home, so I can't afford to have a screaming baby left in a cot, but then I can't afford to have a screaming tired baby playing!

OP posts:

aloha · 29/05/2002 16:32

Erm, hate to be the cause of marital discord, but if he hates the baby crying so much, why are you doing all the worrying? If you don't want to push the issue on the buggy coming indoors (no different to shoes, IMO) then maybe take it in the garden and try to get him off to sleep there now the weather's getting nicer?

Oh Tigermoth, but if that sounds calm/efficient then it's probably the only bit of my life that is! But then everything is brilliant today because ds finally slept through last night from 7pm to nearly 7am - it was the first time and he's 8months, so I was leaping for joy this morning!

aloha · 29/05/2002 16:33

oops

jolou1 · 29/05/2002 17:21

My nine month old DS will only nap in his buggy and he's always put outside unless there's a real hurricane blowing. The fresh air and noises of the garden seem to soothe him and send him off to sleep quite happily. If it's a bit windy the rain cover keeps him cosy. It's vital he can sleep in his buggy because that's what he does at the childminders and it means he naps wherever we go....(on good days!)

SofiaAmes · 29/05/2002 23:29

I said this on another thread, but my son (18 mo) has never been interested in napping in his cot. He goes to sleep at night in his cot with no problems at all. I always put him to nap in his buggy which he's fine with. Even my childminder who can get any child to do anything can't get him to nap in a cot. She puts him in the buggy as well. If the weather is good I wheel him around outside, otherwise in it is.

Melly · 30/05/2002 08:48

Hi Suzannem, I had a similar problem with my dd when she was tiny. She would sleep beautifully in her pram during the day but would not settle in her cot apart from at night when myself and dh had come up to bed. Because she was a summer baby she spent many of her naps outside in the garden and I'm sure the fresh air must be good for babies. Maybe like Batey says, it it just too quiet and they need a bit of background noise, my dd happily slept through loads of noise, hoover going, dogs barking etc. I think I started putting dd in her cot for all her naps when she was about eight weeks or so and she did take a bit of settling but after a while she would happily settle with no problems. At 4.5 months she went to my auntie two days a week and had to sleep in her pram, and thankfully she always happily switches between the two, in her pram for two days, in her cot when at home.

monkey · 31/05/2002 08:41

At first ds wouldn't nap in cot, only in bouncy chair. I tried, he cried, I gave up. Tried again a while later. Now he naps for 3 hours every lunchtime only in cot and will not sleep otherwise. Double edged sword really, he is a great sleeper, and I have plenty of 1 to 1 time with other ds, but because he needs his sleep so I'm pretty much tied to the house every day. Rare occasions we do go out for the day he doesn't sleep and is hysterical with overtiredness.

You could try putting him down in cot again after a ;itt;e break(a couple of days, a week?) and he might go for it like mine did

Flip