well that's yet another 10 minute nap....

[knickerelasticjones]

Any help / advice much appreciated on this. my DD2 (5 mths) is just lousy at napping. She never seems to sleep for more than about 15 minutes before she is awake and crying again. She's just woken up from what I'd hoped would be a decent afternoon nap after 10 MINUTES. And I cannot get her to go back down again.

This morning she had about 20 mins at 9 o'clock and another 15 mins in the car later.

And of course when she is awake she is really grumpy and doesn't want to play because she is soooo tired. But she will not sleep! aargh. (As I write this she is lying under her baby gym whinging)

FWIW her night time sleep is not fab either - often up 3 times a night and sometimes gets up for 2 hours at a time. And she doesn't much like sleeping in a buggy.

any and all advice - please!

Have you tried putting on the hairdryer? It knocks mine out (4 months). Or standing next to the tumble dryer. Or the microwave. Does she find a thumb or finger to suck as that also helps mine to calm himself down. It's hard when it's mum going in to settle as you are the milk bar!

I also tip him ever so slightly onto his left side with a folded blanket. Not everyone's idea of good sleep habit but it works for me. Just enough to not be flat but not enough to roll over.

Do you think she is actually tired and can't get back to sleep or just not needing much sleep?

I think she's tired but the problem is she can't seem to stay asleep. She actually goes to sleep ok, the problem is getting her to stay asleep.

She's screaming in her cot as I write this as I've just had to walk away for a moment. She won't do ANYTHING except cry unless I am holding her. And she is too heavy for that, plus I have about a zillion things to do round the house and I have already been holding on to her most of the afternoon.

Aaargh. Fed up.

Had to go knickerelastic as my two woke up, ironically! Hope the rest of your day was better. It's impossible to tune out the crying and get on with those dull chores.

Would you consider a fabric sling just to get her past the first ten mins? Like mine, too heavy to have the whole sleep in a sling but might get past the initial resistance?

Hello again - I too had to go to deal with more tears. She is asleep now until at least midnight hopefully, and DD1 is just getting her story from dad. Phew.

We have a fabric sling which I use alot and I do use it in emergency - but the problem is once she is asleep in it I find it really difficult to transfer her to the cot.

I think I probably have to bite the bullet and jsut spend a couple of days really focusing on getting her into a good pattern and getting her back to sleep if she wakes up. I will crack this!

thanks for the help

What you could try is taking her out for a walk in the pram and ensuring that she has a decent nap at the same time everyday...once she gets used to sleeping at that time and that length every day it should be easier for her to sleep for longer.