At the end of my tether with baby’s naps

[tiredparent711]

My DS is 6.5 months old and normally a good sleeper, going down for naps fairly reliably and sleeping through the night or waking up once.

Today though he just hasn’t slept since he woke at 8am. I tried to put him down for a nap at 11 and he just would not sleep - he was babbling away for ages and then it turned into tears. I took him for a long walk in the pram hoping that would help, but he only napped from 12-12.30 then woke.

Now I’m trying to get him to sleep again (I put him down at 3pm) and he just won’t! It’s the same thing again - just babbling loudly to himself and not getting to sleep. He’s in exactly the same environment as he’s always had - same cot, white noise, everything.

Nothing has changed, so why is he suddenly unable to nap?! I’m feeling so frustrated as I’m shattered and was hoping for a bit of time to myself today

Hope he sleeps well, dare I mention the six month regression?

DS slept from 7pm to 6.40am last night (hooray) but I’ve been trying to put him down for his first nap and we’re having exactly the same trouble as yesterday.

I know it could be teething, but he seems fine when he’s up - he just starts crying when put in the cot (the same cot he’s always had and has napped in perfectly happily until now). I’ve also been giving him Calpol and will get some baby nurofen ASAP.

I don’t get it, why does he suddenly not want to nap?

Hope he sleeps well, dare I mention the six month regression?

I thought the regressions were at 4 months and 8 months - is there a 6 month one as well?

He just fell asleep for five minutes then woke crying again

What I don’t understand is, if it’s teething, why is he fine when awake and playing with his toys?

I just need that headspace that you get from the daytime naps - I don’t feel I can cope with a 6 month old who’s awake for 12 hours straight to be honest

Could you take him for a walk, maybe that will conk him out?? X

Do you drive? I remember taking mine out at that age when he wouldn't sleep and literally just driving around and around to keep him asleep!

Babies change all the time! Their routines change constantly according to their needs. He may be growing, may be teething. Have you started weaning - that could impact on his sleep patterns. Maybe more hungry than normal. Change in temperature - is he cold? Maybe ready to drop a nap.

@tiredparent711

I just need that headspace that you get from the daytime naps - I don’t feel I can cope with a 6 month old who’s awake for 12 hours straight to be honest

It wont be forever. they just go through phases of this sometimes. PPs idea of taking him for a drive is a good one, that always worked for my daughter (still does and shes nearly 4 ) or if you have a baby carrier that might work.

Still dealing with teeth and sleep deprivation at almost 2yo. It's hard so you have my sympathies. It does sound like teething to me. Hopefully he settles soon. Of course you need a break!

Nap rage is a real (or should be) thing!

At least he does 12 hours over the night, mine is almost 2 and hasn’t ever done that!!!

I would suggest a walk with baby facing in in a sling; pram with a snooze shade, car drive, white noise

I read somewhere that babies are quite often distracted from teething pain when they're awake and have their toys around them but once they're lying in their cot, they have nothing else to think about so it bothers them more! I do agree that everything is a phase though. Do you have a bouncy chair? DS would only nap in that for a while which was a pain but at least got me some peace and quiet to read a book!

Hi OP. I posted yesterday and said me and son were in the same boat. Well today he has a low grade fever. Hes still difficult to get down for naps. I think hes uncomfortable. That explains it at my end. So maybe its teething or hes getting poorly? Im telling myself that it wont be forever, although that doesnt make the days any more enjoyable. It just helps me remember that he'll go back to his normal self one day.

DD periodically has unexplained nap fail. It generally wears off after a few days.

As far as I can tell it's normally when she's adjusting her sleep requirements ie she's started to want more (or occasionally less) time between naps and I'm getting it slightly wrong.

Normally I just get her up and try again later.

DS was up at 6.30 this morning and I've been trying to put him down for a nap since 8.30. An hour later and he's still not asleep. This is killing me.

I don't get it - what am I meant to do, just get him up and forget about naps altogether? He'll have been awake for 4 hours soon - nightmare.

I know exactly how you feel. My seven month old will fight for an hour against her naps when I put her in the cot. I got so worn down by it I just reverted back to feeding her to sleep. I know it doesn't help long term but sometimes you just don't have the energy to do it "the right way".

Solidarity OP. My DS is a little older at 9m but the last two days we’ve been awake since 4.30am, then screaming at nap time .

I know a lot of posters have said to shorten the wake windows, but at 6.5m I was having better luck with extending the morning one slightly. Mostly I was doing this because DS was still in our bedroom and an 8.30am nap clashed with DP getting ready & leaving for work, so I pushed it back to nearer 9ish and it seemed to help. 3 hours from waking to first nap is definitely doable for a lot of babies at that age.

Have you started to wean? How much milk and/or solid food does he get in the mornings?

Yes, we've started weaning but he's only having bits of fruit and veg at the moment (and chucking most of it in the floor!) He gets 210-240ml of milk every 3.5 hours roughly.

I thought two hours between waking up and first nap seemed ok and he looked tired before I took him up. Honestly it's so stressful I just feel like giving up on naps altogether (even though I know I can't).

That length of time will be OK some days, probably, but not others. I know that doesn’t help now but all you can do is try. I was terrible at spotting tiredness cues, still am really, which is why I’ve always stuck to a loose routine of “try for a nap after x hours awake”, increasing the time as DS got older.

I always go out for a walk with the pram if a crib nap’s not happening, though. You might not get a proper rest as such, but you do get silence. Take a coffee and headphones with you and listen to some music or a podcast. Even if it’s raining, the fresh air will do you good.

Maybe he’s ready to drop to two naps a day, but even if he was on a two nap schedule, he shouldn’t be going 4 hours between waking in the morning and first nap.

And re weaning, in a few more weeks it might be worth introducing solids at breakfast time. A few spoonfuls of porridge, weetabix, eggs or yogurt keeps them fuller and possibly a bit drowsier for the first nap.

Thanks @DisgruntledPelican. You’re right, at least I can get a bit of peace if I take him out. He’s been up nearly 4 hours now and I want to tear my hair out. Surely he must be tired?

What are you giving him for breakfast when he wakes, I'm thinking this is a hungry cry. Are you giving him baby porridge or anything in the morning or is it just milk ? At 6.5 months he will need something more substantial than just milk.

At 6.5 months he will need something more substantial than just milk.

Really? Because I read that when you start weaning it's perfectly fine to do just 1 meal a day (lunch) at first. There's so much conflicting advice - my head is spinning. DS has now been awake 4 hours 15 minutes and counting...