8 week old fighting naps - please help!!

[H44123]

Hi

looking for your advice. My boy is 8 weeks old. Sleeps pretty well at night once he is off and wakes up once or twice for a feed.

daytime is a different story. Always struggled to get to nap. I watch for sleepy cues, red eyes, yawning and have even timed him. Mornings he is ok to get to nap, then come the afternoon it starts getting harder then late afternoon/evening is awful! His eyes are so red and he js so tired and crying just can’t get to sleep. I make sure he isn’t overstimulated I think but I have had him for over 2 hours now trying to sleep and he looks like he’s asleep then wakes up crying.

my living room is fairly bright as it is open plan but I do pull the blind although it doesn’t make it very dark as patio doors have a net thing. What do people do for daytime/ evening naps? Take him to his bedroom which is dark? But I can’t leave an 8 week old alone in a room can I? Or do I sit in the bedroom waiting for him to wake from his nap? I don’t know what else I can do. I have tried white noise, rocking etc

Maybe he needs the darkness and lack of stimulation to sleep, so yes, try naps in the dark bedroom. And yep, you should be staying with him at his age

My DS is fine napping in a light room if it's a contact nap but it has to be dark if he's napping in a next to me/bassinet. Which are you doing?
Try different things until you find what works. I tried for weeks with mine before finding that shhing in his ear with my cheek touching his cheek and placing my hand over his forehead sends him off without fail. If he stirs I stroke his nose and he goes back off. Must have tried that combo by chance and it worked.

8 weeks old... Always be with them. So if you decide on the bedroom for naps take a drink, snacks (non rustley) and your phone!

There's a popular thing called 'habit stacking' might be worth a Google. If nothing else it gives you settling techniques to experiment with. Good luck! Naps and babies don't get along very well.

Have you tried contact naps? Sling naps? Pram walk naps in the afternoon? From 8a, my LO always fell asleep for her afternoon nap in a sling snuggled against my chest when I went for my afternoon walk. We upgraded to the pram (facing me) 2 weeks ago.

A lot of babies fight naps around this age right up to 10-15 weeks or so. Various reasons (developmental, biological, overheating, stimulation etc). Also, try settling for naps before you see the red around the eyes - usually this is a late cue! I've done this a few times myself.. takes twice as long to settle 😁

My LO just took 2 hours to settle tonight as she had a lot to say for herself (4m) 😅🙃

God he has screamed murder tonight and finally fallen asleep (I hope!)

Mornings he naps ok, I hold him and stroke his face and make shush sounds but he always opens his eyes, this is downstairs in the living room. Throughout the day the same, but he just fights and cries and gives up but come 5pm onwards he will fight for hours. The only thing I can think of is it’s because it’s not dark.

but I don’t know what other mums do… I’m scared to put him to sleep in a dark room so then he only sleeps in the dark and also don’t want him to confuse day/night. I could sit in his room with him. Also scared me the nights are getting brighter now coming towards summer.

I have just bought some stick on blackout blinds for the patio doors so hopefully makes it dark downstairs for daytime I can put up and down when needed

I'm going to say this only half joking and say I have only done this with a contact nap in desperation, never an independent nap before I get shot down. My living room - kitchen etc is all open plan too and I don't have blinds at the back...... Baby sunglasses exist..... 🤷😎 Basically a sleep mask right? 😂

@H44123 a few people will call 'Colic' when you mention crying from 17:00 onwards. Colic is a symptom though. Nevertheless, they usually cluster feed anytime from 17:00 onwards ready for night time. For some babies, crying can last 4 hours - perfectly 'tireingly' normal. This season will pass when he reaches 12-14 weeks (give or take) when the pituitary glands mature - saliva plays an important role in settling stomach acid/neutralising bacteria etc.

I would say, when it gets to 18:00, bring him upstairs into your room and walk/gentle sway and sush him in there, sing gentle lullaby's (even with persistent loud crying; now my LO listens as singing now soothes her) try a galaxy light projector (these are so relaxing/therapeutic for babies and adults!) if he gets sticky hot from crying, de-layer him. - what is good about keeping him in the same room/hallway during this time, is he will soon associate that room with bedtime! It really works. When I bring my LO upstairs in the evening, she knows what is coming now and settles to sleep instantly after feeds when I enter our bedroom (co-sleep).

As strangers, people can only offer you ideas, they are not law; each family is different so find out what works best for you and do that. Take care