Really need some help with DSs nap

[amyboo]

DS is 18 weeks old. Since he hit the dreaded 4 month mark we've been having some problems with his bedtime, but we seem to be getting through them at the minute.

The big problem now is his midday nap. He finishes his bottle around 11.45 and then starts to get sleepy around 15-30 minutes later. He starts rubbing his eyes, fussing, etc. I have tried putting him in his cot at this point - he just screams. He won't settle if i leave him in the cot so i often just pick him up and hold him, replace dummy etc. We can be doing this for anything from 15-45 minutes before he finally gives in! The thing is, once he's asleep he will easily go for 2 hours (sometimes with a bit of re-settling) so he obviously needs the sleep. Sigh.

He starts creche 4 days a week in 3 weeks so i'd really like to get this sorted before then, as i'm concerned he'd just get even worse without me there to settle him. Can anyone help or tell me where i might be going wrong?

For info he sleeps 7.30pm-6am ish with one feed at niggt, and then will usually have 30-45 minutes nap around 9am. He sometimes naps around 5pm but only briefly and generally only if we're out and about.

Hi Amybook - my DD has a very similar problem with naps but she will only sleep for 30mins at a time so I have to pick her up much more than just at lunchtime. It is a really good start that he will sleep for 2 hours, so that is brilliant.
Re nursery, don't worry about this AT ALL. My DD started nursery 4 weeks ago at 5.5mo and I was absolutely dreading it for the exact same reason, I thought no-one but me would be able to settle her. I thought they would think she was a whinger and horrible etc etc. What I did was to warn them that she would be unlikely to be plonked in a cot and sleep (I said unlikely but I knew full well she wouldn't), and they were fine about it. A friend of my sister who works in a nursery gave me some advice, and that was if you go in from the start with the attitude that you are grateful for any help or advice they can give, they are far more wanting to help than someone who goes in and is a bit precious about their darling. Obviously to us they are THE only baby in the world, but it works wonders if you go in with a slightly " help me" attidute. Well that is what she said anyway.
DD kicked off big style before sleep for about the first 1-2 weeks but they just persevered and now they just have to rock her for a little while but without any fussing. It also works at home, when she is tired I take her up to bed and just rock her for no more than 5 mins and she drifts off in my arms and I place her in her cot. Bingo. Unfortunatley for me however the little minx still won't day nap for longer than 30 at a time (although nursery say she is does do 50 mins sometimes .
Best of luck and by the way you aren't doing anything wrong, it is fab he sleeps that long around lunchtime.

Have you tried putting him into the pram/pushchair to have his nap instead of the cot.

some of them just don't like having daytime naps in the cot

for some reason my DS2 will sleep in his cot in the morning but will only sleep in the pushchair in the afternoon,
babies can be quite contrary sometimes

Thanks for the advice. He likes a sleep in his pushchair in the morning but unless we're out and about he won't sleep in it at lunchtime.

Thanks for the info about the creche fhutts. They're nice people so i'll talk to them like you suggest and hopefully it'll be ok. 1 month ago he wouldn't nap in his cot at all, so i guess i'm not doing too badly. It's just annoying as he's clearly tired. It's taken an hour today before he got so knackered he passed out in my arms. Sigh. Maybe he'll get there eventually...