What is your naptime routine?

[MotherofHobbit]

I want to try introduce a naptime routine for DS (5 months) because he fights sleep like he thinks I might throw him to the wolves the moment he closes his eyes.

Has anyone successfully introduced a naptime routine for a nap fighter and what did you do?

I'm going for:
nappy change
song and snuggle
close black out blinds
into cot with white noise.

Any and all recommendations would be appreciated.

Anyone posting that they put DC down and sleep immediately follows will get a

Ah, a sleep fighter, I've got one of those...

I gave up trying to put DS (now 7 months) into his cot in the day for a few months as it was such a trauma and I felt like each day was becoming a battle which I hated. So he was being rocked to sleep in his pram indoors.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I decided to try again as we happened to be sat in the dark of the nursery, I'd just done a nappy change and he'd been fed and burped and was all snuggly on my shoulder and I just thought there was NO REASON why he shouldn't go to sleep in his cot (he has always been fab at night). And it worked! I was amazed!

I think part of it was just that he was ready - I think weaning has helped tire him out and really fill him up as well. But, to come back to your original question , I'm doing a very similiar routine: nappy change, he watches me close the curtains and turn on his night light, a cuddle in the chair (and I do a final winding check, he's a massively windy baby) and then into the cot.

He does cry when he realises I'm leaving the room but stops as soon as I've left so I've learnt just to walk out and not look back!

He definitely wouldn't have done this at 5 months but I think he is really starting to understand the routine. The other day he started to whinge when we were sat in the chair and was happy when I put him in the cot which is a MASSIVE turnaround!

Sorry for the ramble ...

We do exactly the same thing every time and 19 times out of 20 dd (9m0) settleswithout a peep. The key thing for me is not just what we're doing as the words I am saying. I'm sure she picks up on the verbal cues. The routine is:

Nappy change

Then I start talking her through the routine in a slightly sinister drone low voice "it's naptime darling, so what do we do?

Take toys out of cot and put away, repeating "we'll put your toys away, because it's not playtime, it's naptime, it's not playtime, it's naptime" etc etc (she has now added her own touch to this- waving bye bye to her toys, which is adorable).

Close curtains saying "we close the curtains, say bye bye daytime, it's naptime".

Put her in sleep sack- "we put you in your sleep sack, you're going to have such a nice nap, you'll feel so nice when you wake up, naptime darling" etc etc. Basically repeating the word "naptime" as many times as poss!

Put her in her cot ("we put you in your cot, give you your rabbit, night night for now, naptime darling", you get the picture).

Then leave the room saying night night for now, naptime etc as I go.

I sound absolutely insane don't I? But it does work, and this is the girl who used to only have a nap being rocked in her pram.

The first few days (she was about 5 months I think) it took a while to settle her, shush-patting etc. But she soon got the hang of it.

Her naps are woefully short, mind, but she goes to sleep like a dream!

ps It doesn't always work- hence the username- I came on here the other week when Madame decided that napping wasn't for her for a few days.

I like the idea of verbal cues and saying 'naptime' a lot [goes off to practice my sinister drone] ...

Mull, I'm very tempted to copy you and just give up on the cot for a while and just pram/sling him to sleep for a few weeks to break the association. Hmm, maybe that and then start a routine for that cot.

Thanks for the suggestions, Mull and Lady. Much appreciated.