Getting 11mo to nap in cot

[AllMiceMustDie]

I've never had much success getting ds to nap in cot. He may do 30 mins or so but then gets on all fours or stands up and is impossible to resettle. He can sleep 2+ hours in pushchair or if bf to sleep on our bed.

He sleeps ok in cot in night (does wake up but can be resettled with cuddle, bf or patting and singing). He's never been a baby who can be put down awake but drowsy - he doesn't stay lying down for very long.

The reason I want him to be able to nap in his cot (or basically out of his pushchair or without bf) is that he is starting nursery for 2 days a week in 6ish weeks and will also be with my mum for 1 day. I'm a bit worried about how he'll nap on those days.

Any advice much appreciated.

Thanks

Keep trying. I had to steel myself and get ds into his cot for naps as I was going to work. Basically I just kept putting him down for every single nap asleep. Then worked into drowsy. Took a month or so to get him to stay in the cot and a few more months for himto sleep longer than 30-45 mins. Had to introduce a short routine and use blackout blinds.

I was actually going to offer the opposite advice to iggly!

My ds (21 months) still doesn't sleep in a cot.

However this hasn't affected him napping at nursery where they manage to get him to sleep in a cot and he has a good length sleep there. The nursery staff will have ways of getting him to sleep and he will probably surprise you. It was definitely one of my anxieties about ds starting nursery, unfounded in the end.

My ds sleeps in a stationary buggy at home, I rock him to sleep in it. Could your mum do something similar if the cot doesn't work?

I am with RaisingMrC dd is 21 months and has never had naps in a cot at home. Ever since she was tiny she just won't sleep in there during the day. She will sleep in her pushchair, car seat, in our bed, on the sofa.

She now sleeps brilliantly at night in there (touch wood) after a bit of work when ahe was about 10months old - won't really go to sleep at night unless she is in her cot and occassionally heads off upstairs shouting night night at bedtime!

She goes to nursery 4 days a week and sleeps in a cot there fine, they put her in awake and she usually goes to sleep within a few minutes, when she first started going (at about 8 months) she did need a cuddle to get her to sleep but was then fine in the cot - I was also expecting lots of trouble with this. Now she often sleeps longer at nursery in her cot than she does at home.

Try not to worry to much the nursery staff will be used to dealing with things like this and he may behave differently in the different environment. She won't sleep in her cot when with my mum and dad but will fall asleep having a cuddle - which my dad likes more than she does and then can be carefully put on the sofa or a big cushion on the floor - as long as she is put down carefully and your mum moves away slowly she may be able to do this at hers?

Good luck

It wasn't that bad getting him inthe cot though. No leaving to cry etc etc. also we live in a flat so rocking in abuggy just wasnf an option.

And it's lovely when he naps in his cot and I can sit down and rest. He's so used to it now at 2.6 years, he falls asleep in minutes

Thank you all. I think I'm inclined to have faith in the nursery being able to find ways for them to get him to sleep. Spoke to my mum who is happy with pushchair or cuddles & books.

I guess the question for me is how I want him to nap when with me - and whether I've got the patience (or schedule as we're out and about alot) to do as you did iggly. The thought of putting him down for a nap at home and without too much fuss does sound appealing...