Having a bad day - so effing frustrated with no naps.

[nm123]

DD is 7 months and I still haven't got the hang of naps.

It's nearly 2pm, I'm not dressed, the flat is a tip, there's loads of washing to be done, her poo-stained clothes need soaking, I need lunch, she needs lunch, there's no food as I need to order our shopping. I've not even had so much of a sip of water today.

DD has slept for a whoping 13 minutes today. And that took an hour of comfort sucking. I wouldn't mind if I could put her down, but she rolls over when I put her on her mat, cries when she gets stuck on her tummy, has decided she hates the jumperoo, practically climbs out of the bumbo, grabs/chews everything she's not supposed to, so long gone are the days when I could leave her for 10 mins whilst I showered and got dressed.

She's currently wailing on the mat whilst I type this.

I thought I'd be in my stride with it all by now, but I'm hugely frustrated. She's got pink eyes where she's so tired, I don't feel like we spend any quality play time together because I'm battling with her for a nap.

OH is brilliant, last night he did her bath the second he came home, and cooked dinner whilst I put her to bed. I then sat on the sofa like a zombie until bedtime when I should've been sorting the food shop. But my brain had stopped working.

I don't know how to break the cycle today. I want to get us out but she will not let me put her anywhere so can't get dressed.

I'm sick of depending on the buggy for naps, and my nips are sore from letting her suck herself to sleep (only to wake as soon as I put her down).

Feel in a right bloody mess.

So sorry nm123. Although my DS is (touch wood, scared to say it) OK at the moment, he's certainly had periods in the past where it's all gone out the window and he's actively fought sleep. He's the same as your DD - needs entertaining all the time, so when he does play up it's a nightmare and I end up all but flinging him at DH when he walks in the door.

One other easy option (I find) is to take them on the bus. I know it's a PITA when all you want is for them to have a nap at home, but it beats pushing a buggy around in the rain. There are times when DS goes beserk at being left; I just bite the bullet on the grounds that it's better for him in the slightly-longer run to have a mum who's not going stir crazy.

Hope things get easier for you soon.

Could you throw some clothes on, wrangle her into the pushchair and walk to the shops? She may be asleep in the pushchair in 10mins, you could get something to eat for you and her when she wakes up. And a cake

Put her in her cot in a dark room. Go and take a shower. See how she is when you're done. You only need 10 mins and she won't come to any harm when she's in her cot.

Do you have a dummy you could give her (if you're not totally anti-dummy - I used to be until I realised how incredibly useful they can be with DS1)?

I second the suggestion of putting her in a cot for 10 mins to grab a shower - she'll be fine even if she screams for 10 mins.

Re. naps - try putting her down every 90 mins from when she wakes up - just for a week or so to break her overtiredness. Make a note of when she wakes in the morning and then have her in bed for 90 minutes later. They go in 90 minute stretches at this age. It may mean she's having 4 short naps in a day or she may do amazingly and have a few long ones.

Good luck.

Second juneau. On one occasion I left DS alone in his cot for just five-ten minutes because I just couldn't stand it any more. He went straight to sleep (unheard of - he always feeds to sleep). You never know your luck, and it doesn't hurt any baby to cry for a little while as a one-off. I'd go so far as to say it's better for them if it allows you to have a break and feel sorry for them instead of mentally crossing off the days till they turn 18 and bugger off.

Thank you all. Am still in my pjs with yesterday's make up under my eyes (nice) but feeling less frustrated.

She fell asleep on me just after I wrote my post and we both had 45 mins' kip.

I'd tried leaving her earlier today and she did the sobby-choky thing so I went back in after 12 mins (had to make a phone call so no time for shower!).

The 90 minute thing does usually work - I tried to get her to sleep on me again this arvo but she was having none of it. Dare I say even she is bored of nip-sucking today!

My phone was stolen last week so have been trying to sort that today (was away for the weekend) but OH has come to the rescue saying he'll bring in some dinner and a new phone for me .

DD will be going to be at 6pm tonight! Thing is, it's not her fault, I just failed at today. Tomorrow will be better - we've got a class at 10am so at least we'll be forced to get up and out sharpish.

Thank you for letting me rant!

nm123 I feel your pain. DD, 7 months, is a crap sleeper, day and night. She does like a nap on me occasionally though so I never get anything done!

She's also pretty high needs so needs a lot of input, and can be grumpy if I'm not entertaining her. Everyone I know has content, sleepy babies and she is quite the opposite. So sorry no advice, only sympathy.

I should add, when she's in a good mood, she's amazing with an awesome giggle!

Sounds like a tough day, OP.

My two are/were both atrocious nappers/sleepers in general.

To get anything done, I swear by our playpen. It was the follow-on from the Jumperoo for both DCs.

There is nothing wrong with leaving the baby strapped into a high chair safely for a few minutes before/after a meal whilst you wash up or bung on a load of washing. Or do the online shop.

Bring the buggy into your house and strap her in there, in the house, for some naps. It's what they do at the crèche we use. Close the curtains, rock her to sleep, and get your head down too.

The world will not end if bath time doesn't happen.

Oh, and yes, the dummy! I was a human dummy for DC1. DC2 uses a dummy, sometimes uses my nipple, but the dummy is a revelation!

Take care x

cometalktome Sorry to hear you have a hard time of it too, though it's reassuring to know I'm not alone.

poppywearer - DD gets grumpy if in the high chair too long! The playpen sounds like a great idea. We're in a first floor flat at the mo, so lugging the buggy up and downstairs is a pain, but I do it if it's raining. Think this is how I lost my baby weight quite quick - have spent the past 7 months pounding the streets getting her to sleep... And though initially I was anti-dummy, when I realised she was quite a fussy baby we tried one and have tried a hundred times since, but she won't have it. God I wish she would though, reckon it would sort her right out at times.

So, I missed the 10pm deadline for online shopping so decided to go and do the shop in person. It might be nearly midnight but I feel like I've achieved something in the end today!

Night all!

I saw this thread yesterday but didn't have chance to post as I was busy having my own bad day with naps!! I just wanted to say I COMPLETELY know how you feel. It is really really really crap when you have a rubbish nap day. My DD is 11 months, so I have a slightly different set of problems now with regards to her naps (and take heart, because she's not quite as much of a nightmare as she was) but I absolutely understand how you feel.