Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Sleep

Join our Sleep forum for tips on creating a sleep routine for your baby or toddler. Need more advice on your childs development? Sign up to our Ages and Stages newsletter here.

Flip

Original poster

I am so sodding fed-up of spending whole days trying to get my baby to nap. Help me please.

23 replies

Artijoke · 04/08/2013 10:11

DS is 12 weeks. He sleeps ok at night but fights naps. My first child refused to nap much but she was cheerful with it, DS gets very grumpy when tired and is tired within 90 mins of being awake so he needs to nap.

If I lie him in his cot awake he screams, of I lie him in it asleep he wakes, if I bounce him in his chair it can take 45 mind to work and he has to be bounced throughout the nap, if I push him in the pram he sleeps but only when moving, in the sling he will sleep as long as I stay moving. I am exhausted. He is exhausted and grumpy. My other two children are neglected.

Can any

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Original poster

Artijoke · 04/08/2013 10:13

Oops. Posted too soon.

Can anyone offer any advice or tips before I go insane (am lying here bouncing his chair in a dark room listening to my girls fight outside)?

OP posts:

Awakeagain · 04/08/2013 10:15

We had a swinging chair which was quite good, keeps moving!!

Pascha · 04/08/2013 10:18

Oh yes the swinging chair worked for us too when nothing else would. He improved at about 16 weeks I think but still needed to be swung to sleep til about 23-24 weeks.

Original poster

Artijoke · 04/08/2013 10:22

Thanks. I did think of forking out for a swinging chair but we are on holiday for the next three weeks and I wouldn't be able to take it. I am afraid the holiday is going to be awful with me stuck inside trying to get DS to sleep.

OP posts:

ImNotBloody14 · 04/08/2013 10:23

I was just about to suggest a swinging chair!

JosiePosiePuddingAndPie · 04/08/2013 10:26

I had this with DS, I used to stick him in the sling and get on with my day, he used to sleep as and when he needed to. Not gonna lie it was he'll because it meant I couldn't nap in the day, but it was better than my life being all about his sleeping. I used to walk miles in the park in the rain with the pram. About 4m it improved and I could stop for coffee!

Shellywelly1973 · 04/08/2013 10:27

Its brutal but how about seeing how long he would actually cry for?
I know he's only 12 weeks but as you have 2 older dc, needs must & all that!

Flobbadobs · 04/08/2013 10:35

DD2 was a nap refuser, it completely sucks!
Can you make him a little 'nest' to make him feel secure and cosy? Wrap him up in a light blanket, covering arms helped me for some reason, she would be asleep in minutes put down like this and at 18 months if she's tired and grumpy wrapping her up and giving her her Linus Blanket (as it's known in this house) still works.
I know feeding them to sleep is a bad idea but frankly I just did whatever I could to make it happen, try a little extra milk perhaps?
Sympathies to you, it almost physically hurts when you're exhausted and hearing a baby crying.

Apileofballyhoo · 04/08/2013 11:22

DS was exactly like this - no magic answer I'm afraid but he was a very 'windy' baby and later was diagnosed with dairy and gluten intolerance. I think he couldn't sleep till he was exhausted at night. I'd have a look at what you're eating if you are bf and what he is eating if ff. He was okish from 4-6 months but when we introduced bread at 6-7 months he went really bad again. (I kept thinking as I was breast feeding 'oh bread is fine that won't give him wind' while I avoided peas, orange juice, anything and everything else.)

CPtart · 04/08/2013 11:32

DS 1 was exactly the same. In the end I gave up trying to get him to nap at home, it was completely pointless. I admitted defeat and drove him out in the car where he (and I) ended up napping for 1-2hours every day in a deserted car park somewhere! He even gave this up completely at 12m and went without a nap at all.
Determined not to do the same with DS 2 I got into the habit of feeding then putting him down to nap every afternoon without fail in his cot in a darkened room. As long as he was fed and clean I ignored any whining and crying and eventually he went with it and napped for 2 hours solid this way until he was 3. I also promoted dependence on a comforter (blanket) for naps and if out and about it came with us in the pram and was produced at the appropriate time.

Nicknamefail · 04/08/2013 21:03

A sling was the only thing that worked for naps for me for the first 6 months. Now will be rocked to sleep indoors on the pram. I lost a lot of weight wearing dd and pacing up and down stairs to get he'd to sleep!

minipie · 04/08/2013 21:26

Dd was the same. It was worst when she was overtired, at those times I did endless pram walks to get the 'right' amount of sleep into her, after a few days of that she was usually a bit better and I would be able to stop the pram and park it in our hall without her waking.

swing did nothing for us sadly!

Miggs28 · 04/08/2013 21:43

my 10 week old DS is exactly the same, very windy/refluxy baby and is terrible at going down for naps, I have to watch him like a hawk through the day for his very subtle I'm tired signals before it turns into a full on overtired screaming fit. to actually get him off to sleep I tend to use a sling, the car or a very long walk - DS does not like to stop moving! We haven't yet mastered the art of napping in the cot - this is the dream, would mean I get so much more housework done!

DreamsOfAShower · 04/08/2013 21:44

Just adding my name too - dd was just like this.
What made me really mental cross was when people would say: "it's ok, she's sleep when she's tired" NO SHE WON'T! That was the problem.
I walked for miles in all kinds of weather this winter just gone.
It's probably not much consolation to you right now but things do get better. Their 'awake time' gradually extends and they eventually learn to self settle. Hang on in there - for me months 3-6 were actually harder than months 0-3.

Original poster

Artijoke · 05/08/2013 06:57

Thanks for the solidarity ladies.

I'm feeling pretty desperate about this. With the school holidays and my older DCs at home I need some time where I am not feeding or obsessing about naps. On the upside the older kids are getting pretty fit as I insist on yet another fast moving walk but even when waking I'm constantly begging them to be quiet/stop giving the baby eye contact/stop dawdling etc.

OP posts:

stillenacht · 05/08/2013 07:19

My lovely sis is going through this at the moment with her PFB DS. I had the same with DS1. The graco swing was a godsend for us. Good luck!

Tinkerisdead · 05/08/2013 07:31

I posted this the other day and everyone squealed why did no-one tell me that! I had one of these after five months if a colicky baby i found it. It meant the pram was moving but i could get on a bit. I got sick of people telling me to sleep when dd did but she only slept with me pounding the streets (crying!). I know its no good for holiday but i managed to set my dd's naps by turning it off when i was ready for her to wake etc. it really saved me.

minipie · 05/08/2013 08:24

Re the giving the baby eye contact - get a Snoozeshade or similar blackout for the pram. (or just clip/ tie on a black scarf to block out light). it made a big difference to how long it took to get dd to sleep.

minipie · 05/08/2013 08:24

and also helped her stay asleep longer once the pram stopped.

nextphase · 05/08/2013 08:32

Another one saying sling.
DS2 spent his early life in the sling while DS1 was taken to toddler groups / playground etc.
Or, is it worth trying to get him to sleep earlier than 90 mins from waking? If overtired, nap fighting went from bad to epic.

dizzy77 · 05/08/2013 08:41

I am here too! 8wo DS2 and 2yr old ds1. Ds2 is getting "worse" st dropping off as he engages with the world and ds1 tends to scream in his ear if he does finally go.

Watching with interest. So far, I try walking the pushchair around the house and engage ds2 to help or put him in front of cbeebies. But cbeebies is starting both to drive me mad and to loose its effectiveness. I used to walk ds1 miles in his pushchair until he napped in his cot at about 8mo but I can't see him putting up with me doing this for ds2.

LovelyWeatherForDucks · 05/08/2013 08:50

My DS was like this (now at 9 months thankfully naps in his cot after some gentle sleep training). At that age a vibrating bouncer worked when a swing did not - he would fall asleep on me/after feeding and I could move him to it and he would usually stay asleep! It was the fisher price woodsy friends one.

Liveinthepresent · 05/08/2013 12:35

Me too OP though am only 6 weeks in with DC2 so am not quite as worn down yet.
Remember this phase from DD vividly - but it changed so quickly and then she learned to self settle with her thumb and would only sleep in her cot ( which brings its own frustrations of course!)
This is what helps me -
Prioritise on certain sleep slots and accept some may not be as good. Eg I find if I can catch DS early for morning sleeps then we are both less cranky later on. I react to first signs of tiredness - it's often not even an hour from waking first thing in the morning.
Delegating one sleep to someone else if poss - did this over the weekend with DH and spent the time with DD - we all felt better for it.
Keep experimenting with things that haven't worked previously as they change so fast ( though appreciate this may be harder on holiday) I am currently in shock that DS is asleep in bouncy chair with minimal rocking - this is a first!
Use the sling to give you some freedom even if the sleep is not as good - as above I do this later in day especially. This has been my salvation though I see you don't have same success if your DS wakes easily.
Remind myself to be grateful that the night sleep is good!

Love the look of the rocker thedoctorswife I can't believe I didn't know that existed!

How much sleep is your DS having a day ? Mine seems to need so much !

Flip