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Sleep

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Original poster

CC at nap time?!

15 replies

Evita · 26/03/2004 13:40

How long / should you try to use CC for afternoon nap? Dd, 18 months is screaming her head off. Left her for over an hour today and in the end got her up. Obviously you can't go on forever at a nap time. What do you do?

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Chandra · 26/03/2004 13:51

A what time did she wake up? if she was not awake at seven probably she is not sleepy enough for a nap. If this is the first time you do it it might be easier if you start by putting her in the cot but stay with her and even play with her, just to get her used to have a quiet time at her cot, then you can start to leave the room for a while so she can get used to have quiet time in her cot by herself and after that she may start to sleep, it will take some days though... I'm not quite sure about living her to cry herself to sleep at midday, probably at bight because then you could be sure she is really tired, otherwise I don't know. But one thing, if you are going to take her out of the cot never ever pick her up while she's crying, make her smile before you do so, otherwise she will associate crying with getting out of the cot. Hope it helps

elliott · 26/03/2004 13:56

Evita, the books I have read say no more than an hour at nap time. Are you reasonably confident that you've got the timing of the nap right - not too late so she's overtired? Otherwise I'd just keep trying for a few more days and see if there's improvement. Has she previously had a nap and got out of the habit or has she never napped regularly?

Original poster

Evita · 26/03/2004 15:25

Chandra, that's good advice about not picking up when crying.

Elliot, yes, she's been having a nap at this time for a good few weeks now, since she dropped her morning sleep. I've been giving her an early lunch and putting her down straight after as she's really tired. Maybe over-tired as you suggest, but don't know what to do about that.

This has happened a few times in the last few weeks. If she doesn't have a nap she's exhausted, truly exhausted later.

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Original poster

Evita · 26/03/2004 20:39

Had such a miserable day today I'm just bumping this up in case anyone's around with any words of wisdom ...

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bloss · 27/03/2004 10:38

Message withdrawn

papillon · 27/03/2004 10:51

I have been following what is happeing with you & your dd Evita. And feet for you ((hug))
I think a little reassurance goes a long way. Like Bloss (wise knitting mummy - I have been reading some of your posts!) says. Go in and tell its time to sleep.
Building trust is important and helps with discipline as well.
Have you tried to get her to sleep in a single bed - no cot - on the floor. Leave the door closed and then maybe she will get in herself and go to sleep?

papillon · 27/03/2004 11:01

traa la
feel not feet
!!

elliott · 27/03/2004 13:38

hi there Evita, haven't got the full story on other threads but it sounds like its a difficulty making the transition from two naps down to one. If she is finding it difficult staying up till lunch time, why not try putting her down in the late morning when you feel she is tired, and if you manage to get her napping then, gradually push the time back later? Coupled with a consistent approach to leaving her to get to sleep...
You don't need to worry about missing lunch - when my ds needed his nap ridiculously early, I just gave him two substantial snacks on either side of the nap.
Personally I wouldn't move her out of the cot at a time when you are having sleeping difficulties - it could be incredibly distracting for her suddenly to be able to wander around the room instead of going to sleep!

Original poster

Evita · 27/03/2004 20:52

Thanks for the replies.

papillon I like the idea of leaving her with just a mattress on the floor, I think she might go for that, but the room's a bit of a junk store so not safe to leave her in on her own. I WISH it was more like a bedroom but we're in a v. cramped flat.

elliott, I sort of have been doing what you suggest. I've been giving her a kind of 'lunch' (basically whatever she'll eat) at about 11 and putting her down between 11.30-12.00. She used to do her morning nap at 10.30 so it's really not that much later this way. At first she always flaked straight out, but now she's fighting all the way!

bloss, I admire you for sticking with it. I'm not sure I can though. Not for that long. The crying I mean. I've suffered through an hour during which time she didn't let up for a second in fact got worse and worse. I keep hoping it won't come to having to do that. Maybe I will have to though.

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bloss · 27/03/2004 21:41

Message withdrawn

Original poster

Evita · 28/03/2004 17:12

I agree totally with you bloss that if you're going to do cc you have to do it properly. I think when I get myself a bit more sorted out as to what's happening with dd, if I know there's no 'reason' why she shouldn't go to sleep except stubborness, then I will try the cc again with more determination.

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AussieSim · 28/03/2004 18:22

My 14mo DS dropped his morning nap and lengthened his afternoon nap and everything went swimmingly for a while, then he got a bug and went backwards / needing his morning nap again / but finding it hard to drop off, so I|ve started walking him in his stroller,weather permitting, otherwise I just get on with my day and he grabs a few minutes in the car on the way places. Of course if he naps too close to lunch then that sometimes causes difficulties with the afternoon nap. I did CC for night time, but read somewhere not to do it for naps / the longest I leave him is 5 minutes / then I get him up and try him again a little later. HTH

emkana · 28/03/2004 18:53

There's a German version of the Ferber book which is a huge success in Germany - everybody knows it. In there the authors do say that during the day you should try cc for a maximum of one hour, if the child still hasn't fallen asleep by then then take her out and try to keep her awake until the next scheduled sleep, hard work as that may be. So you see, Evita, that not everybody agrees that it's necessarily a bad idea to stop after a time during the day! The authors reckon that even if the child just falls asleep while playing later, then at least he/she fell asleep without any help from the parent. They say you should then just try again the next day or at the next scheduled sleep time.

papillon · 28/03/2004 20:03

Could you maybe try her sleeping in your bed during the day if your flat is small.

If you tried her on the floor in her room a barrier around the bed may help... I saw something on another thread about a soft barrier but now cannot find it.

Original poster

Evita · 28/03/2004 20:13

That's interesting AussieSim, thanks. There's so many options. I think for me what I'm going to try to do is time the nap just right. Today she went out like a light at 12pm without even a grumble. Sometimes I think she's just over or under tired even though it's the same time of day and she got up at the same time. And I think I'll just leave her for a short time and then get her up and try her again a bit later like both you and emkana suggested. I've been thinking about it and don't think I want her screaming for an hour plus in the day. I can't get on with anything and feel lousy and she's just really miserable. She clearly doesn't have a problem going to sleep, just going to sleep when I want her to!

papillon, unfortunately our bed is in the lounge / kitchen so if she slept there I'd get nothing done at all! She used to sleep there when she was younger and I could hoover around her without her flinching but she's got much more sensitive as she's got older.

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