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Sleep

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Original poster

Controlled Crying - Daytime Naps...

13 replies

Brandyanddietcoke · 06/02/2007 22:57

Hi, I started a thread last week about my 1 month CC slog with DD (21months) Thanks for everyone who replied. She is going down much better at night (5 nights touch wood)

However, I'm stumped in the day (i really do need to read a book about it) but i find that if i put her in her cot for daytime nap, we have at least 20-30 mins crying before she goes off. Regardless of how good shes been sleeping at night. I know naps are trickier on the whole anyway. We've been getting round it by taking her out in the car or pushchair but there are times when it's just not practical. I'm not quite sure what to do because I have found over the last month that if we do CC in the day then, she will go back to crying again at night...

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

cruisemum1 · 07/02/2007 08:55

ditto daytime naps here. never in the cot . No advice but I will watch this thread with interest....

MsPea · 07/02/2007 10:08

Mmmm, I have had exactly the same experience. V keen to crack naps in the cot as it would make such a difference to my days.

At the moment trying to ingrain a nap routine using pram etc so that she expects to sleep at fairly predictable times. Planning to then watch v carefully for sleepy signs and try putting her down at nap time before she gets cranky. Probably starting at 9am tomorrow.

Will also follow this thread with interest, and let you know what happens!

claire74 · 07/02/2007 10:17

What time are you putting her down? it may be that she isn't tired enough at the time you try and her routine just needs adjusting to her age. I know with my dd around that age, she started going down more like 1 -1:30pm than her usual time of 12:30.
Or I know its frigtening to think but maybe she's not tired enough for a nap in general now, especially if her night sleeps are so much better now. You could try putting her down every other day.

Original poster

Brandyanddietcoke · 07/02/2007 10:45

thanks guys. Yeah i tried the nap every other day and she went back to screaming at night, so i presummed she was overtired and still needed her nap. I find if she has a hour in her pushchair or in the car, she goes down better at night. I have had to move the time slightly later, as she gets older but I can't leave it too late or she doesn't go to bed till a ridiculous time in the evening.

My partner seems to think we should persevere with putting her in her cot in the day, even if it disturbs the evening because its awkward trying to arrange, leaving the car here etc...

OP posts:

cruisemum1 · 07/02/2007 11:49

i am currently pushing a buggy round my house to get ds to take a much needed nap. i am sick of this! why oh why won't these babes nap in their cots? it is hardly a tall order. i REFUSE to get kitted up and go out AGAIN. it is freezing here today!. surely he wd prefer to be snuggled up in his lovely cot?! aaah - peace at last! he's asleep

cruisemum1 · 07/02/2007 11:53

mspea - my ds takes pretty regular naps (at the moment....) and these are as follows:
8:15ish - car seat during school run
12ish - buggy in house or out and about
3:30ish - school run in car seat

Having the naps taken at regular times has made no difference to my lo's reluctance to take them in his cot . I really wish he would sleep there it would be far better quality sleep surely? Esp as he gets bigger (he is 5mths now)
How old is your lo?

MsPea · 08/02/2007 07:23

Hello cruisemum,

She's almost 6 months. Always been a difficult sleeper- though I feel dp and I have to take some responsibilty for this as we fell into bad habits at the start- partly because we didn't know what we were doing (it seems mad now, but it didn't occur to me to research sleep before she was born) and partky because she had nasty colic, and at one stage we just did whatever we could to stop her crying.

It's nice to talk to someone in a similar position!

Dd naps 9ish, somewhere in the middle of the day, around 12 (ideally for longer than at other nap times) and then at some point between 4 and 5pm.

Like brandy's lo, she will nap in cot after 30 mins crying, but only for 30mins, and it seems to throw off the night. I thought initially this was because she had come to be frightened of the cot again, but now I wonder if it is being overtired, since last night was RUBBISH and yesterday all her naps were in pram etc, but we had a v busy day.

I get so disheartened when I think I am making progress with this horrible process and then for no definite reason she seems to almost back to square one. I come up with endless theories (teething? a cold?) but on tbe end you just have to keep on trucking I guess.

MsPea · 08/02/2007 07:25

PS. Yes I also believe sleep in cot is better quality. And dd needs to know how to help herself when she is tired but not being provided with triggers like motion. Poor sausage otherwise she's helpless!

cruisemum1 · 08/02/2007 14:06

mrsp - had hv round today (yes, I know, amazing isn't it that a hv actually visited!)

Anywya, she is gonna get their resident sleep expert to ring me re: encouraging lo's to sleep in their cots. Will pass on any valid info if you like

USAUKMum · 08/02/2007 14:41

Sleep can be so horrible can't it? Just thought I'd passy on my experiences with DD, when we did CC she only cried about 2 days at bedtime, but with her naps she cried for probably 1.5 - 2 mths (horrible I know). It was a real slog, but after that. She was lovely, she even napped in her bed once she moved there

DS wasn't as bad, but he was younger when I started. DD was probably 10 mths, DS 8 mths.

I think the older the baby, the more difficult it can be.

Hope the sleep expert can give you some tips.

MsPea · 10/02/2007 11:50

Mmmm yes please cruisemum.

Tried to get her to nap on Thursday and gave up traumatised. Which feels a bit rubbish tbh!

Would love ot hear what your expert says.

livysmum · 10/02/2007 13:56

I'm also having the problem

DD is almost 6 months and is fine with her morning nap but come about 1-2pm she FIGHTS me and dad. She still has problems with her wind, but i think we are getting it up better now so I dotn see why shes fussing at this noon nap.

I think that when she rubs her eyes shes tired but do i put her down AS soon as i see her rub her eyes or wait a bit. I dont want her to get over tired by waiting a bit to put her down and I dont want to put her down prematurly in case shes not that tired yet. Where am I going wrong with this.

Someone said something about Cues for nap time.. but our days are never the same...I tried to do same day routine but i felt as if i was in groundhog day so i dont know how to Cue her. I hold her close when we walk up the stairs and tell her its nap time cuz shes tired and then draw curtains and put her to bed with my shirt(HELPS BIG TIME) she cuddles right into it.

PinkTulips · 10/02/2007 13:59

we never managed the daytime nap

she'd cry for hours til it was too late to bother. instead she napped on top of me (heavily pregant) on the couch til she dropped her day naps between 18 and 20 months. she'll sleep in the car the odd time but rarely

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