Dreading naps during the day

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I'm getting myself over anxious to distraction now and just wondered what others do. DD is 18 weeks and is pretty temperamental with cries escalating quickly into meltdowns without quick intervention. Bath, bottle, falls asleep quickly at night and up once maybe twice at night depending on teething/wind etc so pretty great sleeper at night. Daytime she only cat naps and every sleep is a huge battle...soon as I see sleepy cues I act but she HATES napping and it's taking longer and longer to rock/soothe cuddle to sleep and the real tears are heartbreaking. I know she's overtired but I can't seem to sort this. I keep getting told I'm making a rod etc but is it really so bad to cuddle to sleep for naps if she's sleeping well at night?
Thoughts please?

I had this with mine. I drove myself mad with trying to get her to sleep in the cot before giving in and going for a walk with the pram or baby carrier. But, at about five months, she got a little bit better and I became more relaxed about it all and let her fall asleep on me. This, I think, led to her getting into some sort of routine and generally more accustomed to sleeping in the day. So maybe not that helpful now, but just muddle through now and hopefully things will improve. And don't worry about rods and backs, just do what you have to do now for both of you. Rods can be sorted out later ime.

Thanks touchacat, it's been a screaming match every time I put her in her pram the past few weeks and yesterday she started that carry on in the sling too. Wee soul just is needing cuddles just now I think. Only trouble is that she sleeps for 30 mins then is tired an hour later then 15-20 mins battle to sleep it's just a cycle of doom here at the moment! She's happy and content when she wakes (mostly) but likes to see I'm there. If MIL says I'm 'spoiling' her one more time I'm going to lose the plot

I'd just like to say 30 minutes naps are normal at that age.
Short frequent naps are good and some babies will extend their naps as they lessen in frequency ...
30 minutes every 1.5 hours is perfect .

Thanks timetogrow, I know I shouldn't over analyse every little thing but it's so hard! That's why I posted today as I'd rather get real life opinions and examples and stop reading the 'expert' what I should do articles and books

Hiya,

Just sharing my experience to reassure you 😊

DD is 14 months and until 13 months she absolutely would not nap in her cot. She would only ever nap on me or occasionally in the car. I honestly thought it would never change. But at 13 months she suddenly started happily napping in her cot and now does so every day!

At 18 weeks my dd was very much a cat napper. 20 mins was her usual. It went up to 45 mins and pretty much stayed at 3 x 45 mins until she was about 9 or 10 months, then went to 2 x 45 mins. Now she's on one nap of 1.5 - 3 hours!

I never thought I'd have her taking long naps in the cot but she got there in her own time

Pfft! I've met those rod back people too and the sanctimonious gits never had a child like DC1! We tried everything but CC and in hindsight it just wasted hours of our lives when we could have been having lovely cuddly naps with a cuppa and a biscuit. Sleep training was blinkin useless and made everyone miserable including dc. Have two more now and abandoned that crap! My advice would be do watcha gotta do to survive (as long as he's safe obviously) . Also both lower your expectations - I was waiting for him to sleep well from about 6 weeks and it took 2 years, in hindsight this made it much harder- and also have faith that whatever you do, one day he will sleep well and it will be ov3r. Just do what makes your life easy now and ignore your doubting Thomases, who tut like you'll still be holding him to sleep when he's 50 lol. Oddly I always hold dc3 for naps and no bugger brings it up now! Goes down lovely at night and settles no probs.

Thanks guys this is really helpful