How do you get 3 month old to nap without waking and crying??

[Muse84]

Well first of all, how do you get them to nap in the first place?!

I only just put two and two together to realise his constant daytime grizzling/shouting is tiredness (I thought boredom OR overstimulation 😳). But when he suddenly dropped off just now I had a lightbulb moment.

So I want him to sleep but he won't. I'm flexible with timing and location, not looking for a routine. Just for him to sleep when tired

Then... Once he is asleep...How the hell do I keep him asleep beyond 30 mins without waking and immediately crying? It's so disheartening

He's such a good boy and nights at fine thank god. But his constant shouting and lack of apparent outward happiness is making me miserable. And while I love him dearly, I'm not enjoying being around him at the moment. Just fed up.

(Oh he does sleep in pram when out but I can't pound the streets in the freezing cold three times a day)

[Oly5]

I think you all need to accept that all your babies are normal! Short naps at this age are entirely developmentally normal. And yes, they tend to nap best and mostly will only nap in your arms or on the go in the pushchair or in the car.
I’m on my third child (he’s 14 weeks) and they’ve all been the same. They nap for much longer periods when they’re older.
It’s perfectly normal not to be able to get anything done with babies this age. Don’t worry, just enjoy the cuddles. I also agree that its fine to breastfeed for every grizzle.. it’s rhe ultimate comforter!

[Muse84]

• friends with older children
  
  Sorry for typos - should really preview before posting!

[SeaToSki]

I think some babaies just arent born with a well developed ability to switch off and sleep and then switch on and be awake again, and other babies are more able to do that from younger. I think those that struggle have to be helped with the transition until they can do it on their own and the really tricky bit is figuring out when they can start to do it on their own, so that you dont become a crutch for them when they are capable of self soothing.

I really liked one chapter in the happiest baby on the block book by Harevy Karp. He has the 5 S of getting a baby to sleep.

Swaddle
Shuush
Side or stomach (for winding them down only, not for sleeping)
Sway/swing
Suck

He has a blog, if you dont want to read the whole book (and I found a lot of his other suggestions useless!)

www.happiestbaby.com/blogs/blog/the-5-s-s-for-soothing-babies

I also find that you have to get quite vigorous when swaying and noisy when shushing. I spent a lot of time doing a sway from side to side while also bouncing up and down kind of dance, and even now if i hear a baby crying i sometimes find myself doing the ‘sway’

[SeaToSki]

Also, if you are on a pram walk and need to stop walking, try and jiggle the pram, so the movement keeps going. I remember leaving big gaps in front of my car at the traffic lights and then every 10 secs creeping a little closer so that there was still car movement and my dc would hopefully not wake up. I would have my fingers crossed that the lights would change before my space ran out. Crazy looking back on it, but a well rested baby is worth the effort!

[crazycatlady5]

Really useful link here..

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/sarahockwell-smith.com/2017/11/01/in-defence-of-cat-naps/amp/

[BendydickCuminsnatch]

My second turned 3 months this week. Sorry to say he just falls asleep wherever he is and whenever he wants. He will probabaly only sleep for 20-30 mins at a time, unless we are out when he manages to sleep for a few hours. There is no pattern at the mo. He's probably had about 6 naps today. But he's happy so I might just keep going as we are instead of trying to get a routine.

My first kid - needed complete darkness and white noise, in his bedroom only. Maybe int the car but only if we were going at 80mph constantly. I had to rock and shh him to sleep until he was about 18 months old. Cranial osteopathy helped in the early days (forceps baby, headache etc). Could that be the case for you? If he roused at the end of a sleep cycle I would do shh-pat.

[CappuccinoCake]

Do you know he's not hungry?! Every 4 hours would be very unusual for a bf baby. Mine was more like every 2. Or sometimes 44minutea and sometimes 2 hours etc.

I fed and snuggled and sometimes they'd drop off sleepy after a feed. Boob fixed most things though.

Also mine never did long naps. She just didn't go over an hour even when older. Some babies don't.

[crazycatlady5]

Hang on breast or bottle fed? 4 hours is a huge length of time for a breastfed baby.

www.parentingscience.com/infant-feeding-schedule.html

[Muse84]

I should clarify, he's EBF and definitely more frequently than every 4h
I don't know why I said it as it was only a fleeting idea for that day based on what someone else advised worked for them (based around a routine!) it wouldn't have worked for us cause I have always fed on demand which is on average every 2h. It's why i get agitated when relatives stay and try to be the ones to comfort him, (I mean when they continue when it's clear he won't settle)....as I want him to have 24h access to the boob!


On another note we just went for a long walk (after a feed). He stayed awake and happy the whole way there! Then after getting a bit aggy he fell asleep for the return journey. So I'm beginning to wonder if his catnaps have a pattern, and it's not just a case of "put him in the pram at any time and he will sleep". My trusty notebook should reveal if this is the case!!

Ps sorry for such detail but it may help anyone else in the same position, goodness knows I've read enough posts recently to see if anyone has similar issues to me!


Thanks again for all your support and advice