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Sleep

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Original poster

How to get a baby to nap in cot?!

28 replies

wingingitalltheway · 13/04/2020 09:35

Hoping for any ideas...
My almost 6 month old DD will only have daytime naps on me. Some days this doesn’t matter and I love the cuddles but I just can’t get anything else done!
I’ve tried putting her down awake but sleepy, completely asleep, put white noise on, not put white noise on. She will usually go to sleep but will wake after a maximum of 30 mins and is then still very tired when she wakes

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Maltay · 13/04/2020 10:00

In the same boat but my DD is 18mo, I'm wishing I sorted this out sooner as she didn't just "grow out of it'. Good luck x

Selfsettling3 · 13/04/2020 10:20

Fuck knows is my answer. I’m onto my second child. Can you rocked them to sleep in the pushchair or use a sling?

themummydiaries1 · 13/04/2020 10:55

Controlled crying worked for me, only took 2 days! Worked wonders for my baby's sleep & my stress levels 🤣 xx

Mintjulia · 13/04/2020 13:52

I used to take my pillowcase, and put ds in his cot, laying on it. It seemed to do the trick. If it wasn't there he's snuffle around the cot and wake himself up.

hodgepodge21 · 13/04/2020 21:15

It might be about persevering a little bit. My DS only did 30min naps at a time in the cot at 6m, but I would sometimes have success in trying to resettle when he woke. Sometimes I wouldn't though However around 7 months he suddenly started doing longer stints in the cot and now at 8 months has 2 x 1-1.5 hour naps in his cot which I wouldn't have believed 2 months ago! So maybe just accept a few short naps for a bit, and a slightly grumpier baby but over the next few weeks she will hopefully get better? Good luck, napping is a nightmare!

mynameiscalypso · 13/04/2020 21:19

Following with interest; DS is nearly 8 months and naps are still in a pram/bouncy chair/on me. He's a total catnapper so wondering if a cot will help that but then it also doesn't seem worth it for 30 mins!

themummydiaries1 · 14/04/2020 09:38

@mynameiscalypso my son was exactly the same, I was so stressed as I always had to rock him in pushchair & could never guarantee he would sleep for long even then. A few weeks ago I decided enough was enough and tried controlled crying for naps & bedtime and it was the best thing I've ever done. He loves his cot now and my sanity is saved haha xx

elvis4nuts · 14/04/2020 12:46

Oh my goodness we are in exactly the same position! 15 weeks in....

Baby goes down beautifully in her cot at night. Have done for a couple of months. But will she go in her cot for naps?! Not a chance 🤦🏼‍♀️

Original poster

wingingitalltheway · 14/04/2020 13:53

Really tried today to get her to nap in her cot but still not having it for longer than 30 mins and still tired out when she wakes up.
So bizarre. At 7.30pm she will go to sleep and stay asleep but just not in the day!

OP posts:

elvis4nuts · 14/04/2020 15:03

Exactly the same!
You're doing better than me though. I've given up trying! 🙈

Yolo2 · 14/04/2020 15:05

My daughter has never napped in her cot as there's just too much room and she moves around / stands up (obviously a bit older). Napped fine in her pram and now buggy...you could try that.

user1493413286 · 14/04/2020 15:12

When my DD would only nap on me I transitioned her to nap in her pram as then I could rock the pram when she stirred or when settling her to keep her asleep for her whole nap. It also helped for taking naps when we were out. Once she’d nap fully in the pram without rocking it half way through I then reduced the rocking at the beginning until she’d settle within minutes of going in at nap time

Wheresthebiffer2 · 14/04/2020 15:14

I treated naptime in the same way as bedtime. Same routine - fresh nappy, blackout, into the sleeping bag, same story read - then said "go sleeping!" gave baby a pat, then left the room.
Yes we got heartily sick of reading the same book multiple times a day, for 18 months, but it worked for us. I still know that book off by heart.

goldentrumpets · 14/04/2020 15:27

My baby is 8 months and won't be put down in the cot for naps at all. She falls asleep on my shoulder or at the breast and if I put her down she wakes up and gets angry. I can transfer her to the cot at night, no problem.
@elvis4nuts I've almost given up too. I just sit with a baby on me for a few hours each day. She's getting big and uncomfortable though...
@user1493413286 How did you start with getting her to sleep in the pram? Did she cry at first? How old was she? Did you already have some naptime rituals in place? Did you put the buggy in the bedroom? Sorry for all the questions - desperate!

Gabbbbbbby · 14/04/2020 16:06

I agree with the buggy idea - my DS would only sleep on me/his dad until we started putting him down in the buggy and pushing it around the living room, pretending we were going out! Then that graduated to just having to rock the buggy a bit, and then not at all, until we were able to put him down in a cot because he'd learned to fall asleep on his own. He was a bit younger though, so was still in the carry cot attachment to his buggy which we could take upstairs for bedtime (it was a safe to sleep in all night one).

user1493413286 · 14/04/2020 17:01

How did you start with getting her to sleep in the pram? I did a bit of a gradual process over a few days; the first time I waited until she was fully asleep then put her in the pram and immediately rocked it. I actually timed it so say if the first day I’d waited 10 minutes then the next day I waited 8 minutes, then the next 6 etc until I put her straight in the pram so she got used to it gradually . If you find she still wakes after 30 minutes then it’d be worth rocking the pram again for a few minutes at 25 minutes to get her through that sleep cycle where she’s waking.
Did she cry at first? A little bit of whinging at times when I started putting her straight in the pram but not full on screaming
How old was she? She was about 4/5 months.
Did you already have some naptime rituals in place? No we didn’t although doing that started one and gave a bit more of a routine.
Did you put the buggy in the bedroom? I had it in the hallway with the door open to the lounge then after she was 6 months I was more relaxed with closing the door. I used to put the hood down to darken it for her too.

Gabbbbbbby · 14/04/2020 17:05

Completely agree with @user1493413286 - that's almost exactly how we did it too. Like she said, whingeing but not full on screaming. Also we said 'shhh shhh shhh' loudly as we rocked, until we stopped rocking and just did the shh-ing. Now he doesn't need the shh even, but if he's a bit overtired and grumbly when I put him down it calms him down.

Original poster

wingingitalltheway · 14/04/2020 18:24

Right tomorrow I’m giving the pram a go!
She fell asleep today in it when we went for our daily walk but again woke up very soon when we got home. Will try rocking it or keep moving it tomorrow!

OP posts:

goldentrumpets · 14/04/2020 19:34

Thanks for the details, I'm going to give it a go too. Will update later.

partymamma7 · 14/04/2020 19:41

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elvis4nuts · 14/04/2020 20:41

The pram thing won't work for us!
We live in a first floor flat. The pram lives in the boot of the car!
Balls! X

goldentrumpets · 15/04/2020 09:28

Could you not keep the pram in the flat? I am in a flat too. I know it can be cramped.

elvis4nuts · 15/04/2020 10:42

@goldentrumpets
No unfortunately it's not an option.
I couldn't get it up the stairs (they are very steep and very narrow) without a massive struggle. Only to have to get it out again for our daily walk 🤦🏼‍♀️

TobyeBella · 15/04/2020 10:48

I had this with DS, he's nearly 4 now. He also self settled at bedtime.

He had all his naps on me or in the car up until about 6 months then I'd have to rock him to sleep and then put him down in his cot. He would only last 30 mins if left by himself, so what I did was for his first nap and third nap of the day I'd let him just have 30 mins but for the second nap I'd sit next to his cot and wait to him to stir and pat him/pick him up until he resettled and I got another 30 mins out of him, I wouldn't sit in his room for the second 30 minutes, I know it sounds bonkers but eventually, especially when he went onto two naps the second one naturally got longer. He would never nap in the buggy so that was never an option.

Until he dropped it, his morning nap was always 30/40 mins and afternoon/lunch time nap about 1 hr 20 mins. Once he went to one nap he started doing 2 hours.

MySonIsAlsoNamedBort · 15/04/2020 10:53

My baby will only nap bang on 43 minutes. I pick her up at 35 minutes so her eyes open and then put her back down and pat her for a minute and usually it resets and she'll sleep 43 minutes from that pick up hahaha. Sometimes it doesn't work and it just wakes her, but I've only lost 8 minutes off a nap that was going to be unsatisfying for her anyway.
I put her to bed for the night at 5:30 at the moment to make up for the lack of sleep from naps in the day and she sleeps to the same time the next day she would if I put her to sleep later so I'm avoiding her becoming chronically overtired that way.
Pray she will learn to link her day sleep cycles soon so she isn't a grumble puss. I feel your pain OP!

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