Baby sleeps well in cot but wont nap unless in my arms

[Roro10]

Hi Everyone

Apologies if this has been asked before. Im a first time mum to a beautiful 6mo girl. Who for the past 2 months will go to sleep easily at night in her cot (previously her next 2 me crib) shes in my room still. She will get put down in her cot awake at 7pm and she will self soothe ( very rarely tears) just talking to herself and Ewan the sheep. She will sleep until 3.30am for a change and feed and will then go back down again with no drama(though this takes a little longer) and she will sleep until 7am.
However she usually has 3 naps a day always on me and whenever i try to put her in her cot for naps using the same bedtime rouine she gets all worked up and cries so hard until i give up cuddle her and shes asleep within 5 mins.

Any ideas on what i can do to get nap times in her cot?

Entirely normal I’m afraid, all mine napped on me or in the buggy til almost 12 months old. Her nighttime sleep is amazing!

You're doing really well getting her to self settle for bedtime! Nighttime sleep is deeper than nap sleep, so it doesn't sound too strange that she won't self settle for naps. What time are the naps? If she wakes at 7am, I'd do her naps at 9.30am (1 hour max), 12.45pm (2 hours max), then cat nap at 5pm. I seem to remember that's broadly what the Little Ones sleep programme recommended. If you time the naps for when she's likely to be most tired but not overtired, then your chance of success for self settling is at its greatest.

Having said that, my baby was completely resistant to gentle sleep training, so it really depends on your baby. Good luck! 🍀

Enjoy the cuddles. I know it means you can't get anything on but ignore that, find a good box set and sit down and enjoy the cuddles. They honestly go so quickly. She won't be napping forever and you will miss it when it has to stop.

My dd napped in my arms and I was in a hurry for her to nap in her cot. I regret it now. By 10 months she was in her bed and that time was over. She now not very cuddly and at 7yo I have to ask her for cuddles now.

Any ideas on what i can do to get nap times in her cot?

You always have to work harder for daytime naps, because the body's natural pressure to sleep is lower.

So don't expect to be able to do the same as at bedtime. You need to do the same, with a bit (or a lot) extra on top. That could be many things:

• dummy for comfort sucking
• patting
• cuddling while lying down
• cuddling in your arms
• movement in a bouncy chair or pram

This made me teary thanj you. Its so nice to be told its ok. I dont have fanily nearby and my partner is great but he works during the day and its just been me and the baby. I amost died having her and for a long time after she was born all i could do was cuddle her in bed or the sofa while dad did everything else. So i think we both have to learn how to do naps. But as you she wont be little for long and i hope she takes to it as good as your little one. Xx

No advice here @Roro10 but sounds like you really went through it with the birth - just want to say I’m very glad you both made it safely. Even more reason to hold on tight and enjoy those cuddles. Life is precious x

It was and sometimes still is the same for us and DS is 8 months. Once the 4 month sleep regression hit naps were terrible and usually always on me. We have only just started being able to put DS down in his cot for some naps in the last week.

The fact that she sleeps so well at night and self settles is amazing, we still need to help DS get off to sleep at night now. As DH always says, we’d rather a baby that slept well at night and was terrible at naps than the other way around! Definitely enjoy it while you can. I never thought I would say this but when DS does have good naps in his cot I miss our snuggles.