What the hell can I do to get 4 month old to nap consistently??

[rubles]

I am fairly desperate. I don't have a sure fire way of getting dd2 to sleep for proper chunks of time. I can get her to drop off fine, but she often wakes up after 30 minutes on the dot.

I wouldn't mind if she woke up and was happy but she is grizzly and wants to be carried all the time and it drives me demented. Today I had a headache all day and I was desperate to have a cup of tea and a sit down, but she was an absolute nightmare so i didn't get my first cup of coffee until 2.30.
It makes my back ache to keep carrying her and as I said I had a really bad headache. The minutes tick by so slowly as I try to think of ways to entertain her until I can next put her down for a nap.

I should have gone out today but I had workmen coming in to the house so was housebound, which has brought things to a head today. Honestly it was like some sort of torture.

She doesn't sleep in the pram unless I am walking - she has a movement sensor that wakes her up the second I stop. She also knows if I am just pushing it back and forth.

This is turning into an incoherent rant.

Actually, the only time she does sleep for 1 hour or more is when dp is home...giving him the impression that my life is a doddle and I have lots of free time to get things done.

Has anyone else had this?

Oh yes

DS was exactly like this

It got better around 6/7mo, he suddenly started sleeping longer stretches. I think all you can do is wait it out unfortunately.

i really tried to be utterly consistent - walks at the same time every day = naps at same time.i had builders in too -si would walk up and down the drive. even if you don't get a rest they're less grumpy.
Have you tried leaving her to sleep outside in the pram - not cruel honest - i used to get back from walk with ds1 (in snowsuit and blanket) and leave him in the back garden and drink tea whilst watching him.
i think you need to get out and away from the house - literally whizz round and do the minimum house stuff you have to do and then get out!

rubles - similar situation here with dd2, 5 months. (her sister loved naps - I didn't know how lucky I was!)

I think that after 30-40 minutes they go into a lighter sleep and children like your dd and mine wake up and want to get up. I sympathise - by the time I have raced round sticking the washing on etc she wakes up (just as the kettle boils) My dd often wakes up around 30 minutes after bedtime too, but thankfully settles back with a dummy usually fairly quickly.

I take comfort in what MegBusset said - hope it is the same for you (and me)!

The reason she sleeps when your dp is home is probably because it is more "exciting" when daddy is around so she get a little tireder?

Can you go for a drive with her in car seat - then she would drop off and you could maybe stop and just vegetate!!!?

or come home and drink a cup of tea in the driving seat?

Gad it's awful I know, but she will get better at sleeping.

I have exactly the same situation with my dd. I have tried everything but she will not sleep for longer than 30-40 minutes and then is tired and cranky for most of the day. I could have written your post- she is just the same in the pram and will only stay sleeping if I push it fast without stopping! I too spend the time counting down until the next nap and trying to find things to amuse an increasingly cranky baby. No helpful advice I am afraid- just sympathy and support!

Just wanted to add that my dd was exactly the same (except it was 40 minutes on he dot)...

She did start to get better at around 6 months and will now (at 9 months) go for a 2 hour nap ..

Not much help now I know - but she will learn to sleep longer as she gets older.

thanks all. how old is yours Liv01?

A sling really helped us and saved the backache, maybe you could invest in one?

My ds was exactly the same, and the only time I cold get him to have 1hr was asleep in my arms in the day, so used to take him to bed each lunchtime with me so we would both sleep.

The only advice I have is keep going - keep putting them down for naps at regular intervals (every 3 hrs of so) and eventually, one day, it all comes together. Ds now will sleep 2 hrs at a time over lunchtime somedays, usually 1.5hrs. Bliss! As you will see often on here, "it's a phase". You are not alone. It does get better.

Hi rubles, you are not alone. When ds was 12 wo he was like this, so decided I wanted to do something about it.

Rather than let him fall asleep after a feed, I wanted him to learn how to have naps in his cot. So, firstly I made sure i was reading his sleep cues properly (yawning, rubbing eyes etc).

Then we would go into the nursery (complete with blackout blind) and I would swaddle and feed him until he dropped off.

I would then put him in his cot and he would wake up after 15 mins. I would go straight in and get him off to sleep again, and he would probably wake up after 30 mins. Again, I would resettle him.

After a week or so he slept for 45 mins before waking up, and again I would resettle him straight away. Then as time went on he either didn't wake up after 45 mins, or he resettled himself.

This whole process probably took a couple of weeks and lots of tears of frustration on my part, but it was worth it.

Also I always made the run up to the nap the same every time (up to nursery, close the blind, swaddle, milk, sleep, in cot).

Good luck xx

Couldn't agree more with ILTMIMI. having been quite rigid about bedtime, someone pointed out to me that I had no routine for daytime naps. Once I started having wind-down time in dd's room (low lights, quiet talking, lots of cuddles) before naps (its hard to do when you're gasping for a cuppa, but stick with it!) then things got better, and I tried to always put her in her cot sleepy and calm but awake, to increase the chance she would be able to settle herself back after coming into light sleep at around 45 mins. Did have to go in with dummy/more food sometimes but resolutely refused to get her up before 2hours had passed and she got the hang after a while. Also, I wouldn't let her sleep more than 30mins in her first nap (somewhere between 9 and 10am) so she was more tired after lunch, then the good 2 hours at lunch saw her through til bedtime.
Sorry if that seems complicated, just what worked for us. It is awful finding cold cups of tea all round the house, good luck!!

Just found your thread rubles and I am in the same situation with my dd who is now 4.5 months. I find she sleeps during school run at 8 am and 3 pm but will only do 30-45 mins between those times. By 5 pm she is really cranky as a result. Today I just carried her bouncy chair around while I got on with washing, tidying etc... I also put her in the baby gym and sit on the floor beside her and read the paper. I use a sling in the late afternoon when she is grumpy and I need to look after my 2 boys. She goes down at 6.30/7pm which is a relief!

One thing I am planning on trying soon, which is recommended by a couple of friends, is to take her out for a LONG walk for at least 3 days in a row at the time I want her to sleep. So I will try 1.5 hr long walk (with Ipod ) from about 12-1.30 when the weather gets warmer. If that doesn't work then I will try carrieon's method which sounds good too!

let us know how you get on - I am hoping it is a just a phase too, a bloody tiring one .