how do you get your baby to nap in the daytime?

[MamaChris]

I've read that if a baby has been up 2 hours, he's gonna be tired and need a nap. Looking at ds (12 weeks) that looks about right - he'll rub his eyes, yawn, get grouchy. But how on earth do I persuade him that sleep is a solution?

Sometimes I can get him to sleep by bf, but then he wakes back up if I take my nipple out of his mouth. A walk used to work, but he's now immune to sleep inducing effects of pushchair and getting too heavy for a long walk in the sling (he wakes if I stop walking) Putting him in his cot usually results in him getting more upset.

Am I tied to sleeping with him for every nap or is there something else I could try?

I used to put mine down around 10ish and 2ish awake (if they hadn't already gone off) after feeding. They do get used to it. I also swaddled them which helped.

Routine is the key (well was for me).

My baby (5 weeks, so these things might not work for you) takes 3 naps a day.

Here are some things I do:
swaddling
darkened room
singing to her
trying to time putting her down when she starts to get tired but before she gets grouchy (this is hard as it can happen quite suddenly and if she's being really cute sometimes I don't want to put her down yet and ignore the signs)

Sometimes if I know she's really tired and she starts complaining or crying when I put her down I leave the room for a minute and stand outside the door. Often she stops immediately. I know some people couldn't do this but I got used to letting her settle herself in hospital as I had a CS and couldn't lift her and it was really busy on the ward so often by the time the MW came in response to my call she'd gone back to sleep.

This might well be no use. My DD isn't a baby that likes to be held constantly, so probably different things will work for you.

Ds3 thinks daytime naps are a dirty word.

He is now 12 months old and has hardly everhad more than 1 short nap a day, sometimes he'll go the whole day, like today with nothing more than a 10 min doze in the car.

If I'm desperate and we're at home I put him in his cot and let him scream.

If he's tired the screaming won't last longer than 2 mins.

Some babies love to sleep and others hate it.

Good luck

Second previous comments. Also accept that some days they're going to be pissed off with you for putting them down and will scream their heads off. Give it a few minutes before you go into them again. Ds1 would scream his head off until the second I closed the bedroom door and then he'd go to sleep (just wanted to make me feel bad!). And persevere.

I spent 3 hours from 12 noon today trying to persude my 3 month old to have a nap!!

It was a complete waste of our time

She yawned so following the baby whisperer book I put her to bed (maybe she could sense my doubt!!), I darkened the room etc - she screamed. I picked up and put down for about an hour, by this time she was starving again!

Fed her, she fell to sleep (negative associations I know) only to wake 15 mins later.

I tried the pram, the sling etc - nothing worked

It made for a grouchy baby and a grouchy mum, we both feel rubbish and its now 7pm - at least she can sleep, I have things to do!

x

Thanks for suggestions. I really don't want to leave him to cry, and I'm not sure how persuade him to go to sleep by putting him in cot. Past few days I've just sat feeding him, but perhaps I'll persist with pushchair in hallway too... roll on the days when he won't need to nap anymore

pamelet - that is exactly what happens with ds. he is obviously tired, but nothing will get him to sleep and he just gets increasingly grouchy Our mornings are lovely, but by afternoon, if he hasn't slept, things go rapidly downhill till he finally succumbs around 7pm and sleeps for a couple of hours.

Guess what has happened today though MamaChris! I didnt try to get her to sleep and I had to drive over to my grandparents, its only a 15 minutes journey - she fell to sleep and woke up THREE hours later, I had to wake her! Little monkey!

Keep persevering. Both of mine where complete monkeys for napping before 6 months and I tried numerous techniques which involves long walks, rocking pushchairs, bouncers etc. Once I could see some sort of pattern to when they needed a nap I started putting them in the cot upstairs and never looked back!

3 hours pamelat . Although rain yesterday was a blessing in disguise. Discovered that pushing ds in buggy back and forward over our uneven floorboards is better than pavements for inducing sleep fingers crossed this one will last a few weeks at least...

mmmmm unfortunately i think these occassional long lunch time naps have confused her about night and day, she is now waking at 430am wide awake (after waking once or twice before that to feed anyway!) arggghhhh - would rather her be awake all day than that !

oh, ds does that whether he sleeps daytime or not. maybe it's just what they do at this age?