Naps for 10m old

[Species8472]

My DD is 10m and has always been an awful daytime napper. I have pretty much given up with it. She would sometimes nap if out in the pushchair but won't even do that these days. I have recently been able to get her to have a short morning nap in her cot, but not always, and can still not get her to have an afternoon nap. Even if she's getting cranky, yawning, eye-rubbing etc. she just won't go to sleep.

TIA

my dd s the same age and has 2 ish naps a day- the first she has a bfeed before and the second I take her for a loooonnnggggggg walk!

I wish a long walk would do it! I have often traipsed round the town centre for 2.5 hrs and she's still wide awake....She's never bf for naps either, except when newborn.

Aaargh, I don't understand how some people can just 'put the baby down' for a nap and they actually nap?? I try to read all the signals eg. eye-rubbing, yawning, dim the room, read a story, cuddle etc. but she has other ideas most of the time

I wouldn't worry about 'just putting her down'. Does rocking to sleep ever work? How about a sling?

It might be that by the time she's showing the signals, she's overtired rather than tired. Could you try putting her down sooner?

Lots of babies between the ages of 6 and 18 months have a 2-3-4 nap schedule: 1st nap 2 hours after waking up, second nap 3 hours after waking up, bedtime 4 hours after waking up. That might be a good place to start.

Angeldog I have tried putting her down earlier, but it doesn't seem to help. Rocking to sleep doesn't seem to do it either, unless she is absolutely exhausted at the end of the day. That's interesting about the 2-3-4 schedule, will see if that makes any sense to her!

She was having a decent morning nap for about a whole week and a half... but that now seems to have gone out of the window since a few days ago, maybe it's the heat. Just put her down now, she seemed tired, and just in her nappy, hope she will have some zzzz's...

WTF?? She woke after 30 minutes. I am seriously losing the plot with this. It can't be right for a 10m old to be awake all day, and, sefishly I know, I need a small part of the day when I'm not 'on duty'.

Hi Species,
I feel your pain. My DD, also 10 months isn't overly keen on sleeping either and rarely sleeps longer than 20 mins in the day in her cot.

But I do have two tricks that usually work. Walking in the pram will often get her to sleep if we walk around quiet residential streets. I found walking around town useless for sleeping, too much for her to look at. Then when we get home I leave her in the pram just inside the open door and I think the fresh air, street noises help her have a full nap, one-one and a half hours. (Maybe a window would have the same effect if you don't have a screen/security door.)

If the weather is woeful or I'm feeling too tired myself then I also put her in the pram and put a sheet over and play loud music while rocking the pram and reading a book/newspaper/mumsnet. I play jazz or D'n'B cos they're my favourite, but I reckon whatever you listen to usually would work.

Other people I know with nap-resisters have found hammocks and baby swings useful. Worth borrowing if you can to see if it works for you.

All the best.

Thanks jadziadax - I might try those - I do usually walk round town, and she is such a nosey baby, and likes to smile at everyone walking past! Haven't tried the pram inside (not since she was very little anyway), it's all worth trying! . DD is adorable, but hard work!