Going Crazy RE: Napping

**MidwesternGal** · 02-07-2007, 11:51 AM

Okay, I'm going absolutely nuts.

DS has NEVER been a good napper. When he was really little (think 4 weeks and under), he'd just fall asleep playing on his blanket.

Now, however, at 3.5 months, he pretty much refuses to take an afternoon nap. It's driving me crazzzzy, having to "entertain" a 3.5 month old from basically 10:30 a.m. until 7:30 at night!!!!!!!!

He will usually get up for the day at around 7-8 a.m. He goes down for a nap between 9 and 10, and it's usually only a half an hour.

I feed him at around 12:30/1 p.mish. He is pretty tired by then, and sometimes dozes off while eating (BF). I rub his back and his ears to keep him awake.

I will rock him a bit and then when he's either asleep or very drowsy, lay him down. Two seconds later, his eyes POP open, and he's up. He will NOT go back down. He'll play quietly sometimes, sucking on a paci, for a while, until fussiness sets in again. I'll feed him around 3 again, but he'll do the stupid 10 minute nap while eating and then be awake for the rest of the evening, pretty much fussy the whole rest of the day from 3 p.m. on.

What do I do to get him to take a nap in the afternoon?

FWIW, he DOES STTN at least 6 days a week. (He wakes when DH's 8 thousand snooze alarms go off, but I bring him to bed with me and he sleeps for another hour or so). So his bedtime is 7:30/8 p.m. and then he comes to bed with me around 5:30/6, then up for the day around 7-8.

I realize there are others who are dealing with no STTN, but I *really* need a shower!!

**babylove** · 02-07-2007, 12:26 PM

I'm sorry you are having a rough time getting your little guy to nap

My DS isn't the world's best napper either. I figure that if he STTN that's good enough for me...but then again, I'm at work 3 1/2 days a week so I'm not the one who has to entertain him on those days when he won't nap...but I digress...I know this might not be the most popular approach (no flaming please!), but have you tried letting him cry for a little while? Some people say you have to wait until 6 mo to really let them CIO, but we tried this with DS when he was around your son's age and it really worked (ok, so not for naps, but at night it worked!). Good luck!

**PinkMartini** · 02-07-2007, 12:32 PM

I agree with Babylove... My DS is almost the same age as yours and we've had to let him cry in his bed for a little bit to get him to sleep a few times. He's a crappy sleeper as well and he still doesn't STTN. Naps are just as bad. I've found that letting him 'wear himself out' by crying for 5-10 min's actually gets him to sleep.

And I'm home with him all day as well, so I know exactly what ya mean when you say 'entertain' him all day long...

**jennylou** · 02-07-2007, 12:39 PM

I'll give some non-CIO advice. At that age, I didn't set DD down for naps. She'd wake up. I'd use the bouncy chair after bfing. If she started to wake up, bounce. She'd fall asleep for a little while, but I might have to bounce again to keep her napping more than a few minutes.

As for showering, I believe it was about that age that she started coming into the shower with me.

Oh, and my maitai at that point was good while we were out of the house.

**Ericka_Jarett** · 02-07-2007, 12:44 PM

midwestern - have you tried letting him nap on his tummy? I know Easton sleeps better on his tummy, he will take a 2 hour nap and 2 - 30-45 min naps everyday. I agree with letting your DS fuss (not that he is outright screaming) a bit, does them good sometimes.

If you want a shower just put him in a safe place and if he fusses so be it, get your shower, he will be ok.

I stay at home all day so also know about entertaining all day. Easton goes between laying on the counch, jumping in his jumperoo, laying on his mat on the floor and his swing.

It will get better.

**babylove** · 02-07-2007, 12:50 PM

I agree with Ericka...as long as your son is in a safe place and you know he is ok, it's fine to let him cry a bit while you shower...crying isn't bad for them, just hard to hear as a mommy!

**Delta** · 02-07-2007, 01:15 PM

My son is your son's age and he sleeps in the swing.

I nurse him or bounce him to sleep and then set him in the swing (the cradle one.) Sometimes he wakes up but 90% of the time the swing puts him back to sleep.

Why do you wake him up when he falls alseep breastfeeding?

**smurf** · 02-07-2007, 01:30 PM

At that age, the only way I could get my daughter to sleep was in the sling. I just stuck her in there (a mei tai), bounced her a bit, and she'd be out in no time. Sometimes I could transfer her to the crib, but sometimes I just kept her in it for an hour or so while she napped.

**MidwesternGal** · 02-07-2007, 01:43 PM

Well, later today I tried to let him cry in his crib but he screamed bloody murder until I finally went up 15 minutes later. Got him up, rocked him a bit, put him down semi-drowsy. RAN downstairs, grabbed a shower, and by the time I was out 10 minutes later, he was up. . . AGAIN!!

Ericka--We had to buy a sleep positioner to put around him at night because he wakes himelf up screaming when he rolls onto his tummy. I tried for a few days to get him to sleep on his tummy at night, but he refuses to lay his head to the side. I haven't tried it for a nap after being drowsy though. I will give it a shot tomorrow.

Delta--I want him to be awake for BFing because sometimes the problem is that he falls asleep and is still hungry when I lay him down. So then we start all over. I want to be able to feed him until he's full, then lay him down for a nap. I have a small WAHM job and things to get done (besides showering, LOL) while he's sleeping, so I can't be starting the whole process over every 1/2 hour because he is still hungry.

Oh yeah. He hasn't fallen asleep in the swing or bouncy in about a month.

maybebaby · 02-07-2007, 05:18 PM

This also may not be the most popular answer, but to me, it seems pretty frustrating to "fight" the baby so much...babies often just aren't good sleepers at a young age, and I don't know if there's something you can do to "fix" it.

Itsounds like he's cranky because he's overtired. If he wasn't cranky or fussy, I'd probably let him stay awake and not worry about it. MyDD sometimes seems in really good spirits all day, doesn't want to nap, and I just go with the flow. Most days, she does take a couple of naps. The few times I have felt like she really "needed" a nap and she wouldn't take one, I would take her out in the stroller until she fell asleep and then bring the carseat into the house and she finishes the nap in the house in a dark room (still in the carseat).

On the shower problem, I used to bring my DD into the bathroom in her bouncy seat until recently (when she figured out how to get out of the bouncy seat!). Now I usually fill her baby bathtub with blankets and toys and she plays pretty happily in there on the floor, right next /outside of my shower.