7 Month Old Napping Issues

Alison,
I think you and your husband are wise to nip this in the bud now rather than later. Kids take naps usually until they're 3 or 4, and you don't want to be dealing with this for the next 3 years! You said it best at the end of your post: consistency. Your son needs to realize that the crib is his napping spot. Set a strict naptime routine that is similar to the bedtime one: feed him, change his diaper, read a few books in the rocking chair, sing him a song, lay him down and tell him "night-night". We've been doing this with our son since birth, and he thrives on this routine. Continue to let your child cry it out. When he wakes up after 1/2 an hour, start your timer for another 20 minutes and wait it out again. You'll be surprised at how often they fall back to sleep. Do this EVERY SINGLE DAY at the same time (am and pm). Eventually, he will realize that this is the way it's going to be! Your son's body will absolutely not let him become sleep deprived - thank goodness for our bodily functions! It's YOU that will have the hardest time with this!

Best of luck to you - don't forget that CONSISTENCY is the key to everything in parenting!!

Amy K.

Sorry, I don't have a lot of advice but just wanted to let you know that you're not alone.
My son is almost five months old, and I have the exact same problem. He'll only nap in his crib for a half and hour but will sleep longer while held. It seems interesting to me that it's always a half an hour and then he wakes. The only other place that he'll sleep is in the swing but I'm read that the sleep isn't as restorative then.
I think that my little guy has tummy problems and just isn't comfortable.
I'm looking forward to see the advice that others have to give. I understand how challenging this situation is.

I don't really have any solid advice but you are not alone, my son is 7 month old and does the same thing he recently switch to 2 one hour naps a day but the past week he doesnt want to nap. I have just chaulked it up to the fact that he just learned to crawl and wants to be going all the time combined with not wanting to be away from me for too long. For now i have resolved to just go with his flow, just like all of his other phases it will soon pass. I am still getting up every 2-3 hours with my son at night so the naps are no big deal. I can say though that the more stressed you get about laying him down to nap the more difficulty he will have in getting to sleep. I know that you aren't suppose to put stuff animals in the crib but my son has had a monkey in his crib since birth and when he has trouble going down he lays there and feels the fur until he drifts off.

My daughter is the same way. She also is 7 months. What is working for us is to put a large pillow (actually it is one of those pet beds) with a pack n play sheet on it on the floor. Once she is asleep, we lay down with her on the pillow and gradually ease away. It's a soft surface, so we watch her pretty close. Good luck! I know how hard it is to have a baby going without her naps!