Napping

Dear M., I would actually try to put him down a little earlier than usual because he may be over tired. I think I did this with my first son and it worked... sounds weird to put him down early, but maybe 30 minutes or 15 minutes or so earlier might make a difference. If you're worried about schedule (which is good!) I don't think 15-30 minutes will mess his schedule up. Hope that helps, AM

I have the same problem.... I just figured it was normal lol

Hi M., I rocked my babies to sleep for naps and for bed time and laid them on their tummy's, and they would sleep for at least an hour, sometimes a little longer. Mom for 24 years. J.

Three months old is the perfect time to start him on a napping schedule. To start, watch him for a couple of days to see what time he starts yawning, rubbing his eyes, acting fussy, etc. When he starts to show signs of sleepiness, put him down for a nap (awake, but sleepy). Try to get him down by the first yawn that you see because if you wait until he's too tired, he'll be overtired and it will be harder for him to fall asleep. Once you've figured out what times of day he's getting sleepy, put him down at the same time every day. He'll get used to going down for a nap at the same time every day, and it will make your life so much easier! Three month old babies should be taking three naps a day. One about two hours after he wakes up in the morning (for about 1 1/2 hours) another one mid-day (for about 2-3 hours) and a third in the late afternoon (for about 1 hour). If he's napping better during the day, chances are he'll sleep better at night too, so it's a win win situation. Good luck! :)

Personally I had kinda the same issue we had a swing that went through batteries like crazy, like 4 D's once weekly, so we bought a new swing "Rain Forest Collection" because it can be electric or battery operated. It also never shuts off until you shut it off, so you don't have to reset it every 10 min or spend $50 a month in batteries. She would sleep in there for her entire nap times nearly 2 hours each nap 2 times a day. we just had to give ours up at 1 yr old she's outgrown it now. I sold it to Mother's Secret in Orange, you might want to call Kathy tell her T. referred you. ###-###-#### This store is a mothers dream by the way.

Hi M.,
This sounds exactly like my 3 month old son. He's sleeping well at night, but I feel like all I do all day long is battle him - trying to get him to sleep! I can tell he's sleepy, but he fights it. Please let me know if you found anything that helps! And if you did let him cry in the crib, how long did you let him cry for - & did he ever fall asleep on his own?
Thanks,
J.

Naps were hard for my little one to but I just perserviered, 1/2 of getting him there for a 1/2 is worth it, be better if he could go 45 minutes. The advice on the schedule and watching for yawns is great. But also see what's waking him up just before the 1/2 ends. and if something you can change then do that. if not go in right before he normally wakes up and just gentle move his back, sort of like being in a car and you may find he doesn't wake up and will sleep longer. Just don't do the crying it out, he's way too young, even Dr. Ferber who came up with that idea would say he's way too young and that it's not the best method for naps. Oh, yeah, I'm with Trisha, swings are great.

RE Amy's point about music which a baby will "associate" with sleep...with my son too... as soon as I start to sing him his songs before a nap (the SAME songs each time)...he automatically just "knows" it's time for nap...he associates my singing at this point to napping, and he will settle down, put his head on my shoulder and start to relax. (I carry him when singing to him, as I stand right next to his crib), then I put him down while still awake, tuck him in, and walk out.

Yes, your son is young, only 3 months old. And sure, maybe it takes awhile for him to actually fall asleep, and then he doesn't sleep long. BUT...keep in mind, that he is probably fussying the whole time pre-nap because by then he is "over-tired" already and probably over stimulated.

Over-tired babies/children actually do NOT sleep better, AND they have a harder time falling asleep.

My suggestion would be: keep putting him down for a nap, at REGULAR consistent nap times, the same everyday...that way you will build a "routine" with him....and over time, he will get used to it... and as he gets older, it will have already built a nap-time "habit" for him. Anything you do now... is not just for now...it is for later, down the road, to build good habits. That is what I have done with both of my children...my girl is now 5 years old and she still takes a nap after-school. My son is now 21 months old and he still takes 2 naps a day. They don't tantrum or protest about it, because it is such a "routine" for them and a "habit" which I kept consistent.

Also, try putting him down before he is too tired. Don't wait for HIM to tell you... YOU decide when it is time for nap. Generally at this age, it's about 9:00 in the morning and again in the afternoon. 2 naps.

Naps are very important for their development and brain growth. It's not just for sleeps sake. Infants/babies/toddlers/children need this. Heck, even in some cultures, even the Adults have "siesta" times and the stores/shops even close at these times. Its the body's natural way to regenerate and heal and develop etc.

Have a pre-nap routine... calm things down, let him unwind,change diaper, make the room dark, read to him perhaps for just 5-10 minutes (that is long enough for a 3 month old), or sing him a song. Then put him down in the crib, say good night, pat him, then walk out & close the door. Let him be...see if he will self-soothe and fall asleep. That is what I have done with my son since he was a newborn. I did the SAME thing each time, and even now, and he is totally used to it, and takes great naps, falls asleep on his own, and can self soothe.

It will not go perfect the first time...but if you keep it up... with regularity, the baby will become used to it. It's all about consistency and regularity.

Typically, a baby has a pattern: 1) wake up 2) feed/nurse 3) play/awake time 4) tired & go nap/sleep
Typically there will be a window of about 2-3 hours of "awake" time before a baby gets tired again, and then it will be time for a nap. By the time a baby is fussy and rubbing their eyes and getting irritable, it is already that they are too tired. So, it helps that you put them down PRIOR to them getting over-tired.

Sure, some babies can fall asleep anywhere & anytime, and will fall asleep on their own anyplace. BUT not all babies are like this. Mine weren't...they could only fall asleep at home in their own crib/bed. And some babies will "force" themselves awake and resist falling asleep at all costs. So, you need to help them...they are just a baby. Some people say "let them sleep when they want, if they are tired they will fall asleep by themselves...." But, I don't go according to this. I believe regularity and consistency works best...we can't leave it up to a baby to take care of themselves. Lots of babies are actually sleep deprived because they don't/can't nap.

Anyway, just keep trying. It's not easy and it does take time. But you want to build good habits now, rather than later when it will be much harder.

*Also, at 3-months of age, this is a "growth spurt" time...a baby gets hungrier, more often and more in quantity AND needs to feed more. So if your son is hungry, feed him. They are growing physically and cognitively and sometimes this disrupts their sleep. Head's up. About every 3 months will be a growth spurt change... and these "phases" can and does tweak them and can briefly cause changes in their sleep/nap/eating habits.

Good luck, hope this helps,
~Susan

It sounds to me like you're doing great! The nighttime sleeping is fantastic, and although the naps are frustrating now, you'll get there. In my experience with my 3 kids, they didn't start taking organized naps until they are about 4 or 5 months old. Until then, they slept when they were tired, whenever that was. You are starting to enter the time when you should try to put your baby down when he is drowsy, but not asleep. One of the greatest gifts you can give your child (and yourself) is to teach them to be a good sleeper. Don't give up! If you give up trying to put him down or just let him sleep on you, he won't learn this valuable life skill.

I say this because with my first daughter, I would nurse her to sleep and if she woke when I put her down, I'd get her up right away. Or,I would let her sleep on me. By the time she was 7 months old, she couldn't take a nap unless I managed to get her to sleep and sneaked her into her crib. We had to do a really tough sleep training regimen. We had to re-learn our nap routine, which meant that she had to learn that when I put her down, she couldn't get back out until she slept. It was torment, but I realized that if I got her up, I'd just be teaching her that if she cries for long enough, she could get up. I had to re-train her and myself, or I was going to be in big trouble with a toddler who needed me to get her asleep. Becuase I had given her such mixed signals for her whole life, she cried for 2 hours the first day. The 3rd day was the worst, when she cried for 4 hours. It was scary then, but it is a funny story now. We had a breathing monitor on the crib, and I would come and check that she was okay every 15 min or so, and spent the rest of the time pacing in the yard because it was such torment to hear her to cry. After 4 hours, I checked on her and the alarm was going off! I freaked out when I saw she was laying down in her crib, not crying anymore. I thought she was dead. I grabbed her and shouted her name, and she woke up. The poor baby had finally fallen asleep and had somehow disconnected the plug for the monitor, which made it go off. Anyway, after 5 days, she learned to put herself to sleep whenever I put her in the crib. She might cry for a few minutes, but not long.

I don't think you're at this point yet, and it sounds like you won't get there if you keep trying what you're doing. One other thing that I have found that helps is having music play in his room. The baby learns to associate music with sleeping. Later, once naps get more organized, if he wakes up too soon, sometimes turning the music back on can provide the cue to go back to sleep. You can use the successful nighttime process to build these associations for naps.

Good luck!