I can't get my 3 month old son to nap more than 30 minutes in his crib! He will nap on my or husband's chest for 2+ hours, so I know he is tired or needs a nap. When I put him in his swing he can put himself to sleep for approximately 30-45 minutes. But I can not get him to put himself to sleep in his crib. I've even tried nursing him before I put him down and he will then sleep for maybe 30 minutes, but wakes up soon after. Am I setting myself up for trouble down the road by a) not having him nap in his crib and b) nursing him prior to nap time? I don't nurse for the sake of getting him to sleep but it is actually time for a feeding. BTW he sleeps well in his crib at night. Thanks in advance for any help or insight.
Thank you to everyone who responded and for the great suggestions! I took the advice to appreciate my little guy sleeping on me, because he won't always want to do so! With that said, he's been better at napping in his crib! In addition to swaddling for naps, I have added white noise and he can nap up to an hour in his crib. He takes about three - four naps a day, going to bed at 6:30-7, waking twice to feed, then awake at 7:30- 8 am. I do need to welcome the naps - wherever they might occur! The book I found most helpful is the Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby! It stresses the importance of recognizing drowsy signs and putting baby down for naps within 2 hours of wakefulness.
Thanks again for all of your help!
My opinion only-Get him to nap any way you can, wherever you can. I, too, had a baby who took only very short naps for several months. It can be frustrating.
My boys took very short naps at that age too. I agree that you should let them nap anyway you can....i dont know your situation but i have a few basic suggestions/questions.
is there a lot of light in the room? try room darkening shades.
white noise machine...is he hearing other noises that make him wake up and want to join the fun? :)
and i'll get some comments for saying this, but.....isnt it fun when they sleep on you? enjoy that because they wont want to sit with you for more than a few seconds when they are walking! :) :)
This wouldn't work in every situation but it might work for you. When my dd was 7 months old she went into the hospital for 4 days. She was very, very sick and they had to do a lot of invasive thing to keep her alive. She remembered it and wouldn't go back into a crib, ever. Prior to being in the hospital she would sleep like a champ. So I would vacuum her floor every evening and before naps. Then I would lay down a totally clean blanket. Also I made sure every choking hazard was off the floor. I set the baby monitor close enough that I could hear every sound and then laid down with her on the floor and nursed her to sleep. Then I would wait until she was done and slip away from her. I made sure the I didn't have my arm under her head or anything else that would wake her up. I would very slowly slip away and leave her on the floor sleeping. In our situation it was very safe because all smother and choking hazards were in her crib or where she couldn't reach them. I would check on her before we went to sleep and she always was in the same place I had left her. It might work and would be less jarring than lifting your child to put them in a crib.
My son always sleeps better right after eating! When he was little, I usually nursed him before he slept. His naps were usually right after feeding time. He also went through stages where he wouldn't take good naps. Just stay persistant and keep up a good routine. Also, babies have a hard time sleeping if they are overly tired. Good luck!
Is your baby swaddled? I know 3 months is kind of big, but I used a Swaddle me blanket until my daughter could roll over and she took the BEST naps. She was very cozy.
Just a comment on your comment about nursing...
It IS great to nurse him to sleep and nurse him everytime he just wants it for comfort too. You can't nurse too much!
Great job choosing to breastfeed!
My son did the same thing about napping- would nap for hours on our shoulder or chest and not in the bed. But he grew out of it. If you want, for naps not nighttime, lay him down and if he gets up and doesn't want to sleep- then fine, no sleep. He'll eventually realize that he doesn't get his sleep unless he's laying down. Enjoy the new little treasure you have!!
My oldest (now 19 months) was the exact same way...he just doesn't nap and never has. HOWEVER, he sleeps great at night. If he isn't terrible to be around, he may just be a kid that doesn't nap. My son was sleeping through the night early because of it...so it was a decent trade off for me. I still rarely get more than 1.5 hrs. of nap time a day...whether it is once in the am or 2x throught the day...his max sleep time is really 1.5 hrs. during the day. He really doesn't get crabby or anything in the afternoons without a lot of sleep and is ready to go to bed at 6:45. SO i thought he was a freak, but i guess some kids just don't need a ton of sleep.
my 2nd (now 1 month)is the COMPLETE opposite...to the point where I thought something was really wrong because he sleeps during the day soooo much.
We co-sleep at night and have with all our kiddos (this is #5) so since its not always prudent to lay down withthem at nap time and since I work days we have a very very soft fuzzy blanket that we put her to sleep in . its sugglier and warmer and she sleeps well for naps. I wither lay it down flat or bunch it up to make a little nest for he and she stays asleep well. Its worth a try.
