Naps - Brooklyn, NY

Hi My name is B.. My daughter is a momma's girl so it was hard at first also. I put on a sooth video from calm baby it has water sounds and she passes right out. Also I used to lay down with her on my bed and when she fell asleep I would go and clean or just relax also... Also try having him so as much as possible to tire him out. Let him crawl and explore. Hope this will help you.

B.

I had the same problem with my son who is now 7years old.
I tried the cry it out thing didnt work, I tried the getting him tired that only worked some of the time. What really worked for me was driving him around in the car and reading to him. Driving him around in the car just always put him right to sleep. Also reading to him, it captrued his attention and put him to sleep i would read anything magazine newspaper a novel.

hi, i have a 10 month old baby girl- she also has trouble napping. she's changing hersleeping pattern. what worked for me is going for a walk in a stroller- usually after 15 minutes she's asleep for at least an hour.i just continue to walk even when she falls asleep, otherwise she'll wake right up. i can't let her cry it out, when i tried - she just did not stop crying, she looked like she is about to throw up, that just does not seem healthy for either one of us. good luck! Y.

Is your son in daycare? I ask because my son has been going to daycare since he was 7 months old. He is very agreeable to naps and I feel he is ok with naps because of the regiments and schedules they require there. I've talked to other moms about naps and they all say that regularity is the key....everyday, same time. Schedules are very important for children, the smallest variable can throw them off. Have you tried making sure you keep a schedule? (I'm not judging you in any way, just trying to figure out a way to help :))

My girls were in day care at that age, but when I had them home, I found that they did not always need a nap so I would let them play and try a later nap or only one a day. When it seemed that a nap during the day made it hard to put them to sleep at night, I would try to keep them awake until bed time. Then they would sleep much better at night. He may be ready to cut down his naptime. You just have to keep trying and see what works best for him. Every child is different.

L. A.

You are not making a mistake by not being into the cry it out thing. I hate cry it out, too. I think that maybe you are mis reading his cues. Maybe he is not tired when you are trying to put him down. Maybe the pre-nap activities are getting him excited and he can't bring himself to sleep after it.

Try having a more consistant naptime routine first. Just like you probably have at bed time. Have some quiet story reading/snuggling time. Change the diaper then off to nap. If that doesn't work, start playing with the nap times. Maybe he is only needing one nap a day right now...there is just so much to a problem like this.

I run a home daycare, and I was having trouble getting one of the toddlers (2.5 yrs. old) to sleep (her body language tells me that she still needs sleep. So do her mood swings after a missed nap). I thought That I tried everything. One day, I changed her sleeping spot from one end of the room to the other and now she sleeps! Who knows why she wasn't able to sleep on the other side of the room! My point is that you've just got to be willing to experiment. You will figure him out. Listen to his cues and he will tell you what he needs.

Good luck!

P.s. I love pugs, too!

Hello L.,
I agree with Leah P.
I could never do the cry it out routine with either of my boys.
And also about creating a pattern/routine with your baby so that he knows when nap time comes.
Good luck.

Naps are tricky. Get him up very early, maybe they'll be all tired out by nap time!