Hi Mommies,
My 5 month old has never been good at naps. He's a cat napper and he fights going to sleep for naps. Oddly enough we don't have any problems with the nighttime sleeping. He goes right to sleep after our routine - no crying. We put him down to nap about the same time every day - 9am-ish, 12:30ish and 3ish. He cries and cries for about 5 minutes and then falls asleep for naps. Is this normal? How do I get him to fall asleep gracefully like he does at night? Should I leave him alone while he cries it out or should I be there rubbing his back the whole time? Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Dear Christine,
I would just continue with what your doing. Five minutes of fussing may just be his way of relaxing himself for restful sleep. I would not start rubbing his back because he may require that every time he goes down. If he can fall asleep independently KUDOS to you. He is not screaming so this may just be his way of putting himself to sleep. Keep up the good work!!
Hi
My son is 11 months now and has always been a good sleeper, but he does fuss somewhat before he goes down unless he is just so tired then he goes right out usually at night.
What I do is wait for the cues from him it is on average 3 hours after he wakes up he starts to fuss and whine and then I put him in his crib for his AM nap and he cries a little and then goes off. I let him cry, unless it is a screaming cry which then I know something is wrong, which rarely happens. He can cry up to 5 minutes and then he is off, I have been told my numerous people that they need to learn to soothe themselves to sleep it is good for there development. Hope this helps somewhat!
Totally normal. He'll get better at napping as he gets older and more active. But actually, he's doing very well!
Kudos to you, for teaching your son to self soothe! Think of it this way- 5 minutes of crying in order to get lots of good rest! Is he happy and smart, learning lots of new things? Is he smiling and adorable? I bet he is! Sleep is key for all of that, and you're making sure he gets that.
Over time, he'll settle down more quickly. Then he'll get teeth, or a cold, or learn to walk...and you'll start over for a a few days or a week. But this foundation you're setting will make it so easy for him to get back to soothing himself to sleep. What a gift you're giving him!
Nice work!
Yes, this is very normal! Babies cry, it is how communicate, and how they get there energy out. If he is taking 3 naps a day and falling asleep after 5 minutes, count your blessings. Don't rub his back... there is no need to unless he is sick or maybe overtired. Babies need to learn to soothe themselves to sleep and it sounds like he is on a good schedule already. My kids both went down quietly at night (and still do) but would fuss and cry before naps... it ends when they get a little older... but if you get into the habit of rocking them or rubbing their backs they expect it and the habit it hard to break!
