8 month old TERRIBLE napper

[Anonymous]

My almost 8 month DD is a TERRIBLE napper and always has been. When she was younger she took 3-4 20-30 minute cat naps a day. Now she takes two 45 minute naps, IF I'm lucky. I am a SAHM and this drives me CRAZY. I get absolutely no down time. When she was younger people would ask me if I napped with her - YEAH right! When? It takes me at least that long to fall asleep during the day. I can't even shower and eat breakfast during her AM nap without really rushing.

Sometimes she wakes up happy, other times she wakes up fussy. Either way, she WILL NOT go back to sleep once she is awake. Every keeps telling me it will get better when she's older. But WHEN? I have friends whose babies are the same age and they take 2-3 hour naps. My kid has NEVER done that.

When I hear her in the monitor after a nap, I feel really frustrated and annoyed! At my own child! I have tried leaving her in their until a full hour is up, but it accomplishes nothing other than me listening to her cry. I've tried rushing up and replacing the paci/lovey and that never works either.

Can anyone give me hope? PLEASE? My only consolation is that she does sleep decently well at night. But the days are a bear!

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

No advice, really, but empathy. Some kids really do need less sleep. When mine was about your dd's age, I started hiring college sitters a few hours a week, in the afternoon, and it helped me get a little break. (Remember, your sanity is important!)

[Anonymous]

We have the same kid. Mine's almost 14 months now, and I just had to resign myself to the fact that she doesn't nap well. The bigger issue for me is that she often wakes up before she's fully rested, and won't go back to sleep. Then she's cranky and doesn't have any fun, and that makes me sad. So here's what I do (fire up the flame throwers): I let her nap on me. She takes her bottle, falls asleep in my arms, and then lets me shift her to my chest so I can lie down, too. I don't sleep-- I'm like you, can't fall asleep quickly, and definitely can't wake up easily-- but I doze a little sometimes. She sleeps so much longer when I'm holding her than she does in her crib, and wakes up refreshed and happy.

The crazy thing is, we only have to do this during the day. At night, I can put her in her crib still awake, and she'll fall asleep on her own, and sleep straight through the night. I'm completely baffled on the difference between day sleep and night sleep.

Oh, and for your routine: she's sitting up now, right? Just give her some toys on the floor of the bathroom while you shower. Give her bites of your breakfast. She's old enough for that.

I know as a SAHM you'd like to have some time to yourself. But for some babies, the reality of caring for them is that you're on all the time. Try to get a sitter for a few hours a week.

[Anonymous]

I sympathize. My 3 month old is going down this road. The first few weeks, she would sleep 2-3 hours at a time day or night. Then that became only night, and she will not nap more than 45 minutes or an hour on her own in the crib. She WILL sleep longer in the stroller or carseat for a nap, but not on her own during the day. I think it might be a function of her just being so excited about daytime or something.

Ditto the advice about sometimes napping with her, or put her in the bed with you. Maybe you can read a magazine while she sleeps.

If anyone else has any advice to increase the duration of naps (I think Weissbluth says we are just out of luck), then I'd love to hear it!

[Anonymous]

You may simply be out of luck.

Other thoughts though-

is there a reason she wakes up? dirty diaper? Noise that happens at that time of day? Is she overtired and restless when she does go to sleep?

Maybe you could try black out shades to simulate night time. A fan or noise machine for white noise may help also.

good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I sympathize. My 3 month old is going down this road. The first few weeks, she would sleep 2-3 hours at a time day or night. Then that became only night, and she will not nap more than 45 minutes or an hour on her own in the crib. She WILL sleep longer in the stroller or carseat for a nap, but not on her own during the day. I think it might be a function of her just being so excited about daytime or something.

My 3.5 month old is doing the same thing. 40-50 minute naps, then wakes up wide awake, happy as can be. I am getting exhausted because he wakes during the night too. He will sleep well when I wear him in the sling, and that's the only time I can nap. When he wakes early from naps, I try rocking him but it is pointless.

Has anyone had a baby like this who later became a good napper? Was there anything you did that helped? (no CIO for my baby at 3 months--no way!)

[Anonymous]

For the three-month-olds... this was about the age we started letting our baby sleep on her tummy. She was miserable on her back, even swaddled. By three months or so, I felt like she had enough strength and control to be at a much lower risk, and she was beginning to roll anyway. She slept SO much better on her tummy than she ever did on her back. Still does at 14 months.

[Anonymous]

10:01 -- how much better did she nap on her stomach as compared to her back? right now we have him swaddled on his back.