3 Month Old That Won't Take Naps!

Try swaddling him tightly. Keep the room dark and maybe even put on soft music to drown out other noise. Worked for all my kids and those I have watched. Also, a swing may bring you relief. Most will fall asleep in a swing.

The car was my best friend at this age....almost always puts then into a deep sleep!

Also, a white noise generator may be helpful. Try to lay him down once he is asleep and pat his bottom fairly vigorously. They like that motion. Ease up very slowly over 5 mins and you should be good. This worked for most babies that I had in my daycare class.

You might want to talk to your dr about his 2mth shots. Maybe this is affecting his sleep.

maybe reflux I would check into that it can make it hrd to rest

I will echo what others have said about swaddling. We swaddle our 2 month old in Aden and Anais blankets, very breathable and good for hot Texas summers. Our son falls asleep way better with them than without. We also have a swing and a vibrating seat. He sleeps mainly in his swing at night and in his seat in the day. We put him in a dark room and keep it mostly quiet or use the swing music. We have a rhythm of wake, eat, burp, diaper, awake time (tummy time, talking to him, etc), then back to sleep. As soon as he yawns, I get him ready to go down. I try to get him to take a full feeding at a time. The swaddle, darkness, quiet, and vibrations are all cues for him that it's time to go to sleep, so when I do all of those things, he knows what to expect and is "primed" to fall asleep. If I just tried to get him to sleep in my arms with no swaddle or just lay him in a co-sleeper or crib, it would be very difficult. He would get little sleep and be overtired. He does take fairly short naps anyway, though-several of them per day. I think his is normal. By all means get some swaddling blankets (IMO, they are better than halo sleepsacks, my son could get his arms out of those, I don't know about kiddopatamus wraps, blankets are really easy once you get the hang of it), a swing, and a vibrating bouncy seat. He can always transition to a crib later on.

Hi L.,
You might try lying down with your baby in your arms, holding him close enough to hear your heartbeat and feel the warmth of your breath. In other words, take a nap with him. You might just drift off first. Then what? Your slow, rhythmic breathing will calm and still the baby to do as you are doing (modeling). Besides, what mother of a 3 month-old couldn't use a nap? I hope this serves you well.

j.c.

I hate to say it, but it probably won't get better until a little after 4 months. Both of my children would not nap beyond 30 minutes at a time at this age. I started reading books about sleep before I even gave birth, because I knew it would be difficult. I would suggest trying to put him to bed a little earlier in the evenings. I know you don't want to do this because of your husband's schedule, but if you are exhausted from little nighttime sleep and no rest during the day...how can you be a good Mom? For now you may have to adjust to the baby's schedule. There may be some confusion with days and nights, especially if you aren't consistent due to frustration. Try one thing and stick with it for at least 3 to 4 days. It will take that to signal that a routine is developing and baby to adjust. Once your baby sleeps through the night and finally starts napping during the day, you can adjust the nap schedule to allow for a later bedtime and more time with Daddy. I too had the book Healthy Sleep Habits/Happy Child and loved it. Some other books you may try are by Dr. Terry Brazelton. He is very similar and encourages you to let baby get themselves to sleep. He also talks a lot about how until about 4 months the baby's brain is not developed enough to organize their daytime sleep. You do have to stick to the method you choose though and deal with the inconvenience. Babies have no concept of convenience and this will be your life for the foreseable future. Mine are 4 and 2 and we still have the occasional struggle. I just have to adapt my routine for a little while and get their's back on track.

Good luck.

Sounds kinda like my kids! Some things that have helped me is to put them down for a nap fully awake. I have never been able to lay her down when she is asleep and not wake her. I can't get the car seat out of the car without waking her no matter how careful I am. She can take a ten minute nap and get a new wind even though I know she is still really tired. I put her in the swing for a nap and turn on the music thats on the swing. My son still sleeps with a fan. I think the more tired they seem the harder it is for them to settle down, and to fall asleep. Pay attention to the cues, (my kids rub their face in a blanket or stuffed animal) and try to put them down then. At night it helps to have a routine and a set bedtime. My colicky daughter cried all the time, had to be held constantly, and could not be soothed. It was an intense cry like she was in pain. She grew out of it right around 3 months.

Try a different sleeping position. I was a major rule follower with my first child until I couldn't stand it anymore! At 2am one morning I was so tired I put my son to sleep on his tummy and he slept all night! I know it is not the best choice but is still how my almost 7 year ols sleeps best and now my 4 month old sleeps that way too and she can roll anyway she want and he tummy is what she prefers. If a different way of sleeping doesn't work it could be gas. Will he sleep in the swing? I did that for a little bit too when my so was little. Hope you get some sleep and the little guy too!

Hi L.,

I have a 3 yr old daughter and a 4month old boy and I'm OBSESSED with sleep stuff. I recommend the book 'Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child' - it's a little hardcore, but it does have very interesting sleep cycle information about babies and children. Have you tried swaddling your baby? I SWEAR by swaddling, it keeps the babies from moving their arms about and waking themselves up......At 3 months your baby is now starting to figure out his sleep cycles and having more awake time. If the swaddling doesn't work, then i suggest rocking him or breastfeeding him to sleep and then rock him (while holding) for at least 10 minutes, then put him down. That way, he'll fall into a deeper sleep and might not wake up right when you put him down. My son is napping ok, but he takes short 30 minute naps, about 4-5 times a day. I remember this with my daughter and then these naps will get longer and happen fewer times a day. Also (from book), pay close attention to your baby. As soon as you see the first eye rub or yawn, start to rock him/her...... a lot about sleep is TIMING. good luck!

I would try giving him some baby rice cereal (read on box how to prepare). He may be hungry. I know that doctors do not recommend feeding solids before 4 - 6 months, but honestly some children need it much sooner than that. (I am a registered nurse and believe me - doctors are not Gods, and all children do not fit in the same box). Also the book On Becoming Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo is highly recommended.
Truly, my children ate rice cereal at 3 weeks old, and none have allergies of any kind - which is what the doctor will tell you will happen if you feed them to soon. Babies need to be satisfied in order to sleep.

I really like the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. I know you don't want to use the methods in this book because of your husband's schedule, but sleep is just so important to a child's developing brain. I am not a believer in the "cry it out" method, which is one of the options he mentions in the book. However, there is so much other useful info in the book that we were able to completely resolve our daughter's sleep issues. She now sleeps 12 hours at night and 2 naps per day of 1-2 hours. I found that once we started putting our baby to sleep early in the evening, she started taking her naps naturally. She is now a happy baby during the day and hardly ever fusses. She truly follows the schedule Dr. Weissbluth mentions in the book to a t, and I finally realized that it is because she is wired that way, like most babies. I just don't think it's a good idea to go against sleep needs. Maybe dad can visit with the baby in the morning or catch up on the weekends.

My daughter did this at this age. She is now 19 months and sleeps VERY well. For instance, I give her some milk, read a book, get a bath, lay her in her toddler bed, say our prayers, close her bedroom door, and she puts herself to sleep. My point is this, it is impairative that you stick to a strict feeding/sleeping schedule. Believe it or not, these little ones need structure. It will help you too the quicker you can figure out what he needs at what times. Make the schedule convenient for the both of you. Also, I started swaddling at this age. I am a firm believer in swaddling, and the only swaddler that worked for my daughter was the Kiddopotamus swaddler, the fleece one, from Babies R Us. Not the two piece swaddler, the one piece. It looks cruel and unusual, but it allows the child to feel as if they are being held all night long. Most people look to "break" their child from swaddling around the age of 6 months though I found that mine was not ready to be weaned. Your son will tell you when he is ready to not be swaddled. If you are like I was at this age, I was willing to try anything! Good luck and keep up the good work. You are doing a great job!

I am no expert, but your son sounds a TON like mine. My son is just now 4.5 months and has just learned to sleep. I think it was his ability to learn how to put himself to sleep which is acquired around 6 months of age. Hopefully your son will learn how to put himself to sleep sooner rather than at 6 months. One thing that my doctor told me (we went to the doctor once a week it seemed because my son was always so fussy) was do 'whatever it takes' to get him to sleep. If he falls asleep in the car, keep driving. If he falls asleep in his stroller, keep strolling. You might take him to the doctor just to get him checked out so that you eliminate all other possibilities like an ear ache, etc. Also, my son is not a big eater. But, it always seemed that when he ate more, he slept a little longer. We're talking longer than a 20 minute nap, this was great for me! Since my son never slept, he was often really fussy. The fussiness was quelled by taking him outside. Just a change from inside to outside was enough of a pressure change to calm him. You might try taking him for a walk when he just really needs to sleep. I don't even worry about the heat anymore, I just go. Just know that he will grow out of it! And be sure to take care of yourself along the way because a baby who will not sleep is so much more taxing on the caregivers!

Try reading "The Happiest Baby on the Block". It has some tried and true methods for calming your baby. You can buy the book on Amazon or check it out at the library. There is also a DVD that demonstrates the techniques.

In the meantime, try swaddling your baby in a blanket before you lay him down. It may be that when you put him down his startle reflex kicks in and that's why he wakes up. Swaddling him will help. Good luck!

Hi L.,
Have you started him on any foods yet- he may just be totally unsatisfied and a little hungry. You might try starting him on a little rice cereal and see if that helps any.....and then you might try giving him something he can hold onto like a little blanket or cloth diaper that he can snuggle with while sleeping. Sometimes that is all they need- and a paci..... but if he does not start sleeping again soon I would have him checked to ssee if something else is going on with him.
good luck and blessings

It could be that he's getting overtired. Try to get on a schedule of eating (and really trying to get a full feeding, not just snacking), having some awake time (1-2 hours of being awake including eating time) and then putting him down for his nap while he's still awake. He'll learn to self-soothe and become such a great sleeper. It's worked for all four of mine.

Hello L.,

My son is 5 and half months old and he went through this same issue starting at about 5 weeks. At that time a friend recommended a book "Healthly Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. It talks about sleep for all ages. I read the pertinent parts of the book and we started sleep training. I felt it was my responsibility to make sure he got enough sleep just like it was to make sure he got enough food. At first he would sleep for 15 min and wake up screaming, a sign he was overtired. I then spent about 2 months training him. He would only be awake for 1-2 hours at most and as soon as he started rubbing eyes or yawning or giving another sign he was tired I would put him to bed. If he woke-up I would let him cry for 5 to 20 min to see if he would go back to sleep or I would go and try to rock him back to sleep. The first week was tough but the second week his naps got longer and the 3rd became even longer. He eventually would sleep for 45-60 min and be awake for about an 1.5 hours. I also started putting him to sleep for the night at about 6. At 3.5 months he started sleeping through the night every night and still does. He doesn't nap as well as I would like but he is in day care as I have gone back to work so our sleep training is less intense. But he sleeep great at night and he is always cheerful! I definitely recommend the book as it will help you put together a plan that works with you and your son. Good Luck!

T.

Well, he certainly doesn't have colic. You would know. He would be crying for 3 hours straight every evening and you would be losing your mind.

I think this deserves a call to the dr. It could be acid reflux. There's such a thing as silent reflux - there's no spitting up, it just goes up into his esophagus and back down which might be why he doesn't like to be laid down. That's what my daughter had. She slept in her infant chair for several months to keep her at an incline.

If it doesn't turn out to be that, I highly recommend The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. She covers all kinds of great ideas to help your baby sleep. Swaddling and the swing were life savers for us.

Each child will develope their own schedule, monitor and keep track of his time preferences. It's good too try different times according to advice but 6pm may simply be too early for him,causing your son to become restless, and preventing him from wanting to nap. Try a later bedtime (maybe an hour or two later) and see if he will naturally fall asleep the next day. If not try another hour later each time, until you get the results you want. If I recall as long as your baby can get 16 hours of sleep a day, including naps lasting 1-3 hours a day, he will be just fine. Note by four months, once you allow his body to get used to day and night, he will be sleeping 8-12 hrs a night and napping more regularly (on his time). Be consistant and create a routine that will work for both of you. Congratulations! Enjoy every moment as I do.