Napping in Crib

J.-
My daughter used to do the same thing, we got her a bouncy seat that vibrates and when she would fall asleep we would put her in that until she got to big and grew out of it pretty much....I think the vibrating made her stay aleep.

My son is 4 mos so I am not an expert..but when I nap him often he does wake after 10 minutes and he falls back asleep for another 45 minutes and sometimes longer...only of I leave him alone. It took a little training but he finally learned to self sooth. I needed to let him cry himself to sleep a couple of times before he caught on (max 20 minutes and then each time less, now 2-4 minutes). Similar behavior at night ...he usually wakes after 30 minutes and it mostly takes about 3-5 minutes and he goes back to sleep.

Also first time mom....

K. W

Hi J.,
I'm a gramma now but have raised my 6 children and now babysit my grandchildren and friend's children. Each child is different but I have found it helpful to make the room comfy and cozy by closing the curtains and having the room cool but enough blankets to keep warm. I have a routine with one child of watching a bit of a movie or reading a book which we call "quiet time" after lunch and then she goes potty and we head upstairs to the room. There we sing a song : I love you a bushel and a peck" or whatever you want, we pray and ask God for a sweet and peaceful naptime. Now she at 32 months has added one more song "You are my sunshine" and then I say sleep well lovie and I'll see you when you wake up. She knows to call me when she wakes up (no need to cry)and I come to get her right away.
My own grand daughter however at 26 months is one who needs to snuggle with us as we watch the movie for a bit and fall asleep with us. I then transfer her to the crib upstairs. I do run a box window type fan on medium as a background noise My house is small and someone is always going up and down the stairs making noise) and the kiddos sleep for 2 1/2/ hours and wake up very happy.
My home is small with lots of activity.
In all these years I have realized its important to protect the nap!for mommy and baby. Otherwise dinner becomes "arsenic hour" just terrible. A routine is important, not rigidity but a routine. To get kids into the resting mode is important. Lighting should change, volume should lower, activity should slow down so they know this is quiet/nap time or bedtime.
My 4 year old grandson was never a consistent napper until he came to gramma's and his mommy and daddy saw the benefits of it. Now he still settles down and snoozes about an hour or more each afternoon.
With my own children I would change the atmosphere as I said above and my children would go to their beds with a certain number of books they chose and I'd set the timer for an hour. I told them that when the timer went off they could come out. They always fell asleep before it went off except my oldest girl. If I reset the timer before it went off for another 10 minutes she'd be asleep too.
Find what works for you and stick with it. Its the routine and your follow through that will make the difference. Consistency is the name of the game.
Blessings,
T.

MY SON WOULD NOT SLEEP AT NAP TIME UNTIL I GAVE HIM ONE OF MY SCARFS THAT HAD MY FAVORITE PERFUME LIGHTLY SPRAYED ON IT AND AS LONG AS HE COULD SMELL ME HE WAS FINE. hE WOULD TAKE THAT SCARF EVERY WHERE WITH HIM. hE WAS MY FIRST SON AFTER 14 YEARS SO i WAS BASICALLY A FIRST TIME AGAIN MOM...
NAPS ARE NOT SO IMPORTANT AS LONG AS YOU ALLOW THE BABY TO REST (QUIET TIME) THE YOU CAN HAVE A EARLIER BED TIME...
GOOD LUCK
R.'

J.,
I know it is difficult but you need to let him cry it out a couple of days. Rocking is the worse habit to break. If you ever want free time for yourself, he needs to nap on his own. You could try white noise to block out the extra noises of daytime. Hope this helps, I have 12 yr old twin girls and a 16 yr old son. I could not have made it without naptime.

Hello,

My daughter used to be a wonderful napper and nightime sleeper in her crib. He actually started not napping in her bed after she turned one year. I actually co sleep with my daughter which I know is bad but she usually sleeps in her bed at night and wakes up middle of night but during the day she sleeps on couch or my bed. As long as they are getting there nap and it is decent hour of day I really wouldn't worry about it. Wherever your child can nap and sleep for at least 1 hour and it is comfortable for you I would do it

Is the room too light?? Do you do the same routine at nap time that you do at night??

how dark is it in his room? Maybe you need to make it darker for during the day.

My daughter would ONLY nap on me for the first 17 mos!!! It was the only way she would nap. We had tried EVERYTHING & nothing seemed to work. So for the first 17 mos, I would sit with her for an hour a day while she napped in my arms. As crazy as it sounds, I look back now and am so glad I did it. We really bonded!! lol When my son was born 10 mos ago, I finally HAD to do something. I took a fuzzy blanket and laid it on my chest. I would then lay her in my arms on top of the blanket. She would fall asleep and then I would transfer her, still in the blanket, onto the couch. She didn't notice b/c of the blanket!! Definately worth a shot & it worked for us!! :) Now she is 2 1/2 and falls asleep all on her own!! GOOD LUCK :)

Hi! My little Isabella used to take the nap everywhere, but she loved the stroller best!

V.

i am a grandmother taking care of a little one and she does the same thing over the years i have taken on the theory that life is so rough in the future for these little ones so make their childhood as sweet as you can, let the child sleep where he wants at nap time on the couch on the floor on your lap whereever so long as he naps and is happy anyone who tells you let him cry shame on them he will shed enough tears in his life spare him now when you can our ped. years ago said "there is no such thing as a spoiled child just one who is loved" children love unconditionally your love should also be that way--------love and cherish them life is rough and uncertain------C. R

The first thought that I had was maybe your son's room is much lighter during nap time than bed time. So, maybe he needs his room to be a little darker to help him sleep at nap time.

My daughter just turned 2 and has still never taken a nap in her crib :) She sleeps great in there at night, but will not nap. I usually end up laying her on my bed and put pillows around her or if we are both resting she will sleep on me in the recliner. Other times she falls asleep in the car seat because I had an errand to run and then I just bring something to read while she sleeps or I sit back and relax myself. The important thing is that they get rest. I tried everything to get her to nap in the crib and it just wasn't happening!

Definitly agree with the dark room and "white" noise. Using a cot may also work. My son was (and still is) a very poor napper, but a great night sleeper. When he was younger, he would fall asleep in my arms and would wake up during the transfer into the crib. I started using a cot on the floor and would lay next to him until he fell asleep. Unfortunately he is 2 1/2 and I still have to lay next to him while he falls asleep for naps, but he usually falls asleep within 10 minutes and will typically sleep for 60-90 minutes.

Jess,

try holding him in a blanket to get him all warm,

then after he falls asleep transfer him into the crib.

keep the room warm, add extra blankets to kinda weight him down and 2 rolled blankets on either side of him

make sure to close the shades.

Background noise like a TV or clock radio is also helpful

M
mother of 3

My DD napped much better after I took steps to make the room darker. That is all can offer with the info you have given.

If it makes you feel any better, my son who just turned 3 on Monday still naps in my bed! he'll sleep in his own bed at night, but just seems to nap better in my bed.
I wouldn't worry to much about it.