Sleep/Nap Routines. Do you have one?

[kellyc1987]

I'm having nap time nightmares with DS, he is 5 months old and sleeps well at night (6.30/7pm-5/5.30am) but his daytime naps are a completely different story. He fights sleep massively, won't be put down in his crib to fall asleep, cries and fights against me. Rocking him to sleep used to work but now not even that works! And when I do get him to sleep he doesn't sleep for long at all. I think it's because I have never really had any kind of nap routine.

This is what we had today
05.30 - Wake up/ 4oz bottle

06:00 - 08.30 - Slept in my bed with me

10:00 - 8oz Bottle, fell asleep drinking bottle

10:00 - 10.30 - Sleep

13:00 - 14:00 - Trying to get him to sleep (would usually try to get him to sleep about 2hrs after his last nap but my nan was playing with him and kind of keeping him awake)

14:00 - 14:10 - Sleep

16:30 - 17:30 - Trying to get him to sleep again, could not get him to even though he was tired and laying his head down on the bed/on me

17:30 - 18:00 - Bath & bedtime story

18:00 - 8oz Bottle, he fell asleep drinking it so I put him to bed.

So anyway I want to try more of a schedule, do you have one? how do you manage to stick to it if you're going out etc?

Sorry for the long post!

 

[kellyc1987]

Forgot to add, i've tried white noise, controlled crying, rocking, i keep his room dark for naps/sleep. And when he doesn't nap he just whines/cries until he sleeps.

This is the routine I was thinking of following (from The Practically perfect baby)
07:00 - 7-8oz bottle
08:30 - 10:00 - Nap
10:00 - 7-8oz bottle
11:30 - 13:00 - Nap
13:00 - 7-8oz bottle
14:30 - 16:00 - Nap
16:00 - 7-8oz bottle
17:30 - 19:00 - Nap
20:30 - 8-8.5oz bottle & bed

I just don't understand how i am meant to make him sleep when I can't get him to sleep and when I do how do I keep him asleep?

 

[RosieRosieP]

Up until 3 months ago DD would only have 3 naps a day (this was from birth):

7.00am up for the day
9.00 am nap
1.30pm nap
4.30pm nap
7.00pm bed

No matter how hard I tried DD would not sleep past that magic 30 minutes!

Only thing I would suggest is being strict on naps even if you have guests. I learnt the hard way.

PS DD now has two naps at 2 hours each shame it started after I went back to work haha x

 

[Cattia]

With my older two I was quite strict (insert neurotic) about naps. I tired everything to get them to nap properly at home in the cot. In the end they did and would nap for around two hours each afternoon. With DD2, naps happen when and wherever. With two older children, the school run and being out and about at weekends / holidays there is no way I can put her down in her cot every day to nap, so she naps in the car seat, pram, bouncer, or the travel cot if we happen to be at home. She sometimes has four naps a day, sometimes two. She's a relaxed and chilled out baby, it's just her nature, she is very content, but I do think I was too uptight about naps with my older two and I wish I hadn't sweated so much about them napping in the cot at home.

 

[JumpingIn]

I can definitely relate to spending an hour trying to get him to sleep and then only getting 10 minutes... Isn't it gutting!?

My 3 month old is like this day and night. Night he gets about 4 hours total with several wake ups.

I wish I knew the answers. Stay strong, you're doing great

 

[kellyc1987]

So today i'm trying the schedule from practically perfect.

I put Lucas down at 08:20 (he was grouchy so put him down slightly earlier than the recommended 08:30), it did not go well so I tried the practically perfect 15 minute rule - if he is still crying after 15 minutes go in, pick up, change nappy, burp, soothe and put back down repeat up to 3 times. It was BRUTAL! I cannot handle listening to my baby crying for 15 minutes, I went in after 10 mins and did not repeat, so here he is sleeping on me and sobbing in his sleep. I don't think I can ever try any kind of CIO again!

 

[captainj1]

Your ds sounds like both of my kids. My ds would scream and scream and fight naps like mad. Dd is just the same. I tried to let my son cry out of frustration once and it went on for 2 hours and he vomited twice and was still screaming and I like you said never again.
I'm trying to be relaxed this time around and have a routine that involves dd having a nap once she's been awake for 1.5-2 hours, sometimes less. I am relaxed where she naps - sometimes in my arms, sometimes in the car seat in the house, sometimes in the buggy in the house, and sometimes whilst we are out. I can't be tied to the cot as I have ds and school run etc to do. For naps, dd is wrapped in a light blanket so her arms are not free, has a dummy, white noise app on iPhone and muslin over her eyes. She doesn't take long to go off with a bit of rocking in arms/buggy/car seat and then she naps for 30 minutes, very rarely longer. She ends up having 6 naps some days but that's because they are so short. This probably doesn't sound like a routine to a lot of people but it works for us - although like most babies she is crabby from 5-7pm. Goes to bed between 7 and 8 depending on when last nap was, and wakes twice at night for feeds and gets up around 7-8am. She's a big girl so very hungry.

 

[lcmorla]

She's in bed by 8 or 8:30. Will wake once or twice to feed in the wee morning hours. Then wakes whenever, usually between 7-9. I don't have a set nap time for her. She usually likes a two hour nap in the afternoon. She's 4 months.

 

[Button#]

It sounds like it could be overtiredness. Try putting him down for a nap after an hour and a half of awake time. You need to catch them at the first tired sign, for both my LOs that has been eye rubbing.

My DD naps on me, if we're out and about she naps in the sling. Also be prepared to sooth them as they transition between sleep cycles, usually 45 minutes, to get a longer nap.