Get 7 Month Old To Take Naps?

Question

Baby will sleep from 8pm to 6am evernight, has breakfast @ 630-7 and takes a nap about 9am. All is good until afternoon nap. He FIGHTS nap, I have tried white noise, letting him cry(will cry so hard he will almost make himself sick)rocking, patting, will get him almost alseep put in crib then BAM within 5 min he is awake and mad. He will finally give in about 330pm after struggling with him all afternoon. He is doing this with my self and sitter that watches him at my home. Just started doing this within the last 3 weeks. He is getting solid lunch before nap. He is also a preemie born at 29 weeks so his adjusted age right now is 5 months and 1 week. He just had checkup on friday and all is well. I can tell that he is extremely tired and this is not due to being spoiled becasue he has never been held for any of his naps. He has lots of play time with people & by himself. He is a wonderful baby but afternoon naps bring on a different child lol.

ok, maybe I have not explained myself so well. He is wanting to go to sleep, I follow his cues and never force him to take a nap. He goes to sleep and wakes up several minutes later and crying while still asleep most of the time. He is acting like he is over tired. If he is not sleepy I never force him to nap. His ped thinks for some reason he may have seperation anxiety(sp). I think that seems nuts, but what do I know? LOL. I might have made thinigs worse by not having him on a set daytime naps.

Answer 1

He may just need help getting to sleep. Try rocking him until he is *completely* asleep (not almost), then another 5-10 minutes (to be sure he is *deeply* asleep) before you put him down. It may work. Or you can just hold him while he naps. Babies are really beautiful when they are asleep!!

Another thing to try is to put him down *before* you get him to sleep. Place him on a bed or other safe place, lie down next to him, and nurse him to sleep. Wait an extra 5-10 minutes (as above), then get up (or stay and take a nap with him!).

Or you could get him to sleep in a sling or other baby carrier. Walking around will probably calm him down so that he can fall asleep. You can then continue whatever you want to do (except cooking if you have him in a front carrier!!) while he sleeps on you.

It is really *not* a good idea to let him cry. A baby who is crying releases cortisol--a stress hormone--even after they stop crying. This means that calories that he needs for growth and development instead go for stress management. It also give him the message that when he is completely dependent, the people who love him the most won't be there to help. Crying is not good for a baby physically, emotionally, or psychologically.

Answer 2

Baby's respond well to regular routines. It's not important right away that he nap in his crib, but it's important that he nap. A good way to help him take his afternoon nap is to take him for a car ride. Once he's accepted sleeping at the same time every afternoon, then you make the transition to the crib.

Since your baby has been napping well until the last 3 weeks, his gums may be bothering him from teething.

You could also consider shortening his other sleep time, so he will be more tired in the afternoon and less able to fight it.

My 5 month old sleeps from 9:30/10 pm - 6 am, and then takes 2 big naps during the day. The occasional nights he has fallen asleep earlier in the evening, he has had trouble napping the next day. If you keep your son up an extra hour before bed, he might be more able to sleep during the day.

Answer 3

Let him be awake longer between naps, but keep him active. Taking a morning nap will usually mean that they're not ready for another one so early, 330 sounds about like the right time spacing. Some babies take a few short naps, some take one long nap. Follow your baby's schedule and he will fall asleep when he's ready. Be glad that you have such a schedule in place, even if it's not exactly what you would have preferred. He's at the age (even his adjusted age) that he realizes that when he sleeps he's missing out on stuff going on around him. Good luck, I hope you can work his schedule into yours until he's ready to adapt more towards what you would prefer.

Answer 4

He might be needing an earlier nap. Maybe catch him right before he acts tired. And there is nothing wrong with you naping with him that afternoon nap. Unless you have other kids. They too can have a quiet time. He may need absolute dark to sleep.
He might have gas if he lays down too soon after eating.
Babys learn quickly. Say, Lay your head down now.....say it every time he lays his head down. At first it is him doing it then you saying it, eventually it will, or might turn around to you saying it then he does it. All babys are different and as soon as you think that you have things figured out the baby goes through a different stage.
Try having things in his life that connect him to sleep. Like a special blanket of teddy bear associated to sleep time. Or a song you sing right before sleep time. Babys pick up on rituals.
Try the afternoon nap sooner or nap with him . And be prepared to never figure him out. I had two horrible sleepers and one good sleeper, I was the same mom.

Answer 5

Lets see....Your son sleeps from 8 pm....till 6 AM? (that is great)OK that is 10 Hours at one time!
Next, He takes a morning nap at 9 AM..meaning he has only been up for three hours?
And you want him to sleep yet some more? Geez why not be a good mom and keep him awake for a change?????Play with him. lay him on a blanket on the floor so he can learn to crawl and reach for things....He will get tired from moving around outside of his crib ..,....I think I wouldn't want more sleep either..no wonder he is grumpy in the afternoon...all you want him to do is sleep...

Answer 6

i have a four month old and your best bet might be just let him stay awake, maybe this will help him sleep longer in the mornings. i have the oppisite problem, my son won't stop taking naps, morning, noon, and evening, all for about two hours at a time. and the fact that baby is a preemie, maybe his body is getting adjusted to his "5 months" give it a shot what do you have to lose? good luck

Answer 7

Well, I am sure that other moms may gasp and do a double take when i say this but here it goes: dont fight him. I determined, about three months after my first child was born that if she didnt want to nap, I wasnt going to fight her. I spent more time trying to get her to sleep than if I had just let her play herself to sleep. I know that traditional teaching says that they need to take naps multiple times a day etc etc etc, but I wore myself out more trying to fight them than just letting them stay up. Now, seven years and two kids later, she is just fine as are the two youngest. I wouldnt worry about it. He'll either fall asleep on his own or fall out earlier in the night.

Good Luck!

Answer 8

maybe when you put him down for a nap he isn't ready. maybe you should let him tire out a bit more and wait for him to start rubbing his eyes and yawning. if he cries when you put him down i say let him cry. that's pretty much the only way he will go to sleep. my son also would almost make himself sick when he would cry-it-out but he was always fine and now he is on schedule everyday... good luck i hope i helped some!

Answer 9

My son is 7 months old.... I know your pain! Have you tried a ride in the car after he has lunch and you know he isn't hungry. I am breastfeeding and our son went through the same ordeal. I had drank a couple cans of pop that afternoon.."big mistake", the caffeine caused him to be wired and he couldn't get to sleep even though he was exhausted. Good Luck.. Email me if you would like to chat more. :)

Answer 10

for whatever reason, his naps are not safe for him...he does not feel safe. Pick a time for his nap and hold him, rock him and sing to him...when he falls asleap keep holdiong him so when he looks up at you you will still be there..after a while you can start to put him down and then leave the room. be patient and loving...the pattern you set for him now will rule his entire life.