Seven month old and naps!!?

Question

My little girl is a great night time sleeper (now that we have fixed her previous gas problem) and when I say great...I mean 12 hour great.

Naptime on the other hand...whole different story. Recently she has begun this crazy nap thing about only wanting to nap for 30 - 45 min and then wake up screaming. I am miserable. She is tired the rest of the day and cranky. I really feel like I spend the whole day trying to get her to nap. Its exhausting.

I have tried letting her "cry it out" even though I dont believe in it but out of exhaustion. I have tried everything. Pick up/Put down. Patting her gently back to sleep. Crying. Making her stay up longer. Nighttime routine. White noise. Music. I am at a loss. I know she isnt getting enough naptime bc she wakes up tired, yawning, rubbing her eyes. And conts this for hours till she lays back down.

She does this with both naps and I am lost on what to try next. Any advice? Or is this just a part of having a 7 m old?

Answer 1

I had some of the VERY same issues with my son, but it was 2-10 minute naps up to 20 times a day. OMG IT WAS NOT FUN. AS frustrating as it was. The crying it out WAS the solution. We tried everything imaginable. We would both even put our night shirts in his crib because we were told the scents would be the miracle. Well they lie lol

Here is what we do. Mind you, you HAVE to do the same thing for night time or it doesnt work. If you are breastfeeding or even bottle, make sure you feed her in a very well lit area. This just makes sure she does not fall asleep until she gets to her crib.

Once you have finished feeding and wiped her gums or brushed her teeth (very important) just lay her in her bed. Give her loves and cuddles and leave the room. Come back in 5 minutes if she is crying. and continue every 5 minutes for 45 minutes after that go to 10 minutes until she is asleep. It will NOT be fun for a while (for my son...almost 2 weeks). But oh dear God the payoff is SO much better.

He is now almost 3 (in 20 days) and since then has not had ONE problem with nap or bedtime. He knows the routine and when I say it is time for nap or bed he goes and lays in bed and we tuck him in and read and then we leave the room and dont worry about him. Transitioning into a "big boy bed" was a breeze as well.

Good luck I hope this helps. If you stay consistant it will work I promise. Consistency is the key.

Answer 2

My daughter is the same way she slept through the night 10 to 12 hours every night and no naps. Then shes cranky becuase she is so tierd.

What i had to do was not let her sleep as long threw the night. I would lay her down at 11:30 and wake her up at 8:30. She really didnt like this at first and still refused her naps, but then about a week into she learned to live with it and started take a 1 1/2 to 2 hour nap in the middle of the day. Thow it was only 1 nap it was she needed to be happy.

I would try this...but be patient if it doesnt work the first day keep trying give it about a week, it worked for me. I know how frustrating this can be.

Answer 3

My daughter has been a fitful sleeper since birth. Naps/nightime didn't matter.

Around 7 months old she was doing the same thing as your daughter during the day. I would let her "cry it out" for around 15 minutes, then go up and pat, soothe, nurse and sneak out. Just to have her wake up 15 minutes later.

I wish I could tell you there is a magic fix for this, but it is probably just a stage in development and she will grow out of it. Soon, I pray for you!

And above answerers are right, it might be teething, or it could even be growing pains. If ok by your pediatrician, give her a dose of tylenol/motrin about an hour before nap. If it is pain waking her up, that should help.

Good luck with your lil' darling

Answer 4

My first born had that problem, her doctor told me to let her alone don't try giving her a nap, You know what she would fall asleep on a toy and take a nice nap for about an hour.
My second born I had to wake her to feed her. If I let her she would sleep all day. The child's system works funny at that age.
But I never forced my children to do anything they didn't want to do. And they turned out OK..

Answer 5

12 hours at night is incredible, so she probably doesn't need a long daytime nap. If she really needs the nap, let her fall asleep on her own.

My son is 18mos, and his nap routine has changed every couple of months since he was born. One way or another, they seem to get the sleep that they need.

Answer 6

Maybe she is teething, try to give her something for her teeth and and see if she naps better. Also sometimes if they have an ear infection they cry when they lay down because it hurts. Did she have a cold recently, if so that might be it.

Answer 7

Perhaps getting her up earlier in the morning. She might be trying to eliminate one of her naps also...follow her lead & don't waste you day trying to get her to sleep...that is exhausting!!