naptime help?

Question

My 4 1/2 month daughter is really good about going to bed at night. We've got a great routine (massage, bath, book and bottle) and she goes to sleep easily. Naptimes, however, are horrible and I don't know what to do about it. She catnaps for 30 minutes and then many times wakes up crying...I can tell she hasn't rested enough because when she has had enough sleep she wakes up smiling, cooing, and full of happiness. I try to reassure her periodically and go in every five minutes or so to pat her. I don't pick her up, I just pat her and comfort her. This eventually leads to her screaming and crying to the point where she's inconsolable and I end up scooping her into my arms and that's the end of naptime!
Does anyone have any tips for getting her to fall back on her own? I've tried swaddling her, pacifiers, a "comfort object"...nothing seems to help! I don't get why our nighttime routine works so beautifully but naptimes are such a mess!

OOps...just realized this should go in the newborn/baby catagory...but I'm sure you parents are pros who have been through it before and may have good ideas for me!

Maybe I was unclear - I only go in and pat her when she wakes up crying. She is most definitely not asleep at that point...LOL! If that's sleeping then I have a big problem on my hands :)

Answer 1

I can first tell you its normal. I hate to say all three of my kids were closer to 6 months before they got into somewhat of a nap schedule and napped decently. They pretty much catnapped up until then, and once in a blue moon I'd luck out and get a decent nap out of them.

Have you tried just letting her cry it out (not sure if you are against that)? Because you going in there is probably making her get more upset. Its like mommy's here, but why isn't she picking me up? Other than that, you're doing everythign right, and in time she will start napping longer. The only other thing I can suggest is with one of my sons, when he'd wake up crying, I would pick him up and rock him back to sleep. Not ideal, but I do think it helped him get the hang of sleeping longer. I wish you teh best of luck!!

Answer 2

This is a hard process, I know just what you're talking about. Is your daughter on a consistent napping schedule yet? I was skeptical at first but children who sleep at the same time each day seem to do markedly better at naptime than those whose schedules are more sporadic. Also, give your daughter more time to fall back to sleep on her own. If you go in every five minutes, she'll expect to see you every time she's upset. The most important thing you can show her is that she's safe and secure even when you're not right there. Try extending the amount of time you give her to fall asleep, start with 10 minutes and then go to 15. As long as you're checking up on her and know that she's safe, it's alright to let her cry a little bit. This is better in the long run- I know parents who still have their 8 year-old in bed with them every night because they never wanted the child to feel alone.

Answer 3

She's getting older to where she doesnt sleep as much as she did as a newborn. You may have to change your schedule. Also, you could try putting her in her crib and turning on soft music or white noise. They have things that hook onto cribs with light shows that may put her to sleep. I had an ocean wonders crib toy that had sound, lights and fish that would "swim". I can tell you though that what your doing is not helping. Once you put her in there turn on a baby moniter so you can hear her and don't enter again for a while. She may be about to fall asleep and then you walk into the room and she wakes up and wants to be held or she knows if she cries mommy just might pick her up and play with her. If you want more advice feel free to contact me and I'll direct you to the chat room I visit daily. Lots of great people who are different stages of their pregnancy, raising newborns and even raising teenagers. We are a very close room and many of us have contact outside of the chat room but its a great place to learn everthing you need to know about babies. Theres bound to be someone there that can answer any question you have. Hope to hear from you soon.

Answer 4

Have you tried placing an object of clothing in with her that you have recently worn? Babies at that age have a keen sense of smell, and mothers smell is very comforting. Try the same routine before nap time as you do before bedtime. Another reason she might not be napping as well during the day is if her surroundings are not as quite as it is at nighttime, and if the room is too hot or cold during the day. Try to recreate the same environment at nap time that she is so comfortable with at bedtime. I know what it is like to have a baby that hasn't gotten a good nap in, makes the rest of the day hard to function. Good thing is, she will get better at it with age, just keep up with the routine. Good luck, this too shall pass.

Answer 5

Try music. We use a mobile that has a remote so we don't have to enter the room to turn it on. We also have the Ocean Wonders Aquarium attached to the crib that she can turn on herself. Since she's always fallen asleep to music, it helps ease her back into sleep when she does wake up too early from her nap (she's 6 months old now). You could also use a CD player with classical music in her room to create an ambient atmosphere.

Answer 6

I agree with Foxzie...your patting while she is sleeping could be the reason.

Answer 7

ur interupting her sleep when u go in there and pat her. or shes having a night terror and u patting her scares her. night terrors are normal. night terrors happen while ur sleep, nightmares happen right when ur about to wake up. just let her sleep without any interuptions.