8 month old suddenly refusing to nap

[cazcook]

Hi

I'm new to this site and hope you can pass on some advice.  Up until last week my 8 month old daughter was a great napper and went down for two longish naps each day without much bother at all (low level crying for 10mins at the worst!) - we dropped the catnap about 2 weeks ago without much fuss.  She goes down at 7-7.30pm still without too much fuss as she's usually pretty tired!  However, in the last 3 - 4 days nap-times have become an absolute nightmare.  I'm not super-strict with scheduling, she goes down when I see the first sleepy cues - eye rubbing, yawning and crankiness usually, but she has started crying as soon as we enter her room and when I put her down it intensifies.  She sounds so distraught! And she won't lie down either but will stand or sit while crying her little eyes out!  I thought she may have been over-stimulated as she's now quite an adept crawler so have started wind down sooner but it doesn't seem to make any difference.  The other possibility is separation anxiety .....  I'm just not sure.  I've asked my husband to put her down but it's just the same.  Our schedule is something like this:

6 - 7am:       wake and breastfeed
8am:            breakfast
8.30 - 9am:  nap for 1 - 2 hours
11am:         breastfeed
12 noon:     lunch
2pm(ish):    nap for 1 - 2hrs (usually nearer 2hrs)
4pm:          breastfeed
5pm:         dinner
7pm:         bed after having a bath and another breastfeed

I've resorted to breastfeeding on occasion to wind her down from all of the crying and then put her down for a nap, this sometimes works.  I've also tried PU/PD but this just seems to make things worse.  I've also tried (our of desperation) just leaving her to cry it out and she has eventually gone to sleep.  I'm just not sure what to do for the best.  She could be teething and maybe this is just a phase but if it is teething, why does it only bother her at naptime??? 

Any advice or suggestions would be gratefully received.  Thank you.

Caroline

[Mom to M&M]

Please don't leave her to cry it out. Have you read the BW books? If so, I'm sure you read that Tracy was a strong advocate against CIO and CC as she felt they only broke the bonds of trust and might make things worse.

That said, big hugs to you! You are a great mom for trying to figure this out and we can definitely help.

First off, I think her A times need some adjustment. It's great that you try to hard to follow her cues, but at 8 months, sleep signs can be confusing - yawning or crankiness can also mean boredom or something else. First off I"d establish a consistent wake time - if that time is say 6:30 am, I'd hold off the first nap until 9:15 - and I would not let her sleep more than 1.5 hours most. Second nap should then start approx 3 hours after end of first nap and can go up to 2 hours tops and then you'd want bedtime about 3 hours after end of second nap.

If she seems cranky/tired sooner, try to extend her A times gradually - change activities, go for a walk, read books or cuddle, etc. Maybe extend 15 minutes every 3 days so she doesn't get too overtired.

Teething can be a factor too - you can try giving her some Hylands Teething Tablets or Motrin before a nap.

Have you also had a look at our FAQ section?