Super alert baby hates naps -help!

[Vmama]

hello my 5 month old son has always been a really alert baby who hasn't needed much sleep during the day. He sleeps great at night -usually 7pm til 6.30/7am but hates napping in the day. In the early days I used to let him sleep downstairs in his bouncer chair or he'd fall asleep on me or my husband. Then we started walking him around to get him to sleep and then I decided he should really be napping in his cot.

in the early days he slept in a hammock in our room then at 4 months he moved into his own room and a cot. he's always gone down fine at night and can put himself to sleep and goes back to sleep if he wakes in the night but he still fights daytime naps. the first nap of the day which is usually 2 hours after he wakes is fine -he sleeps for 30 mins -one hour usually but the next two naps he really fights. Screams the second you put him into the cot -even if I pick him up and settle him he either carries on crying which escalates into full on sobbing and almost choking. he does eventually seem to wear himself out and falls asleep and I always try to put him down before he falls asleep but it's exhausting and also I'm worried about how my in-laws will cope when I'm back at work (they will be helping with childcare).

I've tried various things to signify sleep -I always draw the blinds now and we've tried a mobile/singing to him/leaving him for a bit etc but I find it really strange how sometimes he'll just look around for a bit then fall asleep and other times he screams the place down.

He'll only sleep for one hour and two half hour naps but always wakes with a smile on his face and is such a happy baby for the rest of the day.

I know he's tired as he's rubbing his eyes and yawning and if I leave him he gets grumpy -any help would be hugely appreciated!

[malialeanne]

Hey there. I also have a SUPER alert baby--strangers have always commented on how wide-awake and alert she is. We have an absolutely black bedroom (I have a blackout curtain that I made of black felt) and we have always followed a pretty ironclad nap routine--go into room, diaper change, sleepsack (swaddled until 5.5 months), read stories, turn out lights, cuddle in rocker for 3-5 minutes, and into crib. No matter how wide awake she seems when we go into the room, she knows it's time for sleep and she does.

If babies are sleeping independently, most of the time nap problems are related to A times. What A times are you aiming for? 2-2.5 hours is pretty typical for his age, but if his first nap is quite short he could be overtired and need to go down for nap 2 earlier than normal.

Also, FWIW, when a baby fights a nap and then wakes early, it's often a too-short A time (too-long A times can cause short naps, but babies often conk out from being overtired, so they don't fight the nap as much).

HTH.

[Vmama]

thanks for this -I think I do need to start putting him in sleeping bag whenever it's nap time as this will help I'm sure. I already pull the blinds for him. His A time is between 2-2.5 hours but sometimes I think I may be trying to get him to bed too early. It's as tho he has to fight it for a bit before he flakes out.

[malialeanne]

I would ultimately recommend going for a longer A time with a temporary earlier bedtime--IMO an early bedtime is the best way to combat overtired, rather than shortening A times too much--if A times are too short they will often take short naps even when overtired, and this won't help them make up sleep.

[Vmama]

that's interesting as the times he's missed his afternoon nap he goes to bed between 6-6.30 as opposed to 7 -he just literally can't stay awake any longer.

had another battle today, got cross then upset cos I shouted at him and of course none of it's his fault. Then after spending an hour battling I had to feed him and of course then he fell asleep on his bottle argh!!!

am wondering if it's my fault for spending too much time out and about with him so now he's like -where the hell am I? when i put him in his cot for a nap. But I was getting really down staying in and having three daily battles with him -I just wish i knew what was the right thing to do. Should I just relax and not worry about it or should I be somehow training him to sleep?

[malialeanne]

It sounds like you've only just started trying to get him to sleep in his cot for his naps--so don't give up yet! It often takes a good two weeks (or even longer with a super alert spirited baby) to get used to a change in a sleeping routine. Change and progress will probably be gradual, and you might have some setbacks, but if you make up your mind that "you are sleeping in your cot for naps" then that's how it will be. You're the mom. It might just take him a bit to get the message.

If he was sleeping well at night with barely any napping, then he may never be a baby who takes clockwork long daytime naps (or, if he does, it might cut into night sleep). But a short nap is usually better than no nap, so I would concentrate on finding a good A time and getting him down using pat/shhh or pu/pd so that it gets easier to put him down for naps, and then worry about extending naps later. He may be ready for a longer A time. Have you tried 2 hr 45 or even a bit longer? If it's already taking you an hour to get him down, what have you got to lose?