any tips for encouraging sleep in places other than the crib?

[mmom]

My LO is 20 months and has actually been napping well these days.  We are still getting 5:30 wake ups despite any routine tweaking.  But I am hoping once these teeth come in, I can work on that.  My latest issue is that he can't nap in his crib every day due to work being done on our house.  Somedays I have to go to my mom's and sometimes my in-laws house.  When we go to my mom's, he just parties in the pack n play for a long time, gets sick of it, cries to get out, and that is it.  I don't get why he isn't eventually falling asleep.  I have his fan, his lovey, do the same wind down, etc. and he just doesn't sleep.  The second dilemma is that when this happens, I can't always do a really early bedtime.  So he will wake at 5:30, be up all day long, and then not go to bed until 6:30/7.  Obviously, this is a problem.  But for the next several weeks, this is how it is going to be. 

At my in-laws house, they have a crib.  But it is still no better.  He cried and cried last time I put him down there and when he stopped crying, he still didn't sleep.

Any tips on making this stubborn LO sleep in places other than his own crib?  When we are home, this is not an issue.  He goes to sleep, sleeps for about 2 hours, and is fine.

[Tweakster]

Kara is he Spirited?  Do you think it could be the stimulation level?  I know that's how it is for Finn.  If he's somewhere new he can hardly shut down enough to sleep.  He has actually surprised me this week by napping well at daycare, only because he's teething and can't stay awake I suspect.

[~*Nicole*~]

Kara-Ava was like this when she was younger but has gotten better as she's gotten older. That said....at my in-laws...where she is the least amount of time for sleeps...she is still worse than at my mom's or my dad's. She seems to have gotten used to sleeping there. I'd just keep at it and be consistent --as it sounds like you are doing. Explain to him what is going on...he probably understands a lot. So even telling him "the house is getting fixed. it's so loud there we're going to sleep here today. mommy will be here when you wake up." Try talking about it all day up until the nap time or whatever.

[mmom]

Wendy, he has spirited tendencies and of course is spirited when it comes to sleep.  He used to just sleep wherever, but we were consistent in bringing him around.  During the winter, we stayed in the house all the time and now forget it.

Nicole - thanks.  I guess I will just keep trying.  Really, I have no other choice.   I am hoping that one of these times he will actually go to sleep!!

[~*Nicole*~]

Yeah. I used to be so jealous of all the mom's who had more easily transportable babies. They're kids would sleep anywhere and mine howled the house down and I'd be up shhh/patting or even APOPing just to get her to go to sleep!!!!! It often defeated the purpose of going out at all in the first place.

[*Becky*]

yes we are not much help with this tbh. DS will sleep in his buggy and/or the car if he is tired enough but I always dread staying at other peoples houses. x

[mmom]

This is seriously torture.  I don't know how I am going to survive the next month of renovations.   How can a toddler be so stubborn to spend 1 full hour in the crib and not go to sleep?  He has been awake since 4 am!  I know he is tired.  Our whole family is getting OT from this chaos of him refusing naps at other places, since it means his nights are starting to become horrible as well.

[*Becky*]

could you do a nap in the buggy or car? Not ideal but may get him some rest so you can hopefully have a better night?

[mmom]

He slept for 45 minutes.  Totally not enough given the last few days.  My MIL said she was going to try and walk him around the neighborhood, but at this point, I think she should just do a really early bedtime.  She thinks I am crazy with these early bedtimes though, so I don't know if she will listen.  My LO is staying with them for the night so DH and I can have a break.  What is totally pathetic is that we were going to go to dinner and a movie and now we are so tired, we don't think we can make it through a movie.

I need him to start taking naps. 

[*Becky*]

Kara - Do the early bedtimes help? Would he do a good night if you put him down early? If so then I reckon that is all you can do at the moment. Try for a good night. Even if he wakes at 5/5.30am if he is well rested you can then start to work again on the routine.

[mini me]

Just wondering re the travelcot ... DD has only just learnt to sleep in these (she would ONLY sleep in her cot, not the car or her buggy from 3mths old!) We had a problem with the noise from the mattress in the travel cot - I have to fold a single duvet under her sheet to stop the crackle/rustle, and in more recent time she's learnt that if she bounces lying down or kicks her legs, the slats supporting the mattress bang against the legs underneath, so this was stopped by inserting towels between the legs and the underside of the bed!!!
Not sure if this is a problem, but for us it stopped any length of sleep happening as she would make a noise accidentlt and wake herself up.

Can you try him napping at home in the travel cot in another room to ge thim used to a new environment, but with the same sounds and smells as his room, then once he's able to sleep well there, show him the travelcot in the new place/house before bedtime/naptime so he knows what's coming iyswim?

[mmom]

Thanks Becky.  Early bedtimes do help.  The problem we have been having lately is that we can't make them early enough.  I have no problem putting my LO down at 5/5:30 if he hasn't slept the whole day.  But with the work being done, we often can't get him into his room until 6/6:30 and by that point he is so OT, that he doesn't fall asleep until later.  I am doing the best I can with that, but it isn't good enough.

My other issue is that I can sometimes AP naps with the stroller.  But I am SO tired.  Yesterday I went to the gym in the morning, rushed around to bring my LO to his class (which required packing up food for the both of us), brought him to my mom's, he refused to sleep, so we left and then went to the grocery store.  After that, I walked him for 1 hour, got him to sleep for a bit, had to come home and pick up the mess so that we could at least have dinner, and put my LO to bed.  The other day I walked a total of 2 hours to get him to sleep.  I am 30 weeks pregnant and I am TIRED.  I need him to rest, so I can rest.  I am spending every moment cleaning up stuff from the work being done, taking care of my LO, and not taking care of myself.  

Sorry for the pity party.  I just wish my LO would sleep!  In a few weeks we are totally going to have to live at my mom's while our kitchen is gutted.  So he is going to have no choice but to sleep at some point.

Mini Me - Thanks for the reply.  I was just about to post when yours popped up.  Unfortunately, I don't have time to get him used to it.  When he is actually home in his crib, I want him to get sleep.  He used to sleep really well in the pack n play, but he was used to it.  He slept in one every day at day care and we brought him everywhere over the summer.  But since September, he has been home with me all the time and we didn't get out much this winter.  So now he will only sleep in his crib. He even has a crib at my in-laws house and won't sleep there.  The room its totally conducive to sleep and we set it up like his.  But he is so stubborn!

[mini me]

Hugs Kara

[*Becky*]

that is really tough. I can totally relate to the walking to sleep thing and how tiring it is and I am not pregnant so don't know how you are managing at all!
It is a difficult situation tbh if you are having work done. The only two options I can think of are either...
1. Go back to two naps and try to get someone else to do one of them in the buggy so you can get a break. Even if they are shorter it may help to get over the OT as the A times will be shorter and you won't be stressing over trying to get him to sleep in a crib AND you can have a break.
2. If you think he will not take two naps then how about a long car drive - not ideal I know but if getting him to sleep in his crib is just not working then this may be a solution?
I guess essentially you need to try and get out of the OT and AP seems to be the only way that can be done at the moment. Once you do that then maybe you could go back to trying to get him to sleep in the crib.
How long until the work is done?
bx

[mmom]

Thanks Becky.  Would you believe the little stinker slept from 7-6 at my in-laws house?  He hasn't slept until 6 for us in weeks.  He was OT at bedtime though, since they put him down at 6:15 and he didn't fall asleep until 7.

The work should be done by May 1.  That is our goal to get our LO into his new room for a few weeks before the baby comes.  Next week we have a little bit of a break, because my FIL who is doing all of the work, will be in England for the week.  So things should be semi normal.  But when he returns, we will have to stay at my mom's while the kitchen is gutted.  We are setting up a crib there today so that this week at least I can try to put my LO down in a crib.  While we are staying there, I can recruit my mom to help when he doesn't sleep.  I am sure with the nicer weather, she won't mind a walk in the afternoon if I need help.  Plus I will be able to rest more in general, since I won't be returning to a filthy house every night.

I think for the next few days, I will recruit as much help as possible.  Then at least I will get a break for a week and will get to recharge before it starts again.