Author Topic: Nap problems  (Read 1575 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Mononoke

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 6
  • Location:
Nap problems
« on: May 22, 2017, 17:02:56 pm »
I have an 11 month old baby. I used to hold her to sleep for all her naps and she has always slept at night in her crib. I also used to nurse her to sleep until she started waking up 8+ times a night to snack/comfort nurse. At about 8 months I successfully did pu/pd at night (she now still nurses once a night and I'm ok with that since she isn't using it to get back to sleep every time she wakes). I stopped nursing her for naps a couple months ago but she was still napping on me. About two weeks ago I was determined to use pu/pd to get her to nap in her crib and I was having some success. Now here is my problem - we had to move which created a lot of changes for her (eg: she used to room share with me and now she has her own room) and so her good sleeping went completely out the window. I am having to retrain her at night (not due to lack of consistency but rather because she started waking a million times a night again) and that is going well but naps I can't get back on track at all. I have been trying pu/pd and she goes into complete hysteria  (screaming, back arching, pulling me close and/or away) and nothing will calm her. After about 45min of this I gave in and nursed her because she was signing milk (she wasn't hungry because we have lunch just before nap she was looking for comfort at that point) and she passed right out.  So here I am back at square one. How do I get her to nap in her crib again? I don't like her getting that upset over Nap time and I don't want to create a fear of the crib. Anybody have any insight?
Thanks (sorry for the long post)

Offline creations

  • Feeding Solid Food & EASY
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 496
  • Posts: 21993
  • Location: UK
Re: Nap problems
« Reply #1 on: May 22, 2017, 18:07:59 pm »
Hello and welcome to BW forums :)

It sounds like you've made great progre4ss with sleep training before you moved house. Of course there will be set backs with any LO when there is a big change so she needs lots of support through that and you are doing the right thing, it takes time for her to adjust to the new home and new position of her bed but she will certainly get used to it.

As you are getting such a lot of resistance though I wonder if your times might not be quite right for her. It's possible that your move has coincided with her being ready for a slightly different routine and this could be contributing to her refusal to going down for her nap.  The description you have given sounds like she may be a bit UT (under tired).  Could you record and post your EAS times for us to have a look?

Meanwhile, lots of A time in her new bedroom will help. Go in when she is not tired, keep the light on, tell her you need to put laundry away or tidy up or something, play peek-a-boo with her in her cot, you do not need to leave the room, take a few toys in. This time will help her get used to the new environment and we can also look at your routine too.


Offline Mononoke

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 6
  • Location:
Re: Nap problems
« Reply #2 on: May 22, 2017, 23:31:36 pm »
Our routine is as follows (we are only doing one nap as of a couple weeks ago because she was fighting it too much and we were only getting 30min (I posted the old routine too). She seems ready for one nap (she is alert and not grumpy at all between wake up and nap)):


630/7 up for the day
Nurse (change diaper then nurse right away)
730-ish finger foods breakfast
900 - Nurse
1100 - Lunch (finger foods)
1200 - nap (usually 1.5-2.5hrs)
300 - Nurse
500 - dinner (spoon fed)
700 bedtime routine starts (story time, teeth brushed, bath, pj's)
730/745 - Nurse
745/800 Asleep
200/300 night time Nurse


Old routine was:

630/7 up for the day
Nurse (change diaper then nurse right away)
730-ish finger foods breakfast
900 - Nap (she has only ever slept 30min)
1000 - Nurse
1200 - Lunch (finger foods)
100 - nap (usually 1.5-2.5hrs)
300 - Nurse
500 - dinner (spoon fed)
700 bedtime routine starts (story time, teeth brushed, bath, pj's)
730/745 - Nurse
745/800 Asleep
200/300 night time Nurse


Should I keep trying pu/pd at Nap or give her a week break to adjust to the new move and start again?

Thanks for your reply

Offline Mononoke

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 6
  • Location:
Re: Nap problems
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2017, 12:50:01 pm »
Can anyone help?
I ran into the same problem last night around 11pm, as I had with Nap. Nothing I did would console her and I ended up nursing her to calm her down (again she was signing milk). She woke up 4 other times and 3/4 of them I was able to sing her a little song and she settled on her own and one of the times I did pu/pd and a song and she settled (she then woke up at 4am for a 5th time (I expected that one) to nurse and went right back to sleep till 635).
What do you do when you can't calm them when doing pu/pd? Also note that although she is 11 months she is not moble at all (doctor said he is not worried and will reevaluate that at 12 months) so it's not like she is standing in her crib - I pick her up off her back when crying

Offline creations

  • Feeding Solid Food & EASY
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 496
  • Posts: 21993
  • Location: UK
Re: Nap problems
« Reply #4 on: May 23, 2017, 18:00:29 pm »
Can anyone help?
I'm still here :)
Just to let you know, it might have seemed like a long wait to your previous post but we are possibly in different time zones. Your two posts came at roughly midnight and 2pm my time (UK) so I was sleeping, then working... and now I am doing my BW stint.  We might not be able to respond immediately to all threads but we do try to support as many people as we can in the time we have available.

From your first post I had wondered if she was perhaps a little UT for her nap but now I know a little more and she has only been down to one nap per day for a couple of weeks the opposite may be more likely. That she is getting a bit of OT build up. This is something that may not show in one or two days or even over a week but when a LO had dropped a nap the tiredness can build over time with the reduced about of sleep.  Dropping 30 mins of day time sleep could equate to more than 30 mins night sleep. I would probably try for BT an hour earlier than your usual time.
The multiple night wakings could be due to OT and inability to relax properly to go into a good deep restful sleep.
Her A times are very long for a LO who has recently dropped to one nap, especially between nap and BT.

Are you offering water with all solids meals?  Or a BF top up after solids meals (or both)?

There is no hard to continuing PUPD because it is a supportive sleep training method where you never leave her crying. You might want to hold her more, keep her picked up until she is much calmer rather than putting immediatly down again. And you can continue to keep hands on her in her cot, either shush/pat or just patting, or rubbing her back or head...or whatever adaptation you use which can be gradually weaned when her ned for support reduces.

She will get used to being on one nap and she will get used to her new environment, it's just going to take a bit of time and lots of support.
There's a chance she could have some teething moving too, they can really disturb sleep even when they are not actually cutting through. If you suspect teeth  you could try some meds 20 mins before nap or night sleep and see if that helps.

hope this helps - I'll return for your update.


Offline Mononoke

  • New & Learning The Ropes!
  • *
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Posts: 6
  • Location:
Re: Nap problems
« Reply #5 on: May 23, 2017, 23:12:56 pm »
Today at Nap things went a little better. I was able to get her asleep in 11min with pu/pd and she didn't do that really histaric  cry that I couldn't calm her from. She did however wake about 40min after going down (I think tomorrow I will try wake to sleep at about 30min). When she woke, I went in and did pu/pd and she fell asleep after 21min but then she woke about 15min later and I was unable to get her back to sleep (she did play in her crib with her doll during that time so it wasn't all crying and pu/pd but I couldn't leave the room without her freaking out).

I am putting her to bed earlier tonight (700 pm as opposed to 745/800) as you suggested. She definitely does look a little tired tonight so hopefully it will help. If I put her to bed early won't that mean I will be setting myself up for a really early morning wake up time?

Also if she goes into that hysterical cry at night (the one I can't calm her from and she keeps signing "milk"), at what point do I give in a nurse for comfort, if at all (I'm not meaning her regular night nursing)?

She gets 3 meals a day (2 self fed and 1 spoon fed). With all 3 meals she has a cup with water (water is only offered during meals) and she nurses 5 times in 24hrs period

Thanks for your help

Offline creations

  • Feeding Solid Food & EASY
  • Forum Moderator
  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 496
  • Posts: 21993
  • Location: UK
Re: Nap problems
« Reply #6 on: May 24, 2017, 17:42:22 pm »
I am putting her to bed earlier tonight (700 pm as opposed to 745/800) as you suggested. She definitely does look a little tired tonight so hopefully it will help. If I put her to bed early won't that mean I will be setting myself up for a really early morning wake up time?
Not always, no.  Often with a nap drop LOs add a bit onto their night.  Some will add it onto the morning so just WU later but some WU at the same time every day regardless of how tired they seem to be so the only way to get extra sleep at night is to put them to bed earlier.  Thing is you won't know until you try for a few days.  It could be that she needs one or two EBTs (early bed times) then back to normal for a week then another couple of EBTs or it could be that she needs an earlier BT every day as part of the new routine. A bit of experimentation needed really.

Also if she goes into that hysterical cry at night (the one I can't calm her from and she keeps signing "milk"), at what point do I give in a nurse for comfort, if at all (I'm not meaning her regular night nursing)?
I can't really answer that. LOs this age don't really need a feed at night but some people like to continue BF and like to offer when LO is upset. It is a prop but as with all props it is only a problem if it is a problem. If you want to drop it then you really need to just stop and find another way to sooth her.  Maybe a little drink of water from a sippy cup instead?

She gets 3 meals a day (2 self fed and 1 spoon fed). With all 3 meals she has a cup with water (water is only offered during meals) and she nurses 5 times in 24hrs period
OK that's fine. Just checking she was well hydrated and not thirsty and asking for the milk in the night due to thirst rather than hunger or comfort.