What IS it with the last nap/catnap?????

[deb]

So far in her short life, Natalie has usually gone to bed around 6PM because she WILL NOT take the late afternoon catnap. She is awake and awake and awake, and crabby to beat the band, but she WILL NOT go down!!!! :x Today, I kid you not, I was in tears, finally giving the baby a bath at four-frickin'-thirty in the afternoon to put her to bed for the night - and she STILL wouldn't go down! Sadly, this is typical. What finally got her to sleep tonight when pu/pd didn't work (it worked fine the rest of the naps today and even for the 5AM waking! and Tylenol for the teeth didn't work and even the breast was a no-go, was pumping all the milk and giving her the 5 ounces in a bottle. And still she woke for the breast and the ounce she missed after 45 minutes! :shock: (Thankfully she went down after that.) Granted, our AC is out - the fan won't get the cold air into the house, but it's getting fixed tomorrow AM God willing - but this has been almost every day since she was BORN!!!

I know she's on the cusp of going from 3 hours to 4 hours, and I've been going with it. She's extended her awake time on her own, by and large, and if she'd nap longer than 90 minutes we'd be on 4 hours all the time; right now we're around 3.5-3.75, and given that we're still shy of 4 months (although at 15-16 pounds, you wouldn't know it :shock:) I'm OK with not being at 4 hours yet.

Yesterday she took 3 90-minute naps (woke before 6AM and would not go back down for love nor money, so got her up anyway), and then didn't take the last catnap around 4:30-5; she was up from 3PM till I put her to bed around 5:30. Today she DID go back down at 5AM and woke a little before 7AM, so I figured we could do the 2 big naps and one small one. Nope - she woke at 2PM, we went to my doctor's appt (plantar wart from he!!), and she was awake till after SIX! :shock:

So what the heck am I supposed to DO to get this kid to stay up long enough to see her Daddy when he gets home from work?

[Meg's Mom]

Hi Deb

I hate to suggest this but have you tried the stroller and even a ride a in car, just to get her use to napping at that time?  Then once successful, transitioning back to her crib??

I'll have a think and see if any other ideas come to mind.

[rooby-rooby-roo]

Red is the same, will NOT do the last nap. I resort to the sling everyday. Then i know i can get Ruby's dinner done in peace.

[kellyhushhh]

Yes i agree with above posts. As its just a catnap just maybe go for a daily walk or go get some shopping and hopefully she will sleep for 30-45 mins x

[Peach]

We're in the same boat.   DD wakes around 3:00 pm and most of the time won't do the catnap.  She ends up being awake and crabby as can be until her bedtime.  (And I've spent many an afternoon crying right along with her!)

So, lately I've discovered that if I put her in her swing she'll lightly doze on and off for about 30 minutes.  Just enough so that we can get through dinner in relative peace and not have a monster on our hands later.  At times I've also resorted to using the baby carrier as well.

[deb]

The baby carrier isn't the best option if I'm making dinner - yeah, I know, make it earlier, but that doesn't always work either, KWIM? Those will be the days she refuses to nap at all - her teeth must be driving her bonkers the way she's chewing on EVERYTHING. :cry: The car ride is out because if she decides NOT to nap in the car, then I have a screaming baby AND a screaming Josie in the same car, and it's been too darned hot and buggy here most evenings to go for a walk (heck, it's still been too hot most mornings before 9AM! :shock:).

I'll have to keep working on her, especially now that most of her day starts are working their way closer to 7AM. I know she's in transition and hopefully it'll settle on 3 naps and SOON.

BTW, we still don't have AC; the repair service's truck broke down and we're hoping between now and 4PM we'll have AC - assuming that the approaching cold front and possibly severe T-storms doesn't knock out our power entirely. :? Send cold and cloudy vibes and send the sun back in!

[cwolff]

I am having the same problem.  If she takes 3 naps during the day, and we fight about the length of the afternoon nap, then she refuses to take the catnap.  I honestly think she thinks I'm putting her to bed for the night, and that's why she fights it so much.  I used to put her to sleep in the swing for all sleeps, but now, she just looks at my like what are you doing with me in here.  Won't sleep, spits paci out and complains.  I am thinking of doing the car thing, as it is way too hot for a walk here too.