Trouble getting to sleep during the day!

[hurr1]

My 12 week old boy has never gone down for naps during the day or to sleep at night easily. Despite looking for his tired signs and starting the wind down with the first yawn he cries as soon as he is wrapped :cry:  I pat/shh him but can't put him in his cot until he is basically asleep and then he only sleeps for 45 mins during the day. As the day wears on it becomes more and more difficult to get him to sleep with longer and longer periods of crying despite only 45 mins awake and lots of pat/shhing. I can't get him to nap after 4pm. He sleeps well at night once he actually gets to sleep. Am I doing the wrong thing? :?  Any suggestions please. He's on the 3 hr easy routine.

[Meg's Mom]

Hi there,

My LO cried too as soon as she was wrapped, i think they know sleep is coming and this is their way of letting of steam.  Or saying please just let me go to sleep.

You say you don't put her in his cot until she is asleep?  Have you tried shh/patting her in crib?  Now is a good time to start teaching independent sleep.  If you think of sleepiness in a scale from 1 to 10 — 1 is full-throttle and 10 is out cold (like your are doing now).  Start backing off from 10 slowly and the goal is number 7, when you lay her down to sleep in her crib.

Sounds like she is going thru 1 sleep cycle (45min) then can't (or doesn't know how yet, she is still young and learning) to get herself back to sleep. 

Have you tried either shh/pat to get her back to sleep when she wakes or going in before she wakes and trying wake to sleep method? 

Here is a thread on the method:

[Meg's Mom]

Here's a thread about wake to sleep:

http://www.babywhisperer.com/forum/does-wake-to-sleep-work-for-extending-naps-vt40200.html

Also tips from other posts

Jane (one of the nap moderators) did this w/ success for her king of short naps.  I set my timer, in case I got busy. When it near the time, I oh-so quietly crept into his bedroom, once he stirred, I placed one hand on his back and one of his thigh. I didn't say anything, make any sound. Just as subtle as possible. I stayed like that until he returned to deep sleep, and slowly lightened the pressure of my hands.

I also set my timer (for 30min if your LO wakes then) and crept into her room.  I had a drawer full of paci's so I didn't have to dig in the crib for it.  As soon as she stired, I lightly put the paci to her lips.  She took it, i would move out of sight and sometimes she would right back to sleep.  If she opened her eyes and saw me, forget it.  I would have to do shh/pat for 15-30mins to get her back to sleep.

I go in early and sit on a stool. I wait for her to stir and I am ready with the paci. If she just stirs and stops I wait. If she starts making sounds and moving more I put the paci to her lips and she takes it. I sit back on the stool and wait. The first day she sucked on it then for several minutes and spit it out and then a couple more times (within the 20 minutes) I needed to insert it again. After about 15-20 minutes she seemed settled so I left and she slept another hour! The second day I only had to insert it twice. Today I only had to insert it once. By doing this she doesn't jolt as much and she transitions smoother.

[hurr1]

Hi, Thanks for your comments. I do try the sh/pat method once he's in the crib but if he's not almost asleep he just works himsilf up to cry and it doesn't seem to work even if I stay for 15-20 mins trying. I will definitely try harder to put him down when he's not fast asleep and sh/pat him. I will also try the wake to sleep method tomorrow. Cheers