my baby won't nap!

[helenj]

Hello. I was hoping someone may be able to help me - we've got into a really bad habit where my DS will only nap in his buggy during the day. He sleeps well at night but just seems to want to play during the day. I have tried putting him down in his cot drowsy but he fights it so much until he is wide awake/hungry again. We are determined to tackle this and are starting PU/PD next week - but does anyone have any other tips?? any guidance really appreciated!

thanks, Helen

[kendallnangie]

How old is your lo?
what do your days typically look like?
Angie

[helenj]

he is 6 months old. He normally wakes around 6:30 (later if he's been up in the night altho he is doing this last feed less and less); has b/f then and breakfast around 9. We usually go out at 10/11 and he'll sleep for 45mins/1 hr. Lunch at 1 and then a longer sleep in the pm (again in his buggy) Tea at 6 (with milk snack in the pm), bath, b/f and asleep by 7:30/8. He'l sleep until at least 5 when he sometimes has a quick feed and sleeps another couple of hours. He has recently started sleeping through till 6 tho, at which point we just get up and start the day.

I know that we have got into bad habits, as he feeds to sleep too. I know this has to change but to be honest I was just enjoying the sleep! As I said, we are tackling this this week, but any pointers and tips would be great!

thank you.

[kendallnangie]

It sounds to me like your lo is staying up too long and therefore getting overstimulated, which will always make it hard for them to settle into a GOOD rest whether in a buggy or bed, hence the 45 minute to an hour nap.
Is it necessary that you leave at 10-11 everyday(is it everyday?) If I were you I would feed him at 6:30 and have him back down for a nap, no later than 8:30. 2.5 hours is a really long time for a baby his age to stay awake, you are probably thinking that he isn't tired but I would bet that if you stopped long enough to let him settle down then you would see that  he is in fact tired and needs to sleep.
I have been told many times on these boards that sleep begets sleep....it couldn't be more true. the better rested he is during the day, the better rested he will become at night, and hopefully that will increase his waking time to 7, then you could have him back to bed by 7pm completing a 12 hour day.  I would really try not to let him stay up so long at least at the first morning nap and then if you need to  you can try stretching the second nap time maybe to 2.5 hours  (however i doubt that will fly)
my 9 month old still takes 3 naps....not so normal I know but she needs that last catnap to rest peacefully at night, anyhow she can really only go about 2 hours for an awake time if I want her to get a really good nap in.
HTH.... Don't give up after a few days, at your lo age this is going to take a little bit more work that it would have if you had started from thr beginning, don't give up! :wink:
Angie

[Sylvia.]

i would agree with kendallnangie, at that age my dd was still having 3 naps a day, i bf her when she woke and then breakfast approx. 30 minutes later, also i would take dd into her room about 10 minutes before i was going to put her down to wind down, if she was already in her room we would clean it together and i would just let her have a soft toy, after about 10 minutes i would hold her for about 2-5 minutes and then put her into her cot, once i had this worked out my dd was the best morning napper, but i found later when she got older that it was better to let her do her own wind down time, i found dd did't want to be held anymore,