Getting my 7 month old son to nap is a total fight (for the most part). He gives all the classic signs of being ready to nap so I put him in his crib and he cries. Tried ferberizing him but he is a tough one. The clincher is that if I put on the baby einstein dvd he will calm down almost immediately and go to sleep.
Question is............do I fight the fight and keep trying to get him to go to sleep on his own or just put on the dvd and let him fall asleep that way? I have tried just putting on music but that doesn't work. He wants to "see" the dvd.
If the DVD works, use it!! Don't let people worry you saying that too much TV is bad for babies. Too little sleep is even worse for babies (and Momma's)!!!!
Have you tried one of the gizmos that project images on the ceiling above the crib and play soft music? I bought one at Walmart for my son around this age, and it worked great. It even has a timer you can set for 5, 10, or 15 mins. I just gradually decreased the time, and eventually he didn't need it at all. Good luck! Naptime is crucial!
If the DVD works, definitely use it!! It will keep both of you happy!
Our daughter has always slept with music or a book on CD.. she says she likes the way it blocks out all of the noises.. I remember we used to listen to Harry Potter CD's and just the first few bars of the opening music and she would conk out..
I would put in the dvd......eventually it will become a habit for him to nap at that time...............and buy more dvd's to try out.........or maybe not, let him get bored........either way, I believe if you do something for two weeks, then it becomes habit if you do it at the same time.
Whatever is easiest for the both of you is what I would do.........he's developing his personality Mom, so hang in there!
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If the DVD's work, why change.
At this age, you do what works! Don't worry about too much TV for now, you can probably switch to just music after a time. Lots of grownups use white noise to sleep.
I use to leave my daughter in her crib till she fell asleep, at the same time every day. sometimes she napped, sometimes she didnt.. usually she did though. After a while she got the hang of it and just went to sleep. Although she only napped an hr or maybe 2 at most.
It may be easier to turn the dvd on but I have found that once they are hooked on a routine its HARD TO BREAK. For instance my 3 yr old ... we sing 3 songs and read a book then pray over her, tuck her in, etc before she goes to bed and she does NOT like leaving anything out... He's easier to tame at 7mths although it is tough. She was a difficult sleeper and tough to break the crying it out too. Good luck mama
