My 9 month old still resists fiercely resists napping (I was hoping I'd have something figured out by now). When she is obviously tired I try to start getting her down - breastfeeding, a little rocking, etc. As soon as she figures out I'm trying to put her to sleep she starts wailing and struggling, and she's getting too strong for me to hang onto when she's doing that. If I try to put her in the crib to settle herself she will stand, jump around etc until she eventually whacks her head on the crib (being tired and uncoordinated), which of course sets off the screaming. Then when I do eventually get her down she may only sleep 1/2 hour.
I'm spending probably 2-3 hours a day trying to get her to nap, then I usually have to give up as we have to go somewhere or she needs to be fed. I know she needs the naps as it's pretty obvious when she's overtired and getting cranky. She's sleeping okay at night although she still gets up 2-4 times.
I've tried letting her dictate when she naps just watching closely for when she's gettng tired. I've tried getting her on a bit of a schedule. I've got a white noise machine in the room, it's quiet and dark, she's not afraid of her crib, and she won't take a soother. Nothing is working!! Any suggestions?
My baby is now 11 months but the same thing started for her around 9 months. If I didn't catch her at the "right" moment then it became a huge battle to get her to nap. She was also waking up multiple times a night. Thankfully the last few nights she has *just* woken up 2-3 times a night.
So, no advice but just wanted to say I can relate. Good luck!!
She needs a routine. Figure out what time she generally gets tired and put her in bed BEFORE she starts showing signs of being tired. Once you get to that point it's hard to get them down - they get a 2nd wind or just plain over tired. Use a similar routine to bed time if that works for bed time. but get a routine down fast and stick to it. Use calming activities, story, feed, rock, quiet singing - but put her in the crib before she's asleep, so she learns to fall asleep there.
I had a really bad napper and really bad night sleeper till 9 months too. At that point I was exhausted and had just had it with being up all night AND all day! We followed the book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Dr. Marc Weissbluth.
Sounds like you have the room all set up right, but it also sounds like she is just at that age where she needs to CIO ( cry it out). Once I let my DD cry it out for night time, naps became no battle anymore! THe first night she cried for 45 minutes and then fell asleep and slept all night through for the first time EVER....second night, cried 20 min. then slept all night, third night, maybe 5 minutes of crying, slept all night, and then the last night, she made one squal as I walked out the door, and she has been a GREAT night sleeper and napper ever since, and LOVED her crib/bed from then on, and started asking to go to bed when she was tired, at 9 months!
Another tip is to start the naptime/bedtome routine BEFORE she shows many tired signs....the very first yawn, or before, is the ideal time to start the routine, not as late as fussing/rubbing eyes, laying down in the play area....that is OVERTIRED. He reccommends no more than 2 hours of wake time between morning wake time and first nap, and then nap wake time and start of second nap....so start the sleep routine about 1.5 hours after getting up the last time, so she is in bed ready to sleep by the 2 hour mark.
I know it sounds like no awake or play time, but it WORKS, and babies need that sleep to absorb all the stuff they have learned, and for their bodies to grow/regenerate!
I think at 9 months, mine were sleeping 12 hours at night, plus 2 and sometimes three, 1.5 - 2 hour naps in the day.
Anyway, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" is a great book, check it out at your library, or get it on Amazon.
Have you tried just napping with her? That's one of the few things that worked with my daughter. Then you get a nap, too! Much better than fighting with her for 2-3 hours.
The only other things that worked for me were to take her in her stroller for a long walk, or a car drive. She eventually napped right up 'til Kindergarten, but this long phase took strategy!
I see that 2 others have recommended "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." It was a lifesaver for us with our first. We've used it with all 3 of our kids, and it continues to be what keeps us grounded in good sleep habits.
It's all a big cycle--not sleeping & getting overly tired leads to not sleeping & getting overly tired. She should be napping every day around 9am & 1pm for at least an hour each time.
Good luck!
Our 3rd child apparently decided, at about 9 or 10 months old, that daytime sleep is for suckers. He gets cranky too, but he'll only rest if I am home to nurse him or Dad takes him for a drive (DH is a SAHD). And we really don't think he sleeps at these times - just rests. This is our 3rd child and we never had a no nap issue with the other 2...
He still wakes up at night too. I worry that he'll be a non-sleeper. I know that some people only need 4-6 hours/night. I have even known someone who truly only needed to sleep every 3rd night (no surprise - HE was an only child!). We too have spent 2-3 hours trying to get him to nap only to have him sleep for 20 minutes. We are not CIO parents, but have tried that too (each time, after 2 hours of him screaming, we gave up).
This seemed to start when he started being able to pull himself up. My HOPE is that it's a phase - that he is just TOO excited by his new skills to sleep. I recall something like this happening with my oldest, but I don't recall exactly what happened - sleep deprivation probably ate my memory! My oldest does sleep well now at night (age 6)!
I wish you the best luck but sadly, I have no advice.
My son was difficult to get down for his afternoon nap too. Have you tried going for a drive when it's close to her nap time? You mention that bed time isn't bad, just that day time nap. I would put my son in the car and get about 10 minutes down the road and he'd be out. I'd turn around, and carefully bring him back in the house and lay him down. Worked great as a last resort.
I really think you should read Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child. She definitely sounds like she needs her nap but isn't having any consistency...which is what happens when you try a bunch of different things, hoping something will work. Ultimately you're just sending a message of inconsistency and she won't know what to expect. Trust me, I've done the same thing myself! Most likely you need to try to get her down earlier in the day/morning. And she sounds like a cry it out candidate because you being in there is clearly just stimulating an over-tired baby who wants you to pick her up, but can't fall asleep for her nap that way.
