Little Boy Resisting Second Nap

He is probably just outgrowing it. I would put him down as usual if he appears sleepy but otherwise don't sweat it. As long as he is still sleeping well at night he is probably fine. My first child (now 6) used to wake up every morning around 8:30, take a nap around 10:30 and then be awake until bedtime.

I agree with Stephanie. I am not as baby-knowledgeable as some, but I do know that every child is different. My son wakes up at the crack of dawn...totally rested....my daughter, on the other hand, is not a morning person. She will sleep in and if she does not get enough sleep, she will be cranky and difficult. I have told my son that he HAS to stay in bed till a certain time (he is 11, so he can read time!). I am thinking of pushing his bed time back because he wakes up so early...whereas, my daughter will stay at the normal 8:30 time. Kids DO need A LOT of sleep...but some need less than others....so I would just gauge when the baby looks tired and needs a nap and not force him to sleep when he isn't ready to.

You just have to go with the flow of your child. He might just be ready to adjust the schedule. My son would take a HUGE nap mid day- try moving the first one back and start goin to bed for night earlier, it will work it self out, you'll see. Books are great for advice but all kids don't fit in the square peg.

How long is his morning nap? You might want to either shorten his morning nap (usually an hour should be sufficient) or actually move the afternoon nap up, instead of back. Sounds to me like he may be overtired when he's going down for his afternoon nap, and maybe you're missing the "window of opportunity."

Also, keep in mind that he's suddenly at an age where he's much more aware of what is going on around him. He suddenly realizes that there is a world going on around him, and he just doesn't want to miss it. My DD went through this around the same time -- she doesn't like to miss out on anything. I actually put a book and a couple toys in her bed with her, so she had something to "wind down" with, if that makes sense. Some days she would take awhile to fall asleep, but she was usually content to play in her crib for a short period of time, alone.

It takes time, once they are aware of their own desires (ie "I don't want to nap!") to learn how to self-soothe again. If you need to nurse to get him to nap, do it unapologetically. but try to introduce something else into the routine that means "naptime." Maybe a certain book, or a certain song you sing. That may help.

J.,

If anything I would move his 2nd nap up, not back. When over tired their adreline kicks in and it's harder for them to sleep. My 9 month old was doing the same thing. From the time he gets up from his morning nap, I wouldn't let him be awake more than 2 - 2 1/2 hours, then put him down. Even if he doesn't seem tired.

L. M.

First, I would take him to the Dr's. He might have an ear infection.
Second, a baby at this age usually still needs two naps. He may be the exception, though, where you could try one nap. However, he will probably fall asleep at dinnertime.

I think this is probably temporary and he may just need something else. Extra food....?

I have six children. I do not schedule naps or let them cry it out. I look at the baby to decide if the baby is tired not the clock. I suggest relaxing and enjoying the baby it will not spoil him. I think it is great that you are nursing. If you would like another book to read on infant sleep Good Nights by Dr. Jay Gordon is a quick read founded on solid research. He is a pediatrician and a lactation consultant.

Hi J.,
This is currently happening to me too. My guy is 5 months old and won't take his afternoon nap. He has the exact same sleep patterns as your guy. For me I think it was a combination of daylight savings and I realized yesterday he's cutting a tooth. Could your little guy be cutting teeth? I'm just being persistent by putting him down for a little while (at the time of his second nap) just to get him readjusted. I don't know if it's working, but I figure that eventually he'll catch on to the fact that at 1 each day he gets put down. Let us know how it works out and I hope I've helped give you a little insight, but if nothing else you're not alone. :)

My little guy was never a "good" sleeper but needed his second nap until about 15 mos.
I would agree there was some learning BY HIM that crying brought b-feeding. He'll have to "un-learn" that.
Yes, I would look at shifting his nap schedule. Seems I remember our second nap was about 3pm! If that late a nap interfers w/bedtime, you can make it a shorter nap or... keep experimenting; that's the only thing we can do to get to know our kids. :)

There is absolutely, positively nothing wrong with nursing your baby to sleep. In fact, it is the best way. Do not listen to pediatricians who tell you to let them cry it out. They are trying to get you to 'train' your baby and he should not be at that age. Six months is way too young to expect them to go to sleep on their own.

I know you may want a regular schedule, but that is not what babies are about. They should be allowed to sleep when they need to and be allowed to fall asleep happily, not forced to cry and cry.

Again, there is NOTHING wrong with nursing him to sleep. Please read any of the material by Dr. Sears. He has very good thoughts on babies and their needs and puts them in very logical terms. Here is a link to this topic on his site:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/t070700.asp

Enjoy this time, it goes by way too fast!

Perhaps you could try moving his morning nap back, a little at a time, until it's around midday/lunchtime. That way he won't have to go for such a long stretch between morning nap and bedtime. You may also need to move bedtime up a little or build in a 'quiet time' in the late afternoon to give him some time to recharge.

My oldest need a LOT of sleep, and still does, but my youngest has needed an average amount and rejected her second nap early. Just spend time studying your child, which it sounds like you already are, and adjust what you need to accordingly. He'll let you know what he needs :)

What has happened is he had trouble sleeping one day because of either being hungry or maybe not tired yet or maybe the excitement in the house or something happened and you nursed him. The next day he tried again and you nursed him. Well not he's in a pattern and wants it, he knows if he crys long enough he will get it. Most parents will say "He's out grown his naps" But i don't believe that is the case. You may have to miss a nap a day to get him back in the rhythm. So the next day he will be tired. But if you choose to do that don't let him over sleep in the morning or take a longer than normal nap in the morning OR he will just over sleep and not need the nap. Good luck

J., maybe he's one of those children who don't need the afternoon nap at this age. I would try just letting him stay up and see how it goes. If he is happy and active the entire time, then let it be. If he gets kind of cranky, try waiting until he appears tired, see if he will go to sleep, and move the nap to that time. Maybe he just needs some quiet time in the afternoon, not sleep. Try reading to him on the sofa and see if that either puts him to sleep or is enough to recharge his batteries. If that is all he needs, then you get some great mother-son time and foster a love of reading to boot.

My mother told me that I stopped my afternoon nap very early, but I used to just sit on my child's rocker and look through a picture book every afternoon, then I was ready to go, go, go again.