My 3 Month Old Not Wanting to Take Good Naps

Do you swaddle her? Also, use a white noise machine if you don't already, they are great.
I have nannied for triplets and MANY other infants and if I think of anything else I will let you know!
Also, feel free to ask any questions!
Good luck, she should be sleeping a lot at 3 months!

Hi, we're having similar trouble with my 3 month old grandchild, I also had this trouble with my youngest child. I think some kids just don't need as much sleep. My grandchild really only naps if in the swing, strange but if that works, oh well. Up until a week ago she'd also sleep in the boucing seat with the motion on.....but now it's the swing. She also doesn't like to be put down when she's fussy. Oh, she is mesmerized and will sit happily if we put on a Baby Einistein CD - at least it's not commercial TV and it's supposed to be good for infants...usually within a few minutes she's sound asleep, in the swing. Good Luck to you.

Sounds like a growth spurt to me, it usually passes in a few days. Try BabyWise or Happiest Baby on the Block with swaddling and routine. My 3 month old is napping in the AM for 2 hours and afternoon 2 hours, with a cat nap around 7:00-7:30 at night. But...when he has a growth spurt (3 weeks, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, etc) it is different. Check out BabyWise!

Hi T.,

My second and third child were not good nappers. My son cried alot. I would try to put him down for a nap and he would cry. I did not like the cry it out method either. I would hold him or let him play on a blanket and he would fall asleep but as soon as I tried to move him he would wake up. I asked the dr. He said my son had acid reflux and put him on Zantac. (He also spit up) That helped alot. We lived on Mylicon. My third child also cried alot and only wanted me. Again I tried the dr (having gotten relief with my other child). This time the dr told me I just had a high maintenance baby. So for her I would lay down in bed with her and pat her back. She eventually would sleep.

My son would cry alot at the end of the day. We found 'white noise' helped soothe him. Like the motor in a venta-hood. Your little one could be startling herself too. Are you wrapping her in a blanket, swaddling? Since she cannot control her arms yet she could be waking up when her arms move.

I hope you find the answer that works for you. Tired babies are exhausting for everyone.

My daughter was like that too... I just stuck to the same bedtime routines and eventually she got her sleeping schedule. But it didnt happen til she was about 6 months, the whiny fussy moments are frustrating but just hang in there!

i had issues with naps with my 7 month old at about that age and well i still do! i talked to my dr and she said not to worry that some kids just dont take naps! but she did encourage that i keep trying for one cause i need a break in the day, and two so she will stay in the habit of taking the little break herself and hopefully one day she will get the idea and sleep! so far she will take a little nap and that helps!! so just hang in there!

Make sure she doesn't have any medical reasons why.... asthma/reflux or breathing problems can cause restlessness/irrability or allergies especially if they can't breathe well. You might try a bath to help relax the muscles, babies sleep better when they are clean and fed but not too full, could be uncomfortable if she needs to burp or full of gas. Also, over-stimulation can make babies harder to fall asleep. So, play then relax awhile before naptime. Try to stay on a routine so baby knows what to expect. Hope this helps! Sounds like you have your hands full!

I feel your pain! I recommend the book Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems. It really worked for me. Although, I have to say you are going to have to hear your child cry a little bit, but it is do-able. It gets less and less, better and better. He addresses this very thing. The good thing is that your baby is not that old and is more trainable than say one that is a year old and set in her ways (like mine, the first time)! Good luck and don't give up... it will be worth it! If you are consistent, most likely you will be able to put your child down drowsy, but awake and have her put herself asleep no problem in just weeks!

Well kudos to you that she is sleeping through the night! I have one that is almost 4 mos. and she is just now sleeping through the night.
I don't really have a whole lot of advice except to tell you that mine is cat napping too. It's very frustrating b/c I can't get much done during the day.
I do remember my son doing this too, but it wasn't long before he started stretching his naps to 2 and 3 hours. She'll do this every once in a while, but not consistantly.
I just want you to know you aren't alone...maybe we'll get some good tips from someone! :)~

There is an excellent book that can guide you through this. Have you heard of Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo (and someone else). The library probably has it, although I think it is worth owning.
Although I wouldn't say that a 45 minute nap is uncommon, I think it is better for the baby (and you) to get two naps that are much longer each day.
For my kids, and most of my friends kids, it was/is typical to have 2, 2 hr naps each day. I know that some kids just won't adapt to this amount, but for many, it is not hard to get to this point. It just takes some 'training' as Baby Wise can assist you.
Babies grow rapidly, and during the sleeping hours is when much of their 'brain' development/growth healthfully occurs.
If you want more info, or if it would be helpful to you, for me to elaborate, feel free to contact me.

I just have one child, a 4.5 mo old so my advice isn't based on that much experience, but here goes. My child wouldn't nap either but slept good at night. He was fussy all day and cried so much that he crashed at night. Turns out he was not getting enough breastmilk from me and had lost a lot of weight when I went in for his 2 mo well visit. So maybe you could check to make sure he is getting enough to eat? After I supplemented with formula my baby started napping much better and now follows a great napping schedule during the day. Hope that helps!

Gwen W.

Hi! I hate to say it, but a 45 minute nap isn't uncommon, especially if she's getting at least 2 of them during the day. At 6 weeks, my baby stopped wanting to take naps at all, unless I was carrying him. At 8 weeks, I moved him to a regular feeding and nap schedule, and let him cry a bit in his crib to fall asleep ... and that finally allowed him to take naps, but at first they were only half an hour. The naps remained 30-45 minutes until he was about 4 months, then occassionally he'd sleep an hour in the morning. The two things that helped most were have a regular schedule & nap routine, and not rushing to get him the very first moment he started waking. Sometimes at the 30 -45 min point in a nap, he'll start fussing, but if I let him be for a few minutes, he'll settle back down.

GOOD LUCK!!!! I know its hard to try to get anything done in a 45 minute interval!!!

Try putting her to bed earlier. Maybe put her down around 7. If you think she might not sleep until 7 AM b/c she is hungry (she seems a little young to do the 7-7 thing), try the "dream feed" about 10 PM where you acutally wake her to feed her in near darkness. That at least takes care of her fussiness in the evening. Not sure what do to about no naps.

Hi T.-
I don't know if I have any good news for you but here it goes. My baby is 8 months old and still dosn't take great naps. Up until about 3 weeks ago the longest he would s;eep was 20 min. Now he will take 2 45- 1 hour napsa day but that is it. As for being held, I had to break him of that, I didn't have a choice. I just let him cry I would keep my eye on him but I would put out toys and set him down to play. After about 2 or 3 days he got use to it and he is dewveloping so fast. At six months he was trying to crawl and he is starting to pull up on everything now. I believe it was because I made him be independent. Hope what I have givin you helps a little.

My last baby stared refusing to sleep unless he was held around two months of age. I literally tried every possible method of getting him to sleep (though I couldn't let him cry on his own for more than 20 minutes) but nothing seemed to work. What helped me was "baby wearing," using a sling made from fabric to literally strap him to my body, leaving my hands free to clean, cook, play with my other child, go for walks, shopping, etc. There are a lot of different kinds to choose from online from trendy to traditional. People all over the world have been baby wearing since the beginning of time. It allows the baby to smell you, feel your heartbeat, and feel safely snuggled against you. Studies show that keeping you baby close to you like this actually improves their overall development, physically and emotionally. Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with taking a couple breaks a day to just hold you baby while they sleep. Read some good books, or watch a movie, or simply memorize their quickly changing features. This time will not last long. It will be over far too quickly so just enjoy every moment of being with you baby.

Where is she sleeping? How much is she eating at each feeding?

There are 2 things we do here at The Nestingplace. All of the moms bring babies to work and the ages range from 3 months to 1 1/2 yo. If they don't nap or get held when fussy, nursed when hungry all work stops. We use the miracle blanket and the swing on the fast speed with white noise playing pretty loudly in the background. That seems to work for the fussiest of babies. Sometimes we have put the babies in the Ultimate baby wrap so that we can continue working but carry them with both hands free. They will often nap in the carrier. Much easier to count out change or help a customer in this way.
I hope this is helpful.
K. @ The Nestingplace

Hello T.,

Here are some ideas that are worth a try. You may have tried this already. Here it goes:

---sounds that might spook her---
if you're playing music while she sleeps... listen to the whole cd! I figured out that the cd I was playing for my son had 'heart beats' as one of the 'songs' and that always woke him up... about 45 minutes into his nap!!!

and believe it or not, by this age... there are songs she doesn't like...

---worn t-shirt w/ your scent---
Wear a t-shirt a couple of nights in a row, then when you lay your baby down for a nap, put it near tne crib (of course, being careful that the t-shirt won't fall on the baby, etc). The t-shirt will have your scent. maybe that will give you a bit more time.

---watch what you're eating (or not eating)---
if you're breast-feeding... the coffee/soda you drink will affect her too.

---your husband's scent---
maybe his cologne/aftershave is too strong for her little nose... for your husband... have him take a shower w/ no soap -- no after shave,lotion, etc. have him hold her along w/ your 2-night-worn-t-shirt.

also have him sit next to you on the evening feeding and perhaps she'll get used to him holding her. and if you're using bottles, have him hold the bottle and little by little work on him holding her during the feeding.

---your soothing voice---
massage her hands, arms, feet and legs. record some stories, songs and put it on a cd... play it for her while she sleeps and while someone else is holding her.

---aromatherapy & relaxation---
on the aromatherapy note... are YOU feeling OK? if you're restless, she'll pick up on it and will want you to hold her even more. I know I'm sort of making assumptions here but I'm hoping that any of my ramblings may help you. so get some soothing music and some lavender oil put on a funny movie and relax a little. put a few drops of lavender oil on cotton balls and set them on the table ..actually forget the cotton balls -- get a paper towel, fold it in half and put 8-10 drops of lavender oil on it and put it on a plate and enjoy the air.

make a list of the things you enjoy the most and see if you can do one for 3-4 days in a row.

with 4 other kids you must be pretty busy too. do you need help w/ carpooling? can the 14-y-olds prep dinner?

good luck!

I just wanted to reiterate the Babywise method someone else mentioned. I'm a first time mom, and it helped me tremendously on getting my baby to sleep during the day and night. It's a book you can get at a bookstore or maybe even Walmart.

I agree with the others...45 min nap is pretty good. My son went through a 20 minute nap phase (and still does some days) but I had to sleep train at about 3 or 4 months to get him to sleep on his own-it was hard but it was worth it b/c he falls asleep in no time now on his own. As far as wanting to be held...you HAVE to break him of that now or it won't get any better only worse. Try practicing when its just the two of you and letting her play by herself while you are doing something else for a few minutes and increase the amount of time so she will get used to it gradually and she will see you are not going anywhere and its ok to not be held all the time. Hope this helps and good luck!

My daughter did the same thing!
I solved this problem by keeping her awake until 2pm. Then she slept for 2 or 2 1/2 hours. If she dozed off I'd give her ten minutes, then wake her up until the afternoon. By then she was very willing to nap.
Good luck!!
E.

T.,

You have get the Babywise book. It is great. It will teach you how to put her on a schedule to eat and sleep. I did both my boys and they are great sleepers and eaters. It was my baby bible. For example, if she gets up at 7:00 she should eat and she would nap at 8 or 8:30, then she would eat again at 10:00 and nap at 11 or 11:30 then she would eat again at 1:00 and nap at 2 or 2:30 then she would eat at 4:00 and nap at 5:00 then she would eat at 7:00 and go to bed at 8:00. This is just an example but you get the picture, then it will teach you to drop naps and feedings.

C.

I have a 3 mth old as well (sleeping in my arms so she will rest well, while I type with one hand) She does not sleep more than 3 hours (even at night, but will only stir until she is fed). She was taking longer more restful naps, but lately its no more then 15-45 min (if she in the car seat and I'm running errands she will sleep up to 3 hours, so I leave the house allot).

I think she is going through a change and has been staying up for 2 hours then taking naps about 4 to 5 X's a day. She finally goes down to bed at around 10:30 - 12:00pm and wakes about 8 or 9am. Today she fussed for after only being awake for 30 min for 1.5 hours before she finally went to sleep. I think she is starting to enjoy being awake and playing and just doesn't want to sleep.

At 3 months the they also learn cause and effect. "If I cry she will come and hold me and/or feed/nurse me, I don't like the bed I like Mommy". Her Dr told me this is the time if not before to help them by sort of cry it out so they will self sooth. I find it hard as well to do this. Now is the time to sleep train. I would try putting her down or waking her an hour or two sooner or later so she is tired enough to sleep.

I would let your husband and children play with her as often as possible not hold her but play until she is truly tired and will go down by herself. My baby will start to cry if she feels lonely. Sometimes just sitting in front of her and talking will help her calm down. With my son I didn't do this and held him all day, It took 3 years for him to go to his Daddy and sleep through the night.

Luckily, she will be big enough to be put in a walker and can watch you cook and clean. My daughter can almost fit in her walker and be entertained by it.

Good luck,
TL

I used to have to hold my baby almost all the time, during naps, during awake time, seemed like always. Plus he was waking up every 2 hours to nurse. I'll tell you what my pediatrician told me...if baby cries and won't stop crying after a few minutes pick her up. Don't worry about spoiling baby until after her 6 months old. Up until mine was about 4 months old, I couldn't get anything done around the house--we just had to order take out a lot!

My baby is now almost 6 months old and sleeps thru the night. He still only takes a couple short naps during the day (usually two naps 45-60 minutes each) but he seems content when awake, and sleeps thru the night so I'm not complaining.