3.5 Month Old Afraid To/resisting Naps

This was the age that I established a true nap routine. If he's waking at 6:30 he should be ready for his morning nap between 9 and 9:30. Follow the same exact routine you do for bedtime (minus the bath if you do that nightly). I always played music for my kids to sleep with. But now is the time to establish a sleep routine. Also, watch for cues. You may be starting to put him down to late and he's already over tired. Try moving naptime ahead 15 mins. One thing my kids always did when they were tired was stiffen their bodies. Now is definitely time to start the sleeping routine. You will be thankful you did.

This is a common issue and one that really needs to be addressed....and soon. many parents think that if their baby sleeps through the night that they do not needs naps. Farthest thing from the truth. Kids need anywhere from 3-5 extra hours of sleep during the day in addition to a full sleep-cycle at night. It is imperitive for their developmental, emotional, and physical growth. I had a child who did this same thing and we had no choice but to grab the bull by the horns and sleep train her. Sleep is a learned response, not a natural one. People sleep in a circadian rhythm unless molded by our surroundings. The parents of a baby have to decide on the sleep times and the nap times....not the baby! I have a great book for you....Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. GET THIS!!! Not only will you see yourself and your situation through the eyes of the other parents who describe their stories in the book, but you will also get a look into what can happen if you let the little non-napper keep going this way. It is a nightmare that you don't want! TRUST ME!! I bought this book and read the whole thing in 2 days. I then sleep trained my youngest daughter by the method in the book and we were done in a week. Rough week....but we did it. She went to bed at 8:00 and slept till 6:30 am. The she took two naps every day....9:30-11:00 and 2:00 to 4:00. It was a dream come true. I got a much needed break and she thrived and grew into a terrific sleeper that knows her limits and respects her body's need for rest. My little "non-napper" is now a vibrant 13 year old and I owe my sleep training talents to the book and Dr. Weissbluth. This worked so well that I just sleep trained my brothers new baby. She is 3 months old and sleeps from 8:00-7:00 every night clean through. Now we have to work on her naps. Please do this. You are in the perfect zone because your baby is young and will respond beautifully to this method. Just dig-deep, read that book, and BE STRONG!! Your rest and your baby's health depend on it!

He is being a typical 3 1/2 month old. He is not afraid to nap. They
really do not get into a consistent nap schedule until about six or seven
months. Try putting him down before you want him to sleep; turn on
mobile or something soothing. He may just fall off to sleep. If not just
be patient. By 6 or 7 months a long nap in the morning and a shorter
one in the afternoon will happen. Then about 12-14 months they go
to one LONG nap.

He's just afraid he's going to miss something. He may be one of those who need less sleep than others. Children just go through stages like this. Try waiting until you see he is really sleepy and see if it goes better. He may be trying to show you he's ready for a schedule change.

A 3.5 month old is not afraid of naps - and the poster who said many no longer nap at that age must think you meant a 3.5 year old. 3 1/2 month olds certainly do nap. It may be that he is just not tired. Are you following his cues about sleepiness? Are you waiting too long and then he is overtired? Maybe if you put him in his crib with some soft music, he'll amuse himself for a little bit and fall asleep on his own. Good luck

Many kids no longer nap at that age. If you want your child to continue to nap just be consistent. You are in charge not him.
Two of my kids went thru a scary period and I got an empty spray bottle filled it with water and said this is brave spray or anti monster spray or whatever. It worked. I sprayed my sons room for about 10 days every time he went to sleep eventually he felt safe and we stopped spraying.
Tell him you will do something special later. Maybe play a board game or bike ride if he follows thru.