Crying-it-out for Naps

Mom LK is right on the mark - great advice!

Also, remember you are changing behavior. It will take time. For 6 months she had it one way and now you're changing the game on her (for good reason - you want her to be able to have great, healthy sleep!).

Be patient and give it a chance to work out. Like any other change in life, it takes a little bit of time to get used to it. As always, be consistent! She'll be fine and before you know it she'll be napping like a champ and you'll notice a very happy baby when she's awake!

Yes, I think you may be correct -- she may be adjusting to the new routine, which causes some disruption in the short term. But if you keep it up, this will only last one or two more days. As long as the nap is at least 45 minutes long, it "counts" as restorative sleep. I think you need to give it a couple more days. Once the adjustment and learning period is over, you will see her nap durations readjust to the correct duration for her. (At least until her next change in sleep patterns!)

The only other thing I might consider is if she's ready to drop the third nap. This will cause a complete disruption of sleep, regardless of whether or not you let her cry it out.

You are doing a great job Mama! Sleep is as important to your child's health as food and exercise. Allowing your daughter to learn healthy sleep habits now will *prevent* sleep problems in the future. Give yourself a pat on the back!!

Many mothers on this board have referred me to Dr. Marc Weissbluth's book, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." Last week I finally got it from the library, and I believe that it is the best book on children's sleep. I have read Babywise, Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems, and many Dr. Sears articles. The Weissbluth book does encourage Cry it Out, and from my experience with both of my kids, he does seem to really know what he's talking about. You might want to pick it up, although if you are more of an attachment parenting adherent, you might not agree with his methodologies. Good luck in this VERY personal decision.

You failed to mention the age of the baby.
When she falls asleep next to you and the breast... she falls asleep feeling secure...
left to cry for a half an hour... there's no way she could feel secure... or as relaxed. She falls asleep in a state of anxiety and wakes up the same way...
Why are you trying to force 'independence' on an infant? ...for her sake, or yours?

My son went through a period around age 6 months where he started taking shorter naps, and I didn't even change his routine. It actually lasted a couple weeks, or maybe even a month. It was frustrating while it lasted, but it did pass and he started taking longer naps again. Your baby will almost definitely also start taking longer naps again, too, just give it some time.

i know there is a lot of controversary with the cry it out method- i otally disagree with it. if it's whimpering here and there, i think that's fine, but if they are crying, there is a reason for it- they need you! they want you to be there! they feel most comfortable with you! take advantage of it and continue the bonding.

good luck!

I don't know how old your baby is, and this does make a difference. If you baby is under 3-4 months old, I would just keep nursing her to sleep. I know some books (like Babywise) say tiny infants can handle putting themselves to sleep, but they're only that small once, so go ahead and let them cuddle you when falling asleep. Believe me, they grow out of it, and you'll wish you could snuggle them a bit more before bedtime! My pediatrician told me I should be putting my son in bed with his eyes open at around 4 months, and she was right that right about then was when I began to feel that he could handle it.

If your baby is a bit older, then I am a fan of crying it out sometimes, for your sake and for theirs, but I've also found that it helps to ease Baby into it. When my son was about 4 months old is when I began teaching him to put himself to sleep (a very important lesson for a Baby in the long run), and it worked really well. Here is what I did:

I would nurse him to sleep. Then, I would wake him up slightly and put him into his crib to fall asleep. Usually, he would go right back to sleep. Over a period of weeks, I began waking him up for longer and longer times before I put him into his crib. After a few weeks, once he was successfully awake for a while (like 5 or 10 minutes), I stopped nursing him to sleep and just began spending some quiet time together rocking, talking, reading, and singing, until he was (as we called it) "blinky-blinky," and then I would put him in his crib. He would fuss for about 5-10 minutes and then sleep. It has worked like a charm, and he's now a year old and I just read him a story and put him in his crib and he lays himself down and goes to sleep. Good luck.

Oh, one final note. Once your baby is old enough to start teaching her to put herself down, she's also old enough to have a bit of a schedule. One thing that really helped me with my son was an idea I read in Babywise that a baby's schedule should always be Eat, Play, Sleep. That way, the baby learns not to rely on food to help her sleep, and also learns how to relax themselves (with some help) after play. It isn't always feasible, of course, but it's a good mantra to keep in your head for the older infant.

i'd make sure you nurse 1/2 hr before naps so she has a full belly : )

I nursed my older daughter to sleep every night for 3 years straight :)
She adjusted perfectly when I night weaned her because she potty trained. I feel that it didn't scar her in any way. She is a very wonderful little sleeper now much to my surprise because she never slept as a small baby. We never did CIO and she sleeps like a teenager now :)

I've never been a fan of "cry-it-out". I understand why people want to use that method, and don't condemn anyone for trying, but I just believe it comes at a cost. You're experiencing that now...shorter naps, etc.

We tried doing that with my now 6 year old daughter. She would bawl until she threw up, no matter what technique we tried. SO, we ended up amending it. I would go into the room with her, we'd get her all "set" and in bed, and I would sit on the end of the bed, and we'd talk for a little while - find things to praise her on that she did good that day, maybe read her a book, and then tell her it was time for night-night. She'd "tell me the whole story" (about making sure all the lights in the house were turned off, and all the shades down, and having good dreams), and give me a kiss. I'd stay in there for about 10-15 minutes, usually long enough for her to fall asleep and then quietly exit. Sometimes I'd rather not have to do all that, but it is DEFINITELY worth the price of poker to do that - it's the routine, she goes down "quietly" and I don't have to endure the screaming and drama, and feeling guilty.

I know yours may not be old enough quit yet to do that with yet, but be willing consider that she may not be quite ready for that yet.

Just a few thoughts...good luck!