My Daughter Is Hard to Put down for a Nap

My daughter is now 3 1/2 and has always been a nightmare to put down for a nap and at night. She no longer takes nap (hasn't for over a year now) and bed time is now a breeze, out by 8:00. I fought for the longest time to try and get her to sleep on her on and in her crib and nothing every work. If she falls asleep in her stroller at nap time then I would say let her. She needs the sleep and whatever works is actually the best (I think). And as long as she goes down no problem at night then I would say you and her are both doing a great job! Just plan a little walk around the block at nap time then bring her home and leave her in the stroller. Naps don't last that long so get them in anyway you can.

Dear R.
Hello my name is Sandy. I was lucky with my three children they all loved to sleep. I was a stickler for schedual I feel that is very important. Since she does well a night with sleeping, you know she doesnt have a problem with her bed. But my daughter also had a problem with a nap in her crib Believe it or not I think they think they are gonna miss something lol. So what I did for the first couple of days was I put her down the same time everyday for her nap and I sat on the floor next to her crib and held her hand through the bars. By the third day she was on her own. I am now a new grandma and am teaching my daughter about naps and scheduals. I hope its works and good luck with both your little one you have and your new one on the way.

I know this sounds harsh but it worked for me with my 16 month old daughter with her naps. I put her in her crib and i let her play,cry whatever she needs to do about the same time every day since she has cut down 2 naps to 1. She will cry and fight me but she knows that its quiet time. Even if she doesnt take a nap she knows the routine and knows that its quiet time for you and for her. She needs that believe it or not. And with another one coming, you will need that time. I have a 4 year old which i never did any of that with and he sleeps with us for over 4 years now so talk about privacy. haha but i hope u do try this it will hurt you more than her it will do her good to get into that routine. Let me know if it works. J.

Hi R.,
First of all congrats on the 2nd pregnancy. Have you tried lying her down on your bed WITH U of couse. And rubbing her back.Or i hate to say this forget about the naps all together.

N.

Letting her cry it out, harsh and heart breaking as it feels, is the only thing that has worked for me. (I've got 3 kids, ages 7, 5 1/2 and 1) Put her down the same time every day and don't succumb to the screams. Go in and wipe the snot from her face if she's really crying, but then leave quickly again. After a few days she will get the picture. At that age, all my kids took a fat nap in the morning (from 9:30 till around 12) and a little one in the afternoon, and still went to bed at 8! Good luck!

My daughter was the same way having to ride around to sleep during the day, have you tried one of the baby swings? It worked for me I guess the motion helps and then you can just put them in front of cartoons until they fall asleep and go about whatever you need to do.

My daughter, now 10 months would do this sometimes. She would either be not ready to go down or totally overtired and over stimulated. So try a little earlier or a little later and see what happens. Also, my girl was changing from 4 or more naps to 3 at this point, maybe she is sleeping too much. Some babies just like the motion. Don't give up.

Whew. This was the story with my son when he was your daughters age. We put on a lot of miles on our car to get our son to go to sleep. And most of the time when he did fall asleep, we had to lightly and carefully put him in the bed or he would end up waking up and we would have to start all over again. He still will not sleep by himself, and he is five. I've known several people who stuck to ferberizing methods...just putting the baby in and letting them cry it out and it works (check on her from time to time, of course), but it takes a tough skin on your part, something we could never do. If it is any comfort, this sweet little baby who wants to be with you all the time will grow up to be independent soon enough. Just enjoy the closeness now, and maybe let her nap near you in the same room. Being pregnant, I'm sure the rest will do you good too. Good luck.

hi,
sounds like she is used to the vibration of the car and stroller...my son was hard to put down for naps and night time....we got a white noise maker and he goes down fine now...the vibration noise really soothes him...maybe give it a try

My daughter went through stages and I experienced what you are currently experiencing!
The good news is that you can fix it --- what I did was put her down in her crib and let her cry. I started off slowly though... the first day she cried for 15 minutes, then I went in and calmed her down... if she cried more, say for another 5 minutes I would go and pick her up. I mean, I comforted her, told her she needed to take a nap, etc... each day thereafter I'd let her cry a lil' bit more... eventuall, by the 2nd or third day my daughter gave up! Hope this helps!! It's kind of a tough method but it worked for me.