We are in need of some help! We've been blessed with a sweet little boy that is just full of energy, spunk, and his own distinct, quirky personality. With that personality comes some difficulty. Preston hates daytime sleep and refuses to take his naps. He is a great sleeper at night and we have no complaints when it comes to night time. During the day he has such a hard time. I used to be able to get him to take naps in his crib(although only short ones lasting just 30-40 minutes) with just a little rocking and soothing, but now we are having a hard time getting him to sleep at all.
We've read lots of books and articles online for insight. Even though they can sometimes give conflicting advice, we are doing a lot of what they say to do. Preston is on a pretty stable routine, eating at basically the same times every day, with a pattern of eating, activity, and then nap time, and also a sleep time routine which includes swaddling, dimming the room, and rocking. All of this and many other little things that we try don't work and he ends up missing naps and having huge meltdowns from being overtired. He won't sleep in the car, the stroller, or anywhere else, except occasionally the swing.
We are open to any advice that anyone can offer because we have no idea what to do with our silly little boy. I keep telling Steve that they forgot to send his instruction manual when he came to our family. That would've been a big help!! Thank you for anything you can offer!
9 comments:
Hmmm. This is tricky because you know him a heap of a lot better than me. A few questions: Is he taking b-milk or formula?, Is he crying himself to sleep?, Is he fussy when he's awake? I'm going to go off a hunch and say it's one of a few things: Change formula, Some babies just don't require as much daytime sleep if they are sleeping well through the night, or it's just a short stint. That's my bit. Let me know about the answers to those others. All the best.
Amy-
Not sure if this will help but I'll give ya all I got.
I followed Babywise and kept my boys on the same schedule that you mentioned...eat, play, & then sleep. It worked pretty well for my boys but they would always go through phases of taking good naps and bad naps. Oh, it is SO frustrating!!! I so know how you feel!!! My boys also would not sleep in the car or stroller...only in their beds. I read your Sunday post the other day...Sundays are by FAR my worst days with my boys because they just won't sleep. HATE it!!! Although, it has gotten tons better as they've gotten older.
Anyway, does it help him at all to stay up a little longer between naps? Hmmm...I have a friend who had a similar problem. Her boy slept great at night but just didn't nap well or would take just little cat naps. He never changed. I know that's not what you want to hear but she just couldn't get him to take longer naps until he got a little older.
In the end, you're right, they all come with their very own personality without an instruction manual. I swear they know what's going on and are laughing at us on the inside!!!:)
GOOD LUCK!!!
Amy,
Donna Says it has been so long ago with Holly that she doesn't remember any secrets. We think Preston is beautiful, Can't wait to see him in person. Good Luck! Sleeping all night is a pretty good trait! Love always to all, Grandpa Petersen
Well, he's the complete opposite of Alissa because she never slept more than 4-6 hours at night, but took two good naps during the day. When she was Prestons age though I just let her sleep in the swing. We just put her in her room, turned the music on, and let her scream herself to sleep and she would fall asleep after 5-10 minutes of screaming and stay asleep for 1-2 hours. We went through a lot of batteries but it was worth it!
But my neighbors baby was like yours. Her daughter was a champion sleeper in the night, but never took naps in the day. She's now almost 3 and has never napped during the day. So I guess it's a trade off.
You might just have to try the swing and let him scream himself to sleep. It doesn't last forever, eventually they'll get the idea that it's nap time and won't scream so long. Have you tried letting him scream himself to sleep yet?
Also, I seriously will come over and watch him if you're having a hard day and need a nap or even just a break to go to the store with out a baby. Alissa is a piece of cake now so I really don't mind. Call me if you need a break!
Amy, I know this is not fun and you are probably worn out. My kids were both so different. Rachel, even as an infant never slept in the daytime. I was so jealous of all the other moms that had babies that would sleep for two hours, two naps a day. I even had to put her in a bouncy chair in the bathroom while I showered. She just didn't want to miss out on anything!!! On the other hand, Garrett took a regular 3 hour (like clockwork) nap every day. IT WAS AWESOME!!! You said that when he doesn't sleep he has melt downs, that's tough. Rachel wouldn't ever melt down. Maybe you need to make everything more boring??? I don't know. All I know is that every child is different. Good luck, it will get better!
I guess I lucked out because Madison slept well at night and took good naps, but she did get to a point where I was fighting her for her afternoon nap and I realised that she just didn't need two naps any more so I made her stay awake (even though she would get SO grumpy around dinner time) Everyday I kept her up a little bit later until she stayed awake until 8pm (bed time) AFter awhile she got used to her routine and was pleasant until bed time. Now, if I let her take too long of a nap (more than 1.5 hours) she won't go to bed on time so I have to wake her up from her nap. Also, her naps have gotten later in the day than they used to, you just have to figure out how much sleep they need. Perhaps Preston is sleeping too long at night to be tired enough to take a nap during the day. Try keeping him awake longer at night, or wake him up earlier in the morning- then have a set time where you put him down for a nap, maybe early afternoon (1pm) but he may only need an hour or so during the day still. Good luck!
Hello Amy. I found you through Aranne's blog. Preston is adorable!!! Jack had a hard time sleeping through the night until he hit 6 months. At that point we moved him to his crib in his bedroom and he slept 12 hours a night and took 2 one to two hour naps during the day (and sill does at 13 months). BUT at the beginning it was really hard!!! One of the many things I found helpful was a Moby wrap. I would wear him around the house doing anything and everything!! He would sleep the entire time. I even slept in a recliner with him on me. If you have not tried "wearing him" either in a wrap or a inward facing carrier, I would try it. He might just want to be close to you!! Good luck. Hopefully we can see you sometime when your here visiting Aranne and Dan - Jack and Preston can play.
I don't know much but I have noticed that with time his schedule will change again. At least that is how it seems to be with my kids. Their sleep habits just keep changing! Don't stress too much, remember what the scriptures say..."And it came to pass..." it will pass. (oh and very cute boy!)
Since I didn't have internet at this house for so long I'm having to catch up on everything!! I have to say I know exactly how you felt here! I'm so sorry! Chase has always been a terrible sleeper. Even at night! He was waking up every 2-3 hours a night up until he was almost 10 months old. And I was extremely lucky if I got an hour nap out of him during the day. Sometimes he too would just sleep for 30-40 a day. And then he would hardly sleep that night either. He still doesn't do very well with his naps, but I can usually get at least an hour to an hour and half nap out of him now.
I don't know if Preston is any better with sleep now, I thought I would put my two bits in. I pretty much had to put Chase in his bed and let him cry it out until he went to sleep. I tried to figure out when he started getting tired and then put him on a nap schedule. He usually takes his first nap 3 1/2-4 hours after he wakes up and then he takes another nap about 3 hours after he wakes up from that one. Even if he didn't sleep, I would leave him in there for about a hour at least. That way he learns that even if he doesn't sleep he has to be in his bed at that time. Eventually he realized that I wasn't coming to get him and he would go to sleep at these times. Every day is different though and I still struggle some days. I hope it's better for you now. Give me a call if you ever want to get together.
Post a Comment