Naps stink!

[Anonymous]

UGH!!!

I’m soooo frustrated right now I can hardly keep from screaming!! I haven’t been around in a while just b/c we’ve been dealing with a lot of stuff at home(possibility of moving which we can’t afford, yuck)and Kate’s been doing well, imagine that! Anyway, I took away the swing a little while back and the first week she screamed and screamed but after awhile it subsided and she would go down within 15min. *sigh* WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SLEEPING CHILD??????It’s like a switch went off in the last week and all her naps almost and especially night-time she screams and screams and screams. I’m so tired. She’s probably tired!!

I guess the thing that is most exhausting is that she takes these sad little 30min naps 4TIMES A DAY so the process of napping is so often it feels like I’m putting her down all day long. I feel like I can’t win. If I put her down when she starts yawning,rubbing eyes etc…she plays for 30min and then screams for 20 untill she goes to sleep for 30min. If I put her down two hours after she wakes up from her last one, she just screams for 40 min. All of this for a measley 30 min. nap!!! Is this normal?

THEN, at night it’s soooo much worse. She just screams and screams off and on for 1 hr(with me going in at intervals to check in and let her know I’m still there. I pick her up and calm her down if she’s hysterical). When I go in to pick her up-she stops. Starts talking,sighing, she’s fine! I just have to LEAN over the edge of the crib(her head doesn’t even have to touch the mattress)and the SCREAMINIG STARTS!!!

Anyway, can someone tell me this is normal?Please! I’m so sick of this!I’m sure she’s sick of this too! Thanks for letting me whine I hope everyone has been doing well!

[Anonymous]

I was nodding my head in total sympathy as I was reading your post because it sounds EXACTLY like what we went through with Sarah last summer. It took TWICE as long to put her to sleep as she stayed asleep. SO FRUSTRATING! That being said…our misery took place when she wasn’t medicated and she was miserable. It is possible she needs a med increase? I wouldn’t think the swing would cause THAT much disturbance…maybe I’m wrong though. It very well could be teeth too (which can also aggrivate reflux).

Aside from poor sleep, how has she been acting? Happy? Fussy? Irritable? Content? Eating well?

[Anonymous]

Oh Claire, I am so sorry that you are doing through this. Cooper didn’t nap well on our trip, but I figured it was just b/c we weren’t at home. We have been home for 2 days and I am working on getting the naps back. Sometimes Cooper will wake after only 30-45 minutes and I will pick him up and try to rock him back to sleep, I give it 5-10 mins, if it doesn’t work then I give up, but most of the time it does work. It is just like he gets into the light sleep cycle and needs alittle help to finish his nap. I don’t know if you have tried this or not, but it might be worth a shot. I will keep my fingers crossed for you.

[Anonymous]

Ugh. It just happened again I don’t know what to think you guys!

Amy- I suspected a med increase might need to happen so I did…hopefully it’ll help. Other than the sleep she’s fine. Happy,laughing,eating. I’m at a loss.

Beth-Lately I’ve been rocking her to sleep. That hasn’t been my intention, I usually just want to hold her untill she calms down enough to not be hysterical so I can put her back in her crib but she ends up falling halfway to sleep. I know it’s terrible and goes against all those stupid sleep books but how am I supposed to know if she’s “drowsy” when she’s on my shoulder and I can’t see her and she’s been screaming! Ugh. Maybe the med increase will help. Cooper looks like such a little man in his new ticker I have the same pic of Kate trying to de-hair our puppy too.

[hellbennt]

I’m of the school: do whatever it takes & work out the kinks later/as you go along…

so if it were me, I’d be nursing her back to sleep…not that you should do this, just that when I was desperate that’s what I did…

I suppose look at meds and see if there’s anything going on…has your diet changed or hers? (new vitamin or medication or even mouthwash you haven’t even thought of? just a thought…)

hand in there! she’s *just* 5 months…

these babies- once they get into a rythm they go & change on you!!!

[Anonymous]

So sorry to hear.

Alana has always and continues to take 30-40 minute naps. Its now only two though. She’s a power napper and seems happy with that.

Luckily we have never had this at night. I too would try the med increase to see if it helps (hope it does) otherwise I’d probably go back to the swing…just me though I can’t function without sleep!

At night when she is screaming etc will she go to sleep if you just leave your hand on her whilst she is in the crib. It might take a long time but would it help. I sometimes do that with Alana if she has had a big day and is overstimulated and just needs some help to settle.

[Anonymous]

My best guess is that she’s waking during her light sleep stage. I used to be a Nanny and I can’t tell you how common this is. Babies generally reach a stage of light sleep 30 – 45 minutes into a nap. What happens next varies from baby to baby. Placid babies find it easier to fall back to sleep. More intense babies find it more difficult. From the way you describe her screaming, I’m willing to bet she’s of the more intense temperament. Myles is like that and sleep training for him was much more difficult than it was for my first two. It’s not your fault, so don’t feel bad and don’t blame yourself. And yes, it’s definitely normal.

What to do about it is so personal so I hate to give my advice on it. She is young and it may just get better on it’s own as she gets older. What I used to do was leave him in his crib for an hour whether he slept or not, keep him awake until his next nap time (not let him sleep in the car/stroller or anything), and I’d go in and out if he was screaming to pat his back and reassure him, but I never picked him up. Also I used white noise in his room and I darkened his room with black out fabric. I remember that by six months things were much better.

Hang in there. You’re definitely not alone.

[Anonymous]

Thats my son too! It will get better. If the med increase doesnt help.. I would actually keep her awake a bit longer..and then put her down when she is VERY VERY tired.. and kind of combine her naps, if that makes sense. We started pushing off shanes morning nap at Around 6/7 mos. and he started extending his naps to 1 1/2 hrs. Some moms might not agree with this.. but i found with us that this was the only way he would extend his nap. I would basically play with him and really wear him out for a long time.. and he would fall back asleep after waking up at the 30. min mark. I agree with Christine.. some babies have a hard time for whatever reason going into the next sleep stage, wether its because of teething/reflux/immaturity. Like I said Shane will now roll over at the 30 min. mark and fall back asleep for 45-60 more min’s. If i put him down to early he will wake at the 30 min. mark and not go back asleep.

Also with the night ordeal.. its sounds like what Shane has been doing. I think its like a seperation thing. He used to go to bed just fine.. but recently has been screaming when i put him down and it takes forever! And when i go in and bring him down stairs he plays and laughs!! So.. i think babies go through stages of wanting to be with us, and not much will work but time!

I hope this helps.. and that this 30 min napping doesnt last too much longer!! I know what a pain it can be!!

[Anonymous]

Hey Claire! We are going through a bit of this ourselves right now. Ben has never been a great napper, and we ended up doing a combo. of what Christine and Lauren suggested.

Anyway!! I have usually found though, when he starts napping bad when he has been having a good streak, something is up. Right now, he’s got a cold… been giving him Benedryl and STILL not napping well. Lo and behold, felt in his mouth today, and there’s a tooth coming in!!! So, I’m hoping that’s what’s going on. Makes sense now, of course!!

Hang in there though. I hated that feeling like I was ALWAYS trying to get him to go to sleep or go back to sleep.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everybody for the encouragement. Kate is currently in her crib(has been for over an hour) I feel like the crappiest mother but she’s been up for THREE HOURS and if she doesn’t sleep she’s going to be a pile of misery the rest of the day. I went in, fed her, rocked her and she syill played so I was sooooo fed up I just put her in her cirb. UGHHH!!! I hate naps. They suck. Oh well, she’s screaming now. I feel like screaming too.

[Anonymous]

i coundnt deal with this so my son cosleeps with us and its great. i get my sleep and so does he. and i also encourage the nursing back to sleep. for me, having a tiny baby sleeping all alone in a crib felt unnatural, and i think my son felt that way too.

[Anonymous]

Claire,

I haven’t been around in a while either. Amelia has been doing MUCH better. Please be encourage by that! She was the Princess-of-30-minute-naps! I think she must be getting better with her reflux. She has been having naps over an hour for about a week and a half! I think her reflux must be getting better and her sleeping better is a result. Just a guess.

I stopped the morning nap for several days and put her down late morning or at 12 noon. It worked! Also, maybe try not to put her down so often. She may cosolidate all her naps. One thing I finally realized… MY CHILD IS NOT A TEXTBOOK CHILD! Once I had a grip on that, I quit trying to mold her into the baby all the books said she should be! Every baby is different. Do what works! You are not a terrible Mom if you skip the morning nap right now. I know how you feel. Amelia would rub her eyes, yawn, etc. and then fight me putting her down. We would try for an hour and then she’d sleep 30 minutes.

Hang in there, and keep trying different things. You are a great Mom!

[Author]

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