Putting LO down for a Nap. Help!

[Blueone]

My son is 6 months old and has started really fighting sleep. He'll cry to sleep on me or in the crib. The only time he goes to sleep easily is at night when he's on our bed. Even then though, he fights it.

I start to put him to sleep for naps when he's rubbing his eyes and yawning. I'll hold him until he's calm and dozing off, but the moment I put him down in the crib he pops back up and will fight sleep even harder. If I try to just pat his back or Shh him he will not go back down until I pick him up and hold him until he's completely out.

He used to go down easily when I did that previous method. But lately it won't work at all anymore. Should I just let him exhaust himself even more? He's already tired fussy when I'm putting him down for a nap.

[LadyCatherine185]

Why can't you wait until he is asleep and then put him down? Or try nursing him laying down in your bed and then rolling away?

[Hannah'sMommy]

We have that same exact problem at night! Our DD is just a month younger than your LO, so maybe it's a developmental thing? We're frustrated because she's obviously tired (rubbing eyes, spacing, cranky, etc), yet she won't stay asleep once we rock her/feed her and put her down, even if we wait until she's completely out, she wakes up soon after being put down.

How long in between naps are you going? Maybe spacing naps out longer will help? A radio with quiet music helps our LO with naps, but not so much at night.

[Blueone]

Originally Posted by LadyCatherine185

Why can't you wait until he is asleep and then put him down? Or try nursing him laying down in your bed and then rolling away?

We weren't able to breastfeed. As for laying with him in bed and then rolling away, I'm just now going to try that. I just really wanted to have the bed for my own nap during the day or for other things, like sorting laundry. He's slept in his crib for naps since he was a newborn so it's not new to him.

Sometimes I do try putting him down after he's asleep but he'll wake up half way down the hall and either I try to fight him down again with him laying in the crib or I sit back down and attempt to put him back to sleep and he'll fight it and fight it. Sometimes it takes 30 minutes before I can put him down and he'll stay down. I'd wear him around the house, but he's gotten heavy.

He's up to 2 to 3 hours between naps, but lately he's been waking up from a nap tired. I'm guessing it's a growth spurt that's causing him to be more tired. We play quiet music and that helps a little, but still the moment I lay him down he decides the 5 minutes he was out was a long enough nap. It's really really annoying because within 10 minutes of playing he gets fussy tired again.

Maybe it's just one annoying phase and I mean really really annoying.

[LadyCatherine185]

Have you tried laying him down on his belly and then patting his back if he stirs? That was the only way we could lay DS down, even dead asleep.. and it still only worked about 50% of the time but it was the only way.

[kdtmom2be]

Not a lot of time to post this, but wanted to say that we just went through this and it only lasts a few (seemingly LONG!) weeks. He is just interested in the world right now and thinks that he's going to miss something if he goes to sleep. Keep at it, it'll pass.

[CookAMH]

Do you use a paci? My DS goes back to sleep after being laid down if I pop one in. He sleeps on his tummy.

[Italiamom]

If this is something new (and not a lifelong pattern), then I would keep in mind that it might be developmentally related (teething, growth spurt, nearing milestone). Others have offered great suggestions!

[Blueone]

Originally Posted by kdtmom2be

Not a lot of time to post this, but wanted to say that we just went through this and it only lasts a few (seemingly LONG!) weeks. He is just interested in the world right now and thinks that he's going to miss something if he goes to sleep. Keep at it, it'll pass.

That's so good to hear!

We do use a paci, but he pops it out of his mouth lately. I lay him on his tummy as well, but lately when he lays on his tummy he pushes up with his arms and I cannot get him to lay his head down. He cries to and I don't know why unless he's mad that I'm trying to get him down, but he does it when I'm not as well. Or maybe it's because he's tired but won't let himself lay down? Or he just doesn't want to sleep, but he can roll over.

Anyways, glad to hear it's a phase. I'll just hold him for now then. Hopefully in a month I can put him back down again. I've already decided he has to stay up at least 2.5 hours before I put him down because then he'll be thoroughly exhausted. Only sometimes he fusses more when he's that tired. It's a beyond annoying phase. He was never this bad before.

[kdtmom2be]

Originally Posted by Blueone

I lay him on his tummy as well, but lately when he lays on his tummy he pushes up with his arms and I cannot get him to lay his head down. He cries to and I don't know why unless he's mad that I'm trying to get him down, but he does it when I'm not as well. Or maybe it's because he's tired but won't let himself lay down? Or he just doesn't want to sleep, but he can roll over.

OH! There's a simple solution to this one... swaddle him! And don't tell me he's too big, I swaddled my DD until she was 14 months.

[lessmith23]

Originally Posted by kdtmom2be

OH! There's a simple solution to this one... swaddle him! And don't tell me he's too big, I swaddled my DD until she was 14 months.

Excellent advice! DD is 5 months old and while we've always swaddled her at night, we've had to start re-swaddling her for naps. Otherwise, tired as she is, she flails her arms, kicks her legs, etc. and will not relax to go to sleep. As soon as we swaddle her, she lets out this big sigh and she's out like a light