He won't nap anywhere but at home!!!

782 Views 5 Replies 6 Participants Last post by midwestmeg, Oct 3, 2007

lovelymonday

Discussion Starter · Sep 26, 2007

I'm having trouble with my DS not being able to fall asleep anywhere but at home or in the car. He's 5 months old, and I'm a WAHM, so we're mostly home. When he gets sleepy, I usually nurse him to sleep or rock him to sleep. BUt the problem is, he really won't fall asleep when we're out, even when I nurse him to get him off to sleep. It seems like he just knows we're not at home, and he can't wind down. I've tried minimizing distractions and noises, and even laying down with him and nursing, but he just won't fall asleep until we get in the car, then he's out. Any ideas on how to help him get to sleep when we're out somewhere? Thank you in advance, mamas!

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Molliejo

· #2 · Sep 26, 2007

My son used to do this, too. Eventually he grew out of it.

Maybe you could start using a special blanket for every nap time at home (only nap time) and then use it when you go out somewhere? Maybe he will associate it with sleep and surrender to a nap.

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MPsSweetie

· #3 · Sep 27, 2007

Asheby is the same way now, used to not be. He won't even really nap in the car, and that is a BAD thing, because we live out in the middle of nowhere so its an hour to groceries, library, everything. We try to leave the house as rarely as possible, but its at least once a week. It's awful.

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menow

· #4 · Sep 27, 2007

:

DD is the same way. I'd LOVE to hear any advice others may have.

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cinnamonamon

· #5 · Oct 3, 2007

I had this problem last month when I went to stay (with all three boys) to my sister's house to help her with her new babe. It took a couple days of having meltdowns before he finally gave in and nursed down/passed out & stayed asleep for his customary nap time (1/2 hour to 1 hour

). It isn't ideal, but when you're trapped in a one-room living space, babies learn to adapt...

I would guess in your situation I'd just be prepared for baby to cry for a bit to let off steam before falling asleep, or just take him to the car. Have you tried putting a blanket over his head, or shielding his eyes so he can't see? Mine happily closes his eyes when I do this -- it's as if he can't bear to not look if there's something to see (that he hasn't seen a hundred times, already).

Good luck...before you know it they'll be refusing to nap all the time!

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midwestmeg

· #6 · Oct 3, 2007

My son is this way- an absolute 180 from my dd who would sleep anywhere as long as I was with her.

Carl needs his bed; no light, flat surface, no sound.

:

When he was 5 mo, I'd just know that we would need to be home for at least one big nap or we'd all suffer. So, we'd go to the library in the morning, do lunch and then come home.

Now that he's older, he can take a catnap in the car or he just comes home tired and I know that it will take me longer to relax him for sleep at the night.

I try to view all my time at home as 'lucky' and a great time to cook, work on projects, etc.

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