ExcitedMama Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 I have been called stubborn a few times but DD has me beat by a lot. DD is 8 months old and will not nap in her crib, car seat, stroller or Ergo. No matter how long she's been awake she will not sleep unless we are home and I nurse her to sleep and do not move for the duration of her nap, which is only about 30-45 min before she will wake up. She will not nurse to sleep in the car at all. I've tried Ferber and I have tried CIO and followed the Weisenbluth schedules exactly to no avail. She will just cry her little head off but won't sleep. At night I have to nurse and hold her for about two hours before she will successfully transfer to her crib. She wakes happy in her crib around 5:30 every morning and I try to bring her to my bed to nurse her back to sleep but she is up at that point. I know she is not getting enough sleep and I am worn out. I need her to sleep in her crib for nap times so I can spend time with DS but I don't know what to do. Anyone have a baby like this? How did you get them to sleep?! Thank you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Yes, I had one like that. I'm not into Ferber or Weisbluth but I did attempt CIO with that kid out of desperation, even though I am generally against it. Honestly, nothing worked and I finally came to the conclusion that she just needed less sleep than her peers. She got a little easier when she became mobile and A LOT easier when she became verbal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 After ripping out my hair and trying everything every expert said about getting my baby to sleep, I did the one thing they all said not to. I flipped my DD over and laid her down on her tummy. She slept for 3 hours with that first nap, and then slept through the night that night- and continued forever after that. I don't know if that's something you're open to considering, but we were a much happier family from that point on. Sleep is an amazing thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 My dd was like that. Flipping her onto her belly definitely helped. I also finally accepted that she did not require as much sleep as her older brother ( he was a champion napper). She power napped. 20-30 minutes tops. She would nap in the car as long as I kept driving. As soon as I turned off the car eyes opened and she was ready to go. Once she napped for an an hour and a half and I got scared and went in to her room to make sure she was still breathing. The point of my rambling. She may not need as much sleep as you think she should. To this day my dd is a night owl and a morning dove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolt. Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 At 8 months, if she can push with her arms and move her head around well during tummy time, the risk of SIDS due to tummy sleep is probably minimal -- as long as you control the other risk factors (wipe the mattress often with soap and water, nothing extra in the crib, change the sheets, run a fan, etc). My suggestion is to gently progress her to be able to "re-settle" herself successfully by intentionally VERY slightly rousing her, the helping her drift off again. You say that now she sleeps in your arms. I suggest that as she sleeps you begin to intentionally jostle her a little -- just until she unsettles slightly, then be still and/or soothe her. Gradually, over weeks, she will become "better" at re-settling, or less easy to disturb. Then you take it up another little tiny notch, like, switch her from one arm to another, or stand up while you are holding her -- just what will slightly unsettle her, nothing big, no big steps, just gradual progress of what you can do that she can easily get back to sleep after. Eventually, this will progress to the point where she can transition to the crib -- but it might take a really long time. To help, try to build some positive associations with nursing time -- such as having a certian small light blanket always there with the two of you, playing the same soothing cd over and over, creating a specific smell that she will associate with nursing, etc. These things will seem "nursing-like" to the baby, and they can "come with her" to the crib, even when your breasts remain attached to your body. That tends to be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcitedMama Posted May 25, 2013 Author Share Posted May 25, 2013 Thanks everyone! DD has refused to nap all day long. DH is shocked at how stubborn she is. DH has tried laying her on her tummy but it doesnt work. shes crawling and pulling up to standing all the time but still not helping her sleep. Is there any chance of this working tomorrow? Or should I call it quits and try again in a few weeks or month? Not sure if there is any developmental stage to try this again? I hate her being so tired so I just want to throw in the towel and hold her while she naps but DH thinks it will get better if we keep trying. Not a fun weekend! Any advice or experience on sticking it out or trying again another time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypatia. Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 DS3 is like this, he'll nurse to sleep and nap in my arms but that is it. If I try to put him into the swing or bouncy seat then he wakes up and that's the end of the nap. If I try to put him into the crib then he screams his little head off. DH says the others were this way also, apparently I just block it out once the get 1-2 years old. I know once DS2 was over a year then I had better luck getting him to nap in the crib (until he quickly learned to climb out of it). It's... frustrating, at least when I want to get things done. Other times I just hold him during naps when I can, especially since he's my last and I know I won't look back and wish I had held him less, and many days he just gets short catnaps during the day. He has me well trained (no pun intended). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 A desperate move to some, but have you tried being unavailable and letting dh handle bedtimes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnemosyne Posted May 26, 2013 Share Posted May 26, 2013 At 8 months, if she can push with her arms and move her head around well during tummy time, the risk of SIDS due to tummy sleep is probably minimal -- as long as you control the other risk factors (wipe the mattress often with soap and water, nothing extra in the crib, change the sheets, run a fan, etc). My suggestion is to gently progress her to be able to "re-settle" herself successfully by intentionally VERY slightly rousing her, the helping her drift off again. You say that now she sleeps in your arms. I suggest that as she sleeps you begin to intentionally jostle her a little -- just until she unsettles slightly, then be still and/or soothe her. Gradually, over weeks, she will become "better" at re-settling, or less easy to disturb. Then you take it up another little tiny notch, like, switch her from one arm to another, or stand up while you are holding her -- just what will slightly unsettle her, nothing big, no big steps, just gradual progress of what you can do that she can easily get back to sleep after. Eventually, this will progress to the point where she can transition to the crib -- but it might take a really long time. To help, try to build some positive associations with nursing time -- such as having a certian small light blanket always there with the two of you, playing the same soothing cd over and over, creating a specific smell that she will associate with nursing, etc. These things will seem "nursing-like" to the baby, and they can "come with her" to the crib, even when your breasts remain attached to your body. That tends to be helpful. This is what I did with my son - had to nurse him to sleep, but started jostling him during. Made it easier and easier over time to put him to sleep in other ways. One book that helped for me was The No Cry Sleep Solution, may be worth a read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmomof2 Posted May 26, 2013 Share Posted May 26, 2013 My now 8 year old dd was like this as a baby. She never slept more than 2 hours consecutively day or night and would only nap being held. I also had a 2-year-old at the time, so I know his hard it is. :( I read every sleep book and tried everything with no success. I still remember how exhausted I was......I gave up trying to do anything to change her sleep.....on dd's second birthday, she slept through the night (7 hours) and began napping on her own in her crib for about an hour each day. I still have no idea what caused the change, and I think it took me about a year to recover from the sleep deprivation, but we did survive. :-) so, no advice, but this will pass, and she won't do this forever. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staceyshoe Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Both of my kids were awful sleepers. My oldest gave up napping at 5 months old---and then screamed when carried into his room for bed. We rocked him for 3-5 hours (after no naps) *every night* for 2 years. Thankfully, he stayed asleep once he fell asleep. Turns out he had a medical issue that made it painful for him to recline. My second child couldn't stay asleep. When asleep, he grunted, groaned, tossed, and turned. By 12 months of age, he would have one "long" period of sleep at night--2 hours. Otherwise, he woke up every 30 minutes. He screamed for hours day and night. It felt like torture. My 3 y.o. would go in his room, close the door, and stay alone for hours every day and tell me "I can't stand the crying, Mommy." I couldn't either. I thought I would lose my mind. Turns out, the baby had food allergies. Because of my experiences, I'm probably very biased. When I hear of a baby with pretty extreme sleep difficulties, I immediately wonder about medical issues. Hungry babies should eat. Tired babies should sleep. When they don't, there may be something else going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shahrazad Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 DS1 was the same exact way. The only thing that would work (and it was hit or miss) was to go lay down with him, nurse him to sleep and then once he was 'out' slowly slide my arm out from underneath him, then unlatch him, and roll off the bed like a ninja. A sound machine might help as well if she has difficulty staying asleep. He never became an easy sleeper, was always and is still an early riser, and apparently just hates sleep. Now, at least, he will stay asleep once he is down for the night (and that is expected because he is older) but he's doesn't nap in the day and wakes with the dawn. All I can say is 'this too shall pass' ;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Where does she sleep at night? If she is sleeping with you at night, then you probably won't be able to get her to nap without you during the day. I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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