I need some help, and I am going a little bit crazy. A mom needs some time during the day for some quiet, time to get things done, right? So here's the thing, Jackson.will.not.nap. He's a great sleeper at night. Goes to bed at least by 8 and sleeps until 7, 7:30. I try to put him down for a morning nap around 10. Some days are ok, but most days he may sleep for 30-45 min. Afternoon naps are the worst. I learned not to nurse him to sleep at night but sometimes that is all that will put him to sleep in the afternoon. Once I lay him down, though, those little eyes pop open and he starts kicking and crying.
So here's my question...am I doing something that I need to adjust? Do you have any pointers? Right now it is 3:30 in the afternoon. He has napped for a total of 20 min today and is showing no signs of going to sleep but he is weepy and doesn't want to be put down. I've tried a modified cry it out method, with 10 minutes being the most time I've let him cry. He doesn't let up. Then, tonight when I go to work, he will be cranky and will make Daddy not so happy. He's such a good baby and I really have nothing to complain about, but he needs his sleep and a mama needs some quiet time, right??????
You are right! Most babies go through at least some version of this when they are learning new things (crawling, cruising, walking, etc.). They also feed off of your emotions. So, if you are a bit anxious, they will be as well. He likely falls asleep while nursing because it is (a) soothing and (b) one of your calmest moments in the day. Well, it's one of my calmest moments in the day when I nurse my growing one. Some babies nap more than others, other babies cut out naps altogether too quickly. Just keep trying. I've found that if I'm even ten minutes off from when he truly needed to nap, it's over. And you can still nurse him before nap, but try to nurse him before he has a chance to get sleepy. That way, nursing calms him down, but doesn't necessarily knock him out. Then, you can lay him in his crib awake, but groggy. He'll likely fuss a little, but it might not be too bad. ♥
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