Very Tired 12 Month Old Crying-Screaming-Fighting Nap

[makap]

I just started caring for a 12 month old boy a week ago.
He is dropped off at 6 30 am everyday. He is a perfect child, happy, plays well, eats well, just a pleasure to have. The only problem is by 8 30-9 am he gets tired and weepy, rubbing his eyes and you just know he is tired. When I put him down for his nap he immediately stands up and starts screaming like someone is torturing him. For the first week I would stand by the bedroom door so I could still see my other littles and he could see me. As long as he could see me he would lie down and would not cry. If I had to leave the doorway to tend to one of the others he would scream bloddy murder and stand up. I would go in and settle/lie him back down each time. The first couple of days it took about an hour of this before he went to sleep and then it increased to almost 2 hours. I am thinking that going in and lying him back down like this is making it worse.

Today I just let him cry but kept checking on him through the crack of the door (he could not see me) and it took him 45 minutes of screaming/crying/standing/then sitting, then standing, then lying doen before falling asleep on his own. I feel terrible letting him cry like this but I have other little ones who need me.

I have never had a child who screams like this at nap time. I have had children who just won't sleep and will play, talk to them selves, stand in the pnp etc but never had one who screamed like they were being attacked!! Actually he is screaming like he is royally p#@*&d off so I think it is more of a temper thing.

It is the same thing at naptime in the afternoon and then when he finally does fall asleep he only sleeps for about 45 minutes. He is still so tired after nap and is looking so tired by the time he is picked up at the end of the day.

If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them.

[MyAngels]

Have you tried a very dark, cool room with a soothing white noise? I also use a lavender scent at times to "set the mood" and convey that "this is sleep time."

[makap]

Have you tried a very dark, cool room with a soothing white noise? I also use a lavender scent at times to "set the mood" and convey that "this is sleep time."

The room is cool/dark and each of the rooms have a white noise machine on at all times when the littles nap. All new little ones start off sleeping in my little boy's room as it is the closest room to our main play area, and I use lavendar on his bedding and he has a stuffed puppy with a lavender sachet inside it so his room smells like lavendar.

[cheerfuldom]

i would keep doing what you are doing and see if he makes progress.....unless you know that the parents do not want CIO or sleep training, in which case, they will need to find new care. he needs a lot more sleep. at his age I would be doing an hour in the morning, 3 in the afternoon. try putting him down earlier since you know he will have to cry a bit before sleeping.

[Heidi]

i would keep doing what you are doing and see if he makes progress.....unless you know that the parents do not want CIO or sleep training, in which case, they will need to find new care. he needs a lot more sleep. at his age I would be doing an hour in the morning, 3 in the afternoon. try putting him down earlier since you know he will have to cry a bit before sleeping.

With the 12 month I had here a few months ago, I tried the same things you are doing, but she would just get madder and madder each time I went in to "soothe" her.

Eventually, I just cuddled her before hand, talked to her about how it's time to go nighty-night, layed her down, and walked out. She did cry, but after just a few days, she got the routine. I think that's the key...routines. Nap after breakfast, nap after lunch. nap after breakfast, nap after lunch.

I believe in the adage "you can lead a horse to water..." really, when it comes down to it, you cannot MAKE him sleep. But, you can give him a rest period of an hour in the am and 2-3 in the pm (depending on when the rest of the group naps). He can cry, play, or sleep. Make a big deal of "waking" him with "nap time is over...let's go play". Even if he's already awake.

Also, if you put him to bed last and let him say night-night to everyone that's tucked in already, it shows him he's not the only one.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

It really isn't crying it out at 12 months of age. I think you're doing a fine job.

[makap]

That is it, he gets really, really mad, more and more each time I go in, that is why today, I tried just letting him cry. I did not want to but I did not know what else to do. I stayed close and kept checking/looking through the cracked door. Today he would at least stop crying for a few seconds and then start again and it did not last nearly as long today as it has for the past week.

I always cuddle new little ones before their nap and always put them down last so that they can see that everyone else is going down. (not possible in the am however as they do not all nap in the am)

Thank you all for the encouragement. I feel so much better.