Infant Naps

[tenderhearts]

I've had this baby for a couple months now, she is almost 6 mo. She will only take 20 - 30 min naps. I have been doing the cio (ferber) but it's not working. I have never had a baby nap for such a short time, is this normal for some babies? She's fairly happy through out the day other than she does seem to get very tired before her the next nap, therefore she gets fussy. I have been putting her down for two naps when I want her to nap which has fallen about the same nap times she does at home and still 20- 30 min naps. She does the same at home. She's not really crying either she just is screaming/hollering off and on, pretty consistant but not like full on screaming but it's not a cry. She wants to be held at nap and I will not do that.
Any other ideas?

[Unregistered]

When dcg started here she was 6 months old (now 16months). Parents said she is a great napper at home, sleeps for 2-3 hrs and was taking a morning and afternoon nap. Here she would only nap 10-30 minutes for her morning (9am) and afternoon (1) nap when she first started. I was lucky if she would nap for 45mins- 1hr but would usually be because she was not feeling well. The kicker was at pick up they would make comments about how tired she looked, so they would take her home and put her down to sleep sometimes not even waking up to eat dinner or bathe which they would tell me the next morning. Now she sleeps 45mins-2hrs (12noon). I found out early on it was because she naps in her room which is darkened with no noise, so she is a very light sleeper. Thankfully she became accustomed to the noise here, plus she is now walking and more active.

[Shell]

It's going to be rough until the parents stop holding the baby for nap and/or the child gets older and gets used to your routine. I'm finding this to be the case with every infant I have taken lately. Good luck and hang in there!

[Leigh]

The two most likely causes of those micro naps are parents holding the baby during naps, napping in a swing, or some other nap location that you can not duplicate in daycare AND the child being overtired when put down for nap. I'd try making naptime earlier and see if that helps.

[finsup]

That is my 8 month old. I'm lucky if I can get her to nap for 45 mins and that is pretty rare. I don't hold her for naps, she always sleeps in a crib...doesn't matter,she's awful at putting herself back to sleep once she wakes up. I can lay her down and she's out, on her own in 5 mins. But the staying asleep? Nope, no luck there. Her doctor suspected teething and that it would get better when they came in. I seriously hope they're right! But anyways for her, its normal. She's right on track and pretty happy during the day...just doesn't like sleep! Good luck, hope it changes soon for you too!

[tenderhearts]

Thank you. I talked to mom a while back about it and she said they would work with him at home. She bought the Ferber book. She claims they are but really part of me doubts it, however. I can't imagine she can be held all the time seeing she's the third and the others are 2 & 4 but I don't know. I do know though that when the grandparents watch them she is held all day.
Another new thing just the last few days is she is a nightmare to change. I have never had a baby so hard to change. She tries rolling over and cries, mom said she has been doing it at home too. Really, the last 5 babies I've had have all been so great and fairly easy, this little girl is very high need. Hope it all passes and quickly.

[SilverSabre25]

High needs babies are hard. Mine is 7 years old and still very intense. it's a different breed of child, to be sure.

I assume you've tried a sleep sack, preferably a nice tight one? she might need that sensation to help her settle and stay asleep. She might also start rolling over consistently soon and discover that tummy sleeping helps.

One thing that stands out in your post is that she "seems really tired before her next nap"--you might need to throw any "schedule" out the window and put her down at the FIRST sign of sleepiness. She may very well be over tired by the time you put her down and yes, that can lead to worse sleep.

The trouble during diaper changes is developmentally normal and just takes patience and perseverence to overcome. Sometimes it involves holding them down while they scream bloody murder and you croon gently, "Yes I know you don't like it, I hear you, I know you don't want this but I HAVE to change your diaper, see, we're almost done, just one more wipe, and a clean diaper, pull up pants and bam! you're done! Clean dry butt! That feels better! Go play!"or whatever. Sometimes I sing and get them involved in a giggly sort of game, Itsy Bitsy Spider and Head Shoulders Knees and toes are good for this. Or blowing raspberries at baby. Or tickling the tummy.

[tenderhearts]

Thanks. She has been rolling over both ways for over a month now. She definetly seems to like being on her tummy more than her back or sitting up for that matter. I did try the putting her down for nap earlier, did it for 2 weeks and it seemed worse. She cried for quite awhile then the nap was only 20 min opposed to the 30 -35 min (I know not a huge difference). Just didn't get better at all during that time so I went back to the nap times mom and dad do at home, well give or take a half hour, she is not consistant each day at all.
It's always a little different. It's hard because the last week after her 30 minute nap she seems so tired and is so fussy still. At least before she was happy when she got up but not this last week. I do not go in there and get her either, she does lay there and fuss but hoping she'll fall back to sleep.

[TaylorTots]

I'd suggest wearing the infant in a wrap. Every baby I have cared for that has parents on a different routine or is just a random drop-in, etc. has had MUCH better napping and I don't mind wearing them at all - much better than listening to constant overtired screaming and I can still do everything I normally do while wearing them (my toddlers are trained to avoid the baby in the wrap as I lift them for meals or diaper changes).

[tenderhearts]

Thanks but that's not really an option for me, I have to many other kids and I've tried that with my own and it's just too hard getting down with the other kids and doing things. Plus this baby has been fussy even when I'm holding him. She has been having periods of being inconsolable, I have no choice but to put her down when he gets like this, nothing works.
what worries me is when she gets like this I have 3 other kids who get very worked up over it, it stresses them out, especially 2 of them, the 5 year old boy will cry and he's not a whiny child, it just seems to cause stress on them and I don't want that at all for them. I have had numerous babies in my care and have never had one like this, I feel at a loss, I feel like for once I don't know what to do or have an answer for it.