baby NEVER naps | Imamother

amother

Tue, May 18 2010, 12:09 pm

my baby is 7 months old kh and never ever naps. from the beggining she didnt nap but just tok little catnaps, now even catnaps are a struggle. she is so tired so I know she needs the sleep-shes rubbing her eyes and cranky constantly. when she finaly falls asleep its 20 minutes tops-and wakes up tired bec its not enough.

she doesnt sleep through the night, but the nights are decent-she gets up 2 times a night to eat and for her pacifier sometimes. My main concern is her napping. I get no breaks whatsoever to do anything and she is overtired making us both miserbale. please help me!

TIA

realeez

Tue, May 18 2010, 12:16 pm

Sounds like a friend for my baby who is the same age! She maybe has 2 half hour naps if that! Going for walks helps as long as the stroller keeps moving and wearing her in the baby carrier makes a difference too! Hugs!!!

yo'ma

Tue, May 18 2010, 12:23 pm

I had that with my dd when she was a baby, too. The most she would sleep at a time during the day was 1/2 hour. It took me awhile to figure out why she was so cranky if she just took a nap 1/2 hour ago. It was because it was so short. Sorry, but my dd never grew out of it. She still at 12 yrs old if she naps, it's only for 45 minutes.

amother

Tue, May 18 2010, 12:29 pm

thanks, idk but im starting to resent her bec of it. since she was born I havent got used to the whole never a moment to urself thing and this no napping adds to it. all she does is cry from overtiredness. she went from severe colic to better but no napping and my dh is out most of the time and on days where I dont work I just cant mangae entertaining her all day long with no breaks! I feel like I would be a better mother to her if she gave me a few breaks so I can build up energy. right now I feel like all I want to do is make her sleep! im so sad about this and its more than a half a year already! right now she is screaming in her crib bec she cant fall asleep! im losing it!

yo'ma

Tue, May 18 2010, 12:32 pm

I have no idea if it will work, but maybe try after she wakes up from her 2 second nap, don't take her out and either see if she'll fall back asleep or rock her back asleep or however you might put her to bed.

chicco

Tue, May 18 2010, 1:35 pm

I know just how you feel. It is the worst. The only suggestion I have for you is to use a baby carrier and shake gently up and down until the baby falls asleep. For some reason this helped my baby nap and stay asleep for more than ten minutes. Thank G-d we got him sleeping through the night by the end of three months- using a little of the crying it out method, but we could not get him to nap. Finally by ten months he caught on, but now at 15 months it can still be a struggle sometimes.

Good luck and hang in there.

louche

Tue, May 18 2010, 2:11 pm

amother wrote:

Since you're not going to change dd's personality any time soon, consider hiring a babysitter to take her out for an hour or three during the day so that YOU can nap. Also, many babies are lulled by movement, so if someone takes her out in the stroller, she may fall asleep, too and you'll both get a break.

Annie

Tue, May 18 2010, 3:42 pm

at 7 months, your baby can go in a back carrier, she will probably fall asleep and you'll be able to get work done because you'll be hands free, even if she doesn't sleep. My first dd also never slept, including at night. She took her first longer than 45 min nap at NINE months, and then, only for the sitter. We used to have to wear her to get her to sleep - back carrier or sling. That or driving in the car.

With my boys, I got these spring things that went on the bottom of their crib, they could get a nice rocking motion going and that's how they learned to fall back asleep.

Now, at 11, she still doesn't sleep well at night, but naps are no problem.

My current baby, naps nicely, B'H, but doens't sleep at night. I agree with the poster who suggested a sitter.

amother

Tue, May 18 2010, 4:40 pm

op here:

I have a sitter during the day when I work. I cannot afford more hrs for the days I dont work or just bec I cant manage!

I dont nurse for the one who suggested I should try it before naptime-it didnt work out for me-she was extremely colic...etc...

just curious how many non napper babies actually turned out to be good nappers later on?

granolamom

Thu, May 20 2010, 11:28 pm

I feel for you
I have 5 kids and they were all like that to varying degrees. the nursing is what saved my life, I found that a baby would nap longer if latched on throughout the nap. obviously didn't work when I had a toddler around and I still didn't get much of a break. will it work with a pacifier?
try the baby carrier idea also, that worked for us too. and the stroller sometimes.
but really, if you're starting to get resentful (and I'm not in any way judging that, I've been there too!!) then your baby needs you to get a break from her. it is ok to put her down when she's tired and let her cry for a bit so you can get a few minutes to regroup. personally, I've done this on occasion and I've let the baby cry as long as I needed so long as her cry didn't get to teh 'panic state'.
I've tried all the 'get baby to sleep' methods and up until this last baby, none worked for any of my kids.
and since you asked, none of them ever turned into 'good nappers' BUT the older ones all sleep through the night now (they are ages 3-11 now) and we never have kids in our bed either. 'course they rise with the sun, but that's anohter story.

bear in mind, that although this really feels like a form of torture, it too shall pass.
{{hugs}}

Nomad

Thu, May 20 2010, 11:34 pm

Do you guys have a swing? my baby took ALL his naps there...he couldn't nap otherwise. (AT 7 months though just keep an eye out because if I remember right - that is when they can start sitting up and falling out - so you need to watch.)

ull get through this!

amother

Fri, May 21 2010, 10:58 am

my first baby was a horrible napper. I would go out of my mind. he would only nap during a feeding...if I took him off he would wake up. so I'd sit there and read for 45 or so just to give him a nap. luckily he slept through the night ok. then I would try to let him cry himself to sleep for naps and it was just awful! he was so high maintenance needing to be entertained and not napping. it was exhausting!! evn the swing wouldn't make him go to sleep easily. at some point in toddlerhood he became a great napper taking a good 2 hr nap in the afternoon! so there is hope. hang in there, it is not easy. to this day as a child he does not need much sleep though...

amother

Fri, May 21 2010, 12:41 pm

op here:

thanks all. right now I put her in for a nap and she screamed for more than an hour straight. it kills me and I really felt like I was going to hurt her. she doesnt stop screaming and when she cries she cries till she holds her breath. she is a very high maintenece baby and I dont think I can handle her.

we have a swing and all but she wants only to be held bec she got used to it when she was colic. I dont nurse so all those suggestions were out. im at my wits end bec I KNOW she's tired, but refuses to sleep!!!! when she sleeps I feel so guilty for all the thoughts I had before she fell asleep...I dont know anymore!

amother

Fri, May 21 2010, 2:18 pm

sometimes overtired babies do that. does she go to sleep at a normal time like before seven thirty? it might help to give her her napes BEFORE she gets tired.. thats what I do and they sleep longer goodluck its hard Sad

Soph

Fri, May 21 2010, 5:19 pm

I know it wil sound crazy because shes 7...BUT I saw my mom do it with my brother when he was older too and it worked....try swaddling her...u have nothing to loose, swaddle her and give her a paci turn on the calm music and pray...

Nomad

Fri, May 21 2010, 5:23 pm

also, OP, if you start to feel like u want to hurt the baby, that means it time for you to put down the baby in a safe place and walk away.

she will be okay.

you can go take a shower or put in the headphones and go on the computer, watch TV...whatever you need to do to calm down.

you are a good mommy.

but sometimes theres NOTHING a mommy can do to make her baby happy and thats okay. its very normal to be frustrated to the point of thinking bad things. but if that starts happening, you know its time for mommy to take a break.