Wont settle for daysleeps....aaargghhh!!

Hi there,

I have a nearly 7 month old who sleeps great at night (after applying the pick up/ put down method) but refuses to go down for day sleeps..

He is always sooo tired but will not settle himself to sleep... he wont lay down.. he stands up in his cot and he keeps crying/calling out (he calls out 'ba ba') till I come in and hold his hand or put my hand on his shoulder,(which I do) but then he goes to sleep and only sleeps for 5 or 10 mins and wakes up crying again...

He is still tired and I have to go in again and hold his shoulder till he goes to sleep, but then he sleeps again for 5 or 10 mins and wakes crying again because he is still tired...

This can go on for 4 hours sometimes... the only way to get him to sleep longer is to carry him which I dont want to do as I cannot do anything myself...

I've tried leaving him to sleep himself but he will call out for 2 or more hours and wont sleep till I go in and lay him down and hold his shoulder..

At night, I just put him in his cot and he goes off to sleep himself without even a single whimper and sleeps for 5 hours, wakes bout 11pm for feed and sleeps till 5am again...

I just want him to sleep at least an hour so he can get recharged but as he isnt sleeping daytime he is always whingy during the day and clingy because he is tired all the time...

Also, how do I help him to learn to lay down to sleep.. he always stands in his cot and calls out 'ba ba'...

Help!!!

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Hi tambam,
i had a similar problem to you and couldn't work out why she wouldn't sleep during the day at this age when prior she had day naps with no problem.
I then changed my routine a little and decided to give her a morning bottle before her sleep and an afternoon bottle before her sleep as well.
Ever since i haven't had a problem with her naps. She now knows that after her bottle she goes to bed. Of course we have the odd days when she refuses to sleep - but now it is the exception rather than the rule and I seem to cope better whenever it happens.

H i Tam bam. Im amazed he can stand up in his cot after being put laying down. MY 8 month old is no where near that but it sounds to me like he may be teething? My boy hardly sleeps during the day so I give him Bon jela and panadol and it helps. Dummy helps to resettle too.
Good luck.

Hi,

Thanks for the help... he is not teething yet .. I think he just knows that we are close by and we will eventually pick him up.. he is sooo persistant... I think also the fact that it is daytime.. and even tho I darken the room, he can still see ... so he cries out.. At night, because it is dark he justs lays down and goes to sleep himself...

He has been standing since he was 6 months old.. he climbs up to our lounge and walks along it, holding on ( I think they call it 'cruising').

He is advanced for his age so I just figured he has also worked out that during the day, I will come into his room if he keeps crying..

Oh well, Hopefully he will grow out of it... as long as he is sleeping at night I suppose I cant complain.. I will try the bottle before bed thing tho.. I have been doing the feed, play, sleep thing but maybe if I feed him before he sleeps, he might get used to that..

Cheers all and thanks for the support!

Hi Tambam,

I know this is probably already been thought of or tried, but you never know.
What is it like wrapping your bub? I read somewhere with day centres that the re introduce this for bubs up to 2 years old. Have you tried sleeping bags, makes it harder for them to stand maybe.
Hard to say, haven't had this prob with any of mine.
Good luck.

Hi Tambam

I have had the same frustration with my 3 month old from day 1. He just likes to be awake through the day.

I ended up hiring a battery operated swing and I can now get a couple of 1 hours sleeps from him through the day. when he is beginning to get grizzly, I put him in, turn it on and walk away. I come back a few minutes later and he is fast asleep.

good luck

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestions...

I live in Darwin and it is too hot for wrapping at the moment.. and even if I wrapped him, he gets himself out..

I do have a battery operated swing which I bought when he was younger as he was colicky but he wont stay in it now...

Because he can crawl and stand up, he just cries if I put him in it because he is trapped and cant get out. He likes to be on the floor.

I have given up the daysleeps.. I figure if he needs to sleep, he will..

At least he is sleeping at night..

Cheers all,