Naptime difficulties

by Coram Family

I have used the controlled crying technique on my five-month-old baby as he was unable to fall asleep without being held, rocked, patted etc. This has been successful at night and he now falls asleep on his own within minutes. However, when put in his cot for naps during the day, he cries solidly for an hour and does not sleep. Can you offer any advice as we are reluctant to rock him to sleep during the day for fear of undoing all the good work at night.

answer

Well done for sorting out the night-time crying. That was an achievement and you must feel so much better for getting decent sleep.

During the day, you’re probably right that rocking him isn’t a sensible option, partly because it takes up so much of your time. There are other approaches you might try if they seem workable for you. Many people find children drop off in the car, so if you have one, you might consider combining a few errands with his nap times. You don’t mention if he cries before he gets put down, showing that he is tired. Different babies have different sleep needs, and it’s just possible, even though he’s so young, that he doesn’t feel the need to nap when you ask him to. Some people swear by routines and insist on regular naps, others are happy to let their child fall asleep when it happens. Is there somewhere you could put him to sleep nearer you during the day? Maybe he feels lonely or a bit frightened and wants to stay closer?

A book on sleep that you might find helpful is Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Marc Weissbluth.

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Naptime difficulties