9 Month Old Fighting Naps

Let her cry it out. As a mom, it is initially heartbreaking listening to you baby cry for a LONG time, but each day it gets a little less. I started letting my baby cry it out at 10 months and he was trained in a week. You have to be strong though, because if you give in, you are just going to prolong the pain.

Now, I rock him for a few minutes so he'll relax (he is definitely not asleep most days) and then lay him down. He won't even cry.

Good luck!

I use to have this problem too. I wasn't reading her signs very well and it turns out I was waiting for her to get too tired and that made it difficult for her to fall asleep. I also started giving her a stuffed bunny (which she can not live without now) and she would suck on the bunnies ear or tail at nap or bed time.
Best of luck!

You didn't mention just laying her down and telling her good night? I have been having similar issues with mine (7 months old) and have tried all of the singing rocking, nursing, and nothing worked. Then I realized, maybe I am over-trying. I just finally tried kissing her night night and walking away - she soothed herself to sleep twice yesterday! Sometimes we try too hard! =)

Hi R., My son is 10mo now, and every now and then we go through a change with naps. He still gets 2; one in the am and one in the afternoon. He usually sleeps about 2 hours each. But, over the past couple months he has needed to be up a little longer before putting him down. I think he just wants more time with us than by himself. He'll still fuss and definitely needs the sleep, but he just needs a little longer wake time before going down. I also recommend "Healthy Sleep Habits Healthy Child". Although some things don't seem to work with our little boy, a lot of the main principles do. And if he really fights it and won't fall asleep, I put him in the swing, and usually he'll get to sleep within 20min.... but he is almost outgrowing the swing, so I don't know what we'll do then! Good luck and hopefully she'll outgrow this phase soon.

Dear R.,
Neither of my kids were nappers from day one. But, they still had quiet time every day. I didn't care if they fussed a little...I didn't rush in to rescue them. And often, I could hear them jabbering to themselves (which is so super cute). If they dozed off, they dozed off, but if not, they still had the rest time. I wound up their music box before and kissed them before leaving their room. Sometimes I would play very mellow classical music.
When they got older, like around 3, I did the same routine but I tried some reverse psychology on them. I let them have a book or listen to music and told them it was only time to rest and be still....NO SLEEPING.
There was never any fight about it because I wasn't ordering them to sleep. I did the same thing when I did daycare. I told the children, "Shhhhh....be still til it's time to get up. But don't don't go to sleep okay?" Those kids were konked out within 10 minutes. No fuss.
And let's face it. There are two things you cannot force a child to do. One is eat and the other is sleep.
Don't try to force either one.

My thought is maybe she isn't tired when you are putting her down. Try changing her naptime and see if that helps. Most babies go throw this at one time or another, it will pass. I think it is great you don't let her cry it out, I would never let my daughter do that. When my daughter is with her grandmother she doesn't nap (my daughter is 6 months old)my mom believes that if she is tired she will fall asleep wherever, whenever. When I go to pick up Ella from her visits with her grandma I find her asleep in her saucer, bouncy, floor etc. She is fine, and happy when she is with grandma so what I am trying to say is if the moving the nap doesn't work, try letting her play til she falls asleep and see if there is a pattern there. Maybe she just doesn't want to sleep until she wants to, not when you want :-)Either way she will be fine, you will just have your hands full. Good luck! Oh my son and daughter do get regular naps, unless they are at grandma's.

That seems to be an age thing; mine did the same at 9 mos, and I've seen others in this forum with the same problem. You didn't say how many naps she has, when the naps occur, and how long she sleeps at night. All of these could be affecting things. If she sleeps well at night, she'll probably need a nap within 2 to 2.5 hrs of her morning wake-up. If you're putting her down later than that, try moving naptime 30 min earlier; if you're trying earlier, wait a little while longer. Her afternoon nap should be about the same amount of time (2-2.5 hrs) from when she woke from her a.m. nap. She may be dropping her late afternoon nap now (if so, move bedtime up by 30 min to 1 hr). If she's learning to pull herself up in her crib and stand, you're going to have naptime strikes for a week or two--just be consistent and hang tough, she'll get back to normal soon. Good luck!

Now that she is more active and into exploring her world. This will be a common issue for several years, until she outgrows naps all together. Try not to make it a battle. Remember, you can't make a child go to sleep. But as the parent you can require and enforce that they at least stay in bed for a given period of time. It's an hour at our house. Let her choose one quite toy to play with, keep her room dark and quiet. If you aren't constantly in there trying to make her go to sleep she will get bored and fall asleep on her own. Sleep is kind of like food. When their body needs it, they will do it, just give her the opportunity.

You might want to check this book out from your local library (that's how I found it) or purchase it online. My son was already 2 when I read it and I wish I had found it sooner.

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
by Marc Weissbluth, M.D.

Good luck! T.

Put her in bed at naptime and say goodnight. Walk out. Return two hours later. :-)

You are the parent. You decide when naptime starts and ends. She will fight at first but will eventually realize that naps are non-negotiable and will be a happy sleeper. Try to refrain from any activities that stretch out the getting into bed part. This will just make her learn the fine art of manipulation very early on and she will have you rocking her for an hour, singing her 10 songs, reading 15 books, nursing or drinking 3 bottles, etc.

If she is tired, plop her in bed and leave. Do it at the same time every day. She should be taking 2 naps a day. If you find that she has a hard time settling down for naps try putting her down a little bit earlier.

Best Wishes!

I used to give my daughter and sons headrubs as I read or told them a story. Makes them relax and have a restful sleep.

my little one started fighting naps, and I now try to run errands in the car around nap time so he falls asleep and then I can transition him to his crib after 20 minutes in the car, Sometimes I have to lay down with him in our bed and nurse to sleep and then I get a rest too- Not totally ideal especially when I do not need to go anywhere in the car, but I know he needs a nap so I do it- maybe this culd work for you
take care

Hi R.,
I too recommend reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. He does state that the CIO method is the FASTEST way to solve sleep problems but it isn't the only method he suggests. The two most important things I have found in teaching my daughter good sleeping habits was timing and consistency. An overtired baby doesn't fall asleep easily or stay asleep. At 9 months old my daughter was waking at about 6:30-7am, napping at 9am and 1pm for at least 1 hour in her crib, and asleep at night by 6-6:30pm. We co-slept for the first 2-3 months until I noticed that my hubby was the only one getting good sleep. The first night I put her in her crib in her own room she slept all night. You might try using her crib for naps and using a modified CIO as all the other things you've tried aren't working. I used the modified CIO with success and this is what I did. First, make sure you are setting the mood for sleep with a quiet, dark room. Then at the end of your nap routine, put her in her crib and leave. If she crys, wait 5-10 mins before responding and when you respond, try to soothe her without picking her up. Leave and wait 10-15 mins before responding if she starts crying again. Each time you need to respond, wait a little longer. You may try a picture projector with music. I found one at Target by Homedics that plays different sounds, has three different pictures, and a timer. I'm not sure if you are going to get her to nap without a little crying. One thing I will suggest is an early bedtime if you aren't already doing so. She should be sleeping at least 12 hrs each night. If you have questions, let me know.
Sincerely,
L.

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Does she still take multiple naps? Maybe she's ready to transition to one. Just a thought. Good luck.