How to Get Son to Nap in Crib Instead of Swing

Updated on October 14, 2008
H.T. asks from El Paso, IL
12 answers

My son is almost 8 months old and about 25lbs. He is quickly outgrowing his swing, which he has napped in for a while. Well now that he is outgrowing his swing I rock him to sleep and when he is in a deep sleep I then put him in his crib, as soon as I put him in his crib he wakes up and screams. I try to let him cry it out, but it is suck a sad cry that after 15-30 min I go get him and rock him back to sleep then just let him sleep on me. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get him to nap in his crib. He sleeps perfect in his crib at night. Any suggestions would help me out SO much!

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So What Happened?

I forgot I had this one here! My son is now almost 2 and I think it only took a few days before he started napping just fine. He wouldnt nap in his crib for the longest time, but I did get him to nap in his playpen in my bedroom. Then one day we just switched to the crib and he didnt fine. He is now out of his crib and in a toddler bed and naps wonderfully there. We switched him to a toddler bed when he was 1 1/2 since I am due to have another baby soon. He did wonderful! At first he would stay there until we came to get him, then he realized he could get out, still slept all through the night and got out of bed in the morning to wake us up. Since then he has only climbed out of his bed in the middle of the night a handful of times. So Thank You everyone for your suggestions and help with getting him to nap in his crib instead of his swing!

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D.G.

answers from Springfield on

Maybe when he wakes up , put a chair next to his crib and rub his head and take 1 finger and rub slowing from his forehead to his nose bridge. This works for my little son.Good luck
D.
www.Debs.ceofamilies.com

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C.L.

answers from St. Louis on

I did the Ferber method with my daughter. She was a litle younger then your son, but I'd give it a shot. Basically just put them in bed I always talk to her softly and tell her good thing sbout the day or tomrrow, kiss her and put her down. When she cried you wait about 2 minutes of crying, go in tell them it's ok cover them up and leave DO NOT PICK HIM UP. Then wait 4 mintues the next time and repeat, then 6 minutes etc... I increased my wait 2-4 minutes each time. It only took a few days before we had no problems. It's how I still handle it if she wakes, only I wait longer now. He will keep going at this point because he knows he will win.

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J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

Perhaps try using the same sleep routine at nap time as you do at night. That's what I do with my daughter and it has worked out great. Now when she gets tired she points to her crib!

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C.W.

answers from Champaign on

I read "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Dr. Weissbluth. It was amazing! My daughter, also 8 months, usually fusses for 1-2 minutes at nap time/bedtime. The book recommends a consistent routine and schedule. Then lay your son down in his crib while he is still awake and walk out of the room. At nap time, he says to let them cry for 1 hour, after that go in and then keep them awake until it's time for their next nap or bedtime. At night, do not set a time limit. Babies will learn to cry up until that limit. Hope this helps, the book goes into a TON more detail and has been very helpful for me. Everyone I've referred to the book has loved it.

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J.G.

answers from St. Louis on

My suggestion is to try taking two athletic socks (never worn) fill them with 3 or 4 cups of uncooked rice or flax seed. Before you rock your baby to sleep, warm them in the microwave for 2 minutes (make sure they're not too hot). Then wrap them in something that smells like you. When you are ready to lay him down, place one on either side of him. It creates the sensation that he is still being held, and he will sleep. I hope it works, crying it out is no fun!! Good luck!

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M.F.

answers from Springfield on

Maybe he has gotten used to the noise that the swing makes? Might try running it in his room while he drifts off to sleep. You might also try a fan in his room. Just a small one makes enough white noise to help out. My 2 and a half year old daughter still has to have her fan on at night, it saves me sometimes!!! Good Luck!

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M.L.

answers from Rockford on

My son used to be like that too but u need to leave him in his crib or begin putting him in his crib to begin with and I hate to say this but let him cry it out because we had my son's uncle living with us and he used rock him to sleep in a actual rocking chair so when he thought he was asleep he would stick him in his crib and then he would wake up and continue to cry until someone came in and held him. I kept getting after him and told him to put him in his crib and let him cry it out and now he does great sleeping in his crib.

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K.M.

answers from St. Louis on

I had a similar situation with my son. I ended up just letting him cry it out. It was so hard, but it does work. The first few times he would cry alot (30-45 minutes) but after a few days of this he got the idea that he was to nap in crib. Now he still fights it some days...crying for maybe 5 minutes and then falls sound asleep. We follow same routine everyday...lunch, then books, then nap in crib. I put him down and tell him it's nap nap time and leave the room. It is hard not to run in and rescue them when they cry. The first few times I would just lay downstairs on the couch and stare at my watch and say I would check on him again in 10 minutes and not go up a minute sooner. My son was about 9 months before he napped good in crib. Hope this helps.

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B.B.

answers from St. Louis on

You have got to end this bad habit asap. If he gets use to being rocked and swung to sleep, you are in for some REAL fun when he is 4 yrs old and still cannot go to sleep on his own without that stimulation. He should be able to put himself to sleep, ie self soothe. It is easier to start teaching them that from the beginning, but just because he is older does not mean he cannot be taught how to successfully do it. It has just made your job harder is all. You will need to have much patience, understanding, love and you will also have to be consistent and firm. He is actually old enough that you can talk to him and tell him what you are doing and he will understand you. This may sound bizarre being that he is a baby, but he is perfectly capable of understanding you...unless he is crying out of control and cannot be reached with words. You start by making sure there is a consistent and boring routine that he can count on where the clock reads the same time daily for each thing....feedings, nap times, play times, bed routine. Both bed and nap routine are best kept the exact same. So if you choose to sing, read, rock, whatever soothing thing you do before you lay him down for nap or bed do the same for both. Do not let him fall asleep while you are rocking or you will be stuck holding him for the duration of the nap as you have experienced which will later lead to a cranky kid that decides to stop naps altogether at an age when his body isn't quite ready to give it up. My 4 yr old still naps regularly and my 5.5 yr old just stopped regular naps shortly after turning 5 because I could sense he was ready.

I am one who does not like to let my babies cry, yet my babies have never really cried unless something was wrong. So that being said what worked for me was to do our routine and then tell them it was time to go to their bed. I had crib music for them which was a great help too. If they cried I would come and pick them up, holding them and taking 3-5 deep breaths sighing as I let each one out. This somehow got them to calm with me and relax. I knew then they were reachable with words. I told them it was time to go into their bed. I also added telling I would see them when the sun wakes up, but I had already established light and dark and looked out to see the dark and that meant the sun went to bed, etc. Trust me, they understand. When you make up your mind that you are going to be firm and not budge, your baby will sense this and be more accepting to your words. If your baby senses a hesitance that you are ready to run back and rescue and then GIVE IN, he will take you up on that too. Just be consistent with a routine, be firm, explain what you are doing and that you are there if he needs you and you will be amazed. It only takes about 3 days to get a routine established or bad habit broken. You can do it, be strong, hang in there. You are not a bad mommy for trying to help him learn good habits that will help him later. You can do it!

B. :)

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B.P.

answers from St. Louis on

My son is 5 1/2 mos old (and weighs over 20lbs - so I understand that your son isn't the lightest thing to have sleep on you!)and he does not nap well in his crib. He too sleeps just fine throughout the night there, but not during the day. So despite what articles and books say, I have separate day time nap spot for him (and its not just on me).

During the night I can let him put himself to sleep but during the day he wants to stay up no matter what - if I let him. So what I do, about 20 mins before nap time, I nurse him and begin rocking him or we lay down side by side on a pile of quilts I have for him on the floor. He doesn't crawl yet so its not an issue. If he is laying down, I lie down by him and pretend to close my eyes and lightly rub his back until he falls asleep. Other things I do include letting him play quietly beside me while I pretend to sleep and eventually he nods off too. Or I rock him until he's asleep and then lie down on the quilts to slide him off me and onto the blankets.

I don't know if this is helpful but I found having a separate daytime nap spot to be much easier that fighting with putting him in the crib during the day. He almost always gets consistent and long naps this way.

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G.N.

answers from St. Louis on

Have you gotten the swing out of his site, out of site out of mind. MY son did that for awhile to, he would fall asleep on me at nap time, I would put him in his crib and he would wake, I just started letting him sleep on the floor in whatever room I was in, or try this, when you put him to sleep in his crib, try taking the shirt off that you have on that day and laying it in his crib next to him. My son was waking at night several times when he was sick then he got better and still continued to wake, so I was so tired and aggravated one night, he wouldnt stay in his own crib, I just took the nightshirt off that I only had on an hour and put it in the crib with him and he slept the rest of the night.

Good Luck hope it helps ya

G.

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J.M.

answers from St. Louis on

Maybe try letting him sleep somewhere else for naptime. I am a nurse for a healthcare agency, and one of our patient's refuses to sleep in his bed for naps, because he associates that with night-time, and being there for 8 hours or so. His mom made a large pallet on the floor, and he sleeps on there for naptime. She bought two pieces of fleece material, sewed them together, and then stuffed them to make a soft pallet. I'm not sure if this will work, or not, but it might be worth a try.
Good luck,
J.

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