Naptime Throw Down....

Hi B....well this was actually my husbands solution. He downloaded her favorite cartoon music to his iPod (easier method buy a CD of her favorite songs). He plays "her" playlist and she loves it. She falls asleep so fast! I hope things work out for you..I understand how tired you can get from this!

I'd say you're pretty lucky! My three-year-old stopped taking a couple months ago...you made it to 4 1/2. The afternoons can be tough, but the good news is: 7:30pm bedtime!

Do you have a swing? When my son looks like he might be sleepy we put him in his swing and he falls asleep in there, or i try to tire him out and then hold him in my lap and watch some tv so we both relax, what i noticed was that if i was not relaxed, it makes it harder for the baby to relax. Good luck

He is a baby and needs YOU, please don't let him cry himself to sleep. A baby will stop crying after awhile because they know their needs will not be meet and no one will comfort them. I recommend reading Dr. Sears books on sleeping, www.drsears.com. Also, if he his fighting sleep he may be overtired. You need to put him down as soon as he shows signs of sleepiness.

At this age, my daughter did the same thing with naps and bedtime. I bought a book called The Sleepy Planet and bedtime became easy within a few days... naps took a little longer. It is hard to hear them cry but it will be worth it in the long run. Good luck!

At that age we started sleep training with our daughter. I used "Sleepy Planet" ideas & read a bunch of books. In the long run we just had to let her cry it out. It worked & now I get plenty of sleep!!! It sucks & it's hard but I promise it will all pay off in the long run.

What happens if you lay down with him, or lay him on you? What about letting him stay in a sling and sleep there? It could be that he's not content enough to stay down without you, or that he just needs a good release before he can relax. It's really really great that you are willing to stay with him while he settles down. I know it gets hard on the nerves. But it's o.k.; infant crying doesn't always need to be stopped, as long as they know you won't leave them when they're having a meltdown.

Hey Britt,

FYI, it is better to let him cry it out and fall asleep on his own, otherwise all he wants is YOU to put him to sleep :( how sad!

Good luck!