Baby Refusing to Take Naps!

As she gets older she is going to need less sleep. You could try doing just one nap in the middle of the day instead of two separate naps. That way she'll probably be tired enough to take a good nap in the middle of the day and maybe she'll go to bed earlier because she's not napping soo close to bedtime. My daughter usually wakes up at about 9am. She lays down for a nap about 2:30 or 3:00 and then she's ready for bed at 10:00 or 10:30. Just because she's young doesn't mean she has to have an early bed time. Try putting her to bed the same time you go to bed. hope some of this helps. good luck with the little one.

buy or borrow from the library- the book healthy sleep happy child.

the author is a pediatrician. babies need sleep -they can easily get overtired and seem energized when really they are exhausted. Your daughter should probably be in bed long before 9 or 10 at night.

I believe the book recommends 6 or 7 as bedtime for babies. I swear by the book.

J.
Is this your first baby.. Your the boss. If u want her to take a nap just put her in her crib and eventually she will go to sleep.. If you do not wanna hear her cry or something like that then go outside with monitor on silent and just watch the lights. You will know if she is still awake. Then u have kids that do not need much sleep! So good luck! Summer is here u guys will be busy with stuff.
C. S.

Hey sweety hang in there. My 11 month old son did that as well, and if I remember correctly he did it around 7 months as well. I expressed my concern to the doctor because I didnt think he was getting enough sleep and the doctor just laughed. Saying so sorry for you. She said that there was really nothing I could do to make him nap longer. The only suggestion she gave me was to come up with a routine and stick to it. Also to get him used to falling asleep on his own. I personally couldnt bring myself to leave him in the room and let him cry it out. I always felt like he thought he had done something wrong. I also felt that making such a dramatic change was way to much to ask of him especially when I dont believe that he understood. So I took baby steps. I have always just laid him down for his naps and he will whine for about 5-10 mins. and then either play for another 5-10 mins. and be out or just simply be out so the only thing I needed to change was making sure that I got him up at the same time everyday and put him down for naps around the same time everyday. I also started a bedtime routine which consisted of dinner followed by a bath then a bottle then a little playing, then go through the house pick up all his toys turn off the lights, turn the tv down, say goodnight to Daddy, then I would pace his room with him for about 15 mins. humming and whispering sweet little things in his ear, then came the hard part. Laying him down in the crib before he was asleep. The first night he cried and cried. I couldnt bring myself to leave the room but I did not pick him back up and this lasted for about a half hour then he finally fell asleep. After a few nights of this he stopped crying when I laid him down and now I dont even have to pace back and forth with him. He doesnt even want me to. He knows when it is time for bed and when I lay him down tell him I love him and give him a kiss goodnight he starts to put himself to sleep and I leave the room immediately. I must tell you though try not to rush or push the issue though. Remember they are only this young ONCE and honestly the first time I tried to get him to put himself to sleep, a couple months ago, he would scream for an hour or so. I gave up I didnt feel he was ready and I didnt want to rush him. I wanted to make sure that he felt loved comforted and secure. On top of that I also believe he was starting to teeth during that time as well because about a month later he got all four of his top teeth in at once. And one thing I know about my son is that whenever he is uncomfortable he clings to me and needs me that much more. So just try to relax and cherish this time when your baby needs you and wants you because before you know it baby will be all grown up with a life of her own. Also my son is now back to taking long naps again. So try to pay attention to what baby is telling you and for now I would take full advantage of that 15-20 mins you get. I can say I know how that feels. I am also now 4 months pregnant with my second one. So I would try and sneak in a small nap during that time. Thank god he is out of that stage for now. Anyhow good luck I hope that I was helpful in some way. And you can email me if you have any further questions. Just remember try not to push things to happen so quickly every baby is different and has different needs and does things at different times. Let us know how it turns out.

She probably still needs a morning nap and is getting overtired by the afternoon. Read the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth. It's not the easiest read, but really has some great information about the importance of sleep and baby's sleep patterns. He says a baby isn't ready for one nap until almost a year. The less sleep they get the crazier they become, that's probably why she can't settle down until so late at night. He also suggests a VERY early bedtime, between 6-8pm. It sounds crazy, but my youngest was always ready for bed at 7:00pm and would sleep 12 or more hours. Just be ready for some protesting from your baby, it's hard but sometimes you just need to try and adjust their patterns. Good luck!

Hi J.! I definetely agree with what Laura and Lisa said. The baby needs a lot of sleep. I believe at 7 mos, they still need 10 - 14 hrs of sleep in a 24 hr period. Crying actually helps them become tired and able to sleep. So, if you need to put her in her crib and let her cry, its not going to hurt her. My daughter is only 4 mos, but has been fighting her sleep since she was 2 mos!!! She does sleep very well through the night (most nights), but naps ARE a struggle!! I let her cry - usually its only for 10 minutes, and she ends up falling asleep. But she is like your daughter - only catching those cat naps!
Now that its been nice out, I've been taking her for walks, and the fresh air seems to help her sleep more!!
Good luck!
~L.

She is coming more aware of her surroundings and would probably rather discover things and play than sleep. I have trouble with my 9 month old too. I just lay in bed with him and eventually he settles down. Sometimes it take 15-20 minutes. He does this at night when it is time for bed every night. I offer him to nurse and if he doesn't want that then I just let him know that we are staying in bed until he goes to sleep and that is that. He eventually settles down and goes to sleep.

As far as a bedtime. It depends on your schedule. My son doesn't go to bed until 10:30 or 11 pm. But that is because we sleep until 9:30 or 10 am each day. A 7 or 8 pm bedtime is okay if you are getting up at 7 or 8 the next morning. Otherwise, forget the early bedtime.

And don't feel bad if you don't want her to cry it out. There is no way in hell I would do that to my son. I believe in the no cry method. They are only small for so long, so just cuddle her and love her as much as you can now. She needs the comfort from you.

Hi J.,
Both of my boys went through stages like this. Although neither one of my boys took that long of naps ever. They would take about an hour of so nap. They always slept really well at night though so it didn't bother me to much. Do you have a bedtime routine. That might help at night. It is probably a phase and within a couple weeks will be sleeping again. Good luck.
Chris