Need Help Getting 9 Month Old to Nap in Crib

Would it be possible for you to transfer his toys and activities to another part of the house so that he can understand that his room is for sleeping? This way, you can make a designated time to go in his room together to perhaps looks at books, sing lullibies, or rock in a chair to soft music. Then you will put him in his crib and leave the room. He will start to associate sleep with a routine that will train his memory so he knows what to expect. Also, remove the swing chair so that it's not a choice. "Out of sight, out of mind". If he notices, simply say, "It's all gone". When he wakes from his crib, take him to the place where his toys are and say, "Now that you're awake, it is time to play. Let's go over here...."
GOOD LUCK.

(P.S. I'm a trained Montessori teacher from birth to age 6.)

Hi J.,
Don't sweat the small stuff :) If your boy is napping well in the swing I wouldn't worry about switching him to his crib. My son (who is now 6) I was so anal about him being in his crib, not rocking him to sleep, not giving him a pacifier b/c of nipple confusion and blah, blah, blah. I was so uptight with him. Well...when my daughter came along 3 years later I totally changed my tune. I LET her stay in the nursery overnight at the hospital, gave her a pacifier right away, let her sleep in her swing during naps and at night for 6 months. She nursed for a year, never got nipple confusion and slept in her crib from 6 months and finally took her out at 3 (couple months ago) for a BIG GIRL bed. It all worked out ;) The first night in the crib was rough, she cried a lot, but I never took her out. I just rubbed her back, or if she was wet changed her diaper and put her right back with her pacifier. She stayed in there all night, but none of us really got any sleep. The next night she cried for about 5 or 10 minutes....then slept the whole night without waking up! From then on I could put her down at 8pm and she would sleep continuously until around 7 or 8am the next morning. So, don't stress over it. He can do it, and you can too ;) I would suggest starting at night changing to the crib, and then once that is succeful he will know the drill and the nap in the crib will fall into place as well. Good luck :)
Denise

J.-
A couple of other moms have asked sleep questions a few posts down so read the responses they got because it's all the same advice whether it's naptime or bedtime. You have to figure out a technique that works for you where you put him when his crib when you know he's sleepy and WALK OUT. Decide for yourself how often to go back and check on him (some say cry it out until he falls asleep, I say go in and check on him every few minutes) but either way it's important that you DO NOT PICK HIM UP AND TAKE HIM OUT OF HIS CRIB no matter how mad he is. Remember he is just mad and not in pain. He will eventually get exhausted and fall asleep, and within a few days of doing this consistantly he'll know that crib time means sleep time.

Hi, J.,

This might sound a bit trite, but consistency is always the best 'medicine,' particularly for very small children like yours. I remember the sleepless nights when my daughter (who turns 12 yrs old next week)did not want to go to bed without the comfort of her pacifier. However, she was nearly 4 yrs old, and we knew it was time! Sure, we endured nights of crying and bawling, but we never gave in, and eventually she got the message. The same occurred with our 8-year old son, who for the longest would only eat french fries and chicken nuggets. As soon as we stopped giving in to his will, he had no choice but to eat what the family ate or suffer the hungry consequences. When your little one wants to play or becomes energized once placed in the crib, sternly tell him that it's bedtime and lovingly kiss him goodnight. Most importantly, stick to the routine, and eventually he'll get the message.

Some kids are wired differently. Let me tell you about my oldest and you can see if it relates to you, and your situation. He never slept in his crib, always wanted to play, never seemed to want to go to sleep, even when I knew he was sleepy. He slept in a swing...until he was two. I used to let him fall asleep in it;then move him. My theory was, at least he was sleeping and was getting used to napping at certain times. Really what is the problem with letting him nap in a swing?
If you are adamant about moving him, try it this way. Put a sound machine in his room. Get him used to the sound for a few days. Do not try to move him yet. Then after the 5/6 day, give him time to fall asleep (20 mins) then move him. Keep his room cool and very dark at all times. My oldest was very stimulated by light; we had to make his room black. (He is 12 now and sleeps with one of those eye covers) If he wakes up, start all over. If he continues to wake up every time you move him, wait another 4-5 days and start all over. Give him time to get used to the cool and machine. All mine napped in the swing (I have 4) I did this with all of them, It was hardest with my oldest; probably because I was not as consistent, and was influenced by others opinions. Other three napped in swing till 1 yearish, then I did routine with them, and they were in bed ( until they got a cold or something, swing helped them breathe cause they were propped up and was soothing)

It is also not "your fault". Your child is a child and you do whatever works to make your household run smoothly . If he napped in a swing, and you were a better mother for it because you got to rest or whatever, that is the way it is. No apologies or blame. We all do our best and we as mothers need to stop beating ourselves up for things that we cannot change. He calmed down, you said. That is more important. Some kids don't self-soothe as easily as others. You are doing better by teaching him that there are ways to calm down than to let him be frustrated. To this day, 3 out of 4 of my boys will rock themselves when they are tired. They all say it makes them fell better. Maybe that is just what he needs.
Good luck. Let me know if you need to anything else I did.
L.

Have you try sleeping in a swing yourself? Isn't nice? It is so gentle, so smooth. What is wrong with it?

I'm with Denise!
Don't beat yourself up!
You do what you do...until it doesn't work anymore!
try moving the swing little by little closer to the crib...then you could even put the swing IN the crib...
then when you finally do away with the swing try putting him on his belly- he's old enough.
good luck!
it'll work out!

You didn't say if your son slept in his crib at night or not. I will assume he does. I also had my DD nap quite frequently in her swing when she was young and decided it would be better for her to nap in her crib (she is still... at almost 3 years old... an excellent napper!) My son never "took to" being in the swing much.

Just do it.

You need to be dedicated to being home, setting a schedule (ours was always a bit flexible) and putting him in his crib every time for sleeping. Hopefully you have a monitor and won't have to go in to disturb... if you do and he's up, naps over for the time being and wait until next nap and put DS down again, but only in the crib. He'll get used to it.
I honestly feel that they sleep better in their own cribs anyway. I'm sure within a few days you'll both love your new routine! Good luck.

PS I have a 9 month old son, too. At 22+ lbs, he's too big for his swing anymore! LOL

T. B

Well, first you need to be using the crib to at least spend some time in it to feel comfortable,during wakeful hours. Next you need to help your baby to be able to fall asleep on his own eventually. So after you feed him , you need to let him play for a while then when you know it's about time for him to need to sleep put him in his crib and let him play(without help or toys) till he drifts off to sleep. You need to keep doing this for every nap your home for. Darkening the room helps too, maybe some soothing music. A great book to read is The Baby Whisperer. Good luck... Kelly

J.,

The only thing that you can do and it may take some time is from the start of nap time is lay him in the crib with some soft music. Leave him there and see how it goes. Let me play, my sons used to play themselves tired and fall asleep. He will eventually figure out that it is nap time. Just be consistant and all will work out.

S.
35 y/o SAHM of 3 boys 13, 5 and 3

My kids always napped on their tummys. I was sure to check on them every now and then.