I'm gonna lose my mind!

I can't take it anymore...suggestions please!

I'm going on 2 weeks of Jocelyn's 30 (sometimes 45) minute naps. I try to let her fuss for a while, but then the fusses escale into cries so much she totally wakes herself up and there is no going back. I've tried going in there at the 25 minute mark and wait for a single stir..then I gently insert the paci and step away so she can't see me. 25% of the time that works...the other times she'll squeal with delight to seem me and start squirming in her swaddle. I'll insert the paci and stand there with my hand on her chest (not looking at her) and sometimes hum the damn twinkle twinkle little star song for like 15 minutes (which is normal part of our bedtime/nap time routine) before I give up and just walk away and she'll continue to moan, fussy, fidget, squeal, chatter and if I let her do that...she'll eventually fall asleep but it takes like 30 minutes and then it's time for her to wake up anyway. I'm so frustrated.

She'll then be soooo cranky and miserable till the next nap and won't even make it to the next scheduled nap and be so flippin tired she's falling alseep early. Gavin on the other hand, takes 1 hr to 1 1/2 hour naps. I'm trying like all get out to keep them on the same eating/sleeping schedule. I don't know what else to do to help her sleep into the next sleep cycle for her own good.

I'm about to give her benedry for god sake!

I'm sooooo aggravated.

 

lol at the benedryl comment. Maybe she is a little over tired thats why she is having a hard time. Have you tried putting her down 10-15 mins before Gavin?

 

No I haven't tried for fear of her really waking up early and their schedules being totally off. If she was over tired, wouldn't she have a hard time falling asleep? When I take her for her nap, she almost always goes right to sleep without any fuss or hesitation. It's the keeping her alseep thing that is driving me insane...I don't know what else to do.

Benedryl...would that be cruel?

Frustrated.

 

I'm so sorry you are going through this! Our boys have no real nap schedule yet either and it's because they take at least 3 naps a day, often times 4 naps, that only last 30-45 minutes each usually. This past weekend Brandon was a horrible napper and never napped for more than 20-30 minutes, so I feel your pain! Because our boys' naps vary so wildly in time (occasionally one of them will nap for 1.5 to 2 hours) we have them nap in separate rooms, otherwise as soon as one awakes the other would awaken too since they aren't in a deep sleep like they are at night time. I've just accepted that our boys are going to have slightly different nap schedules, but they often times go down and wake within 15-30 minutes of each other, which isn't horrible for me. I do look forward to the day though that they consistently take 1 or 2 loooong naps of at least 90 minutes! These 3 or 4 cat naps a day x 2 babies is annoying!

 

We have been having a similar problem with our boys (fraternal also). I was giving them a nip of benedryl actually. I was too scared to tell the doctor tho! lol I found that it will help them fall asleep but it won't really keep them asleep. Once we started doing the cry it out process at night we also started applying it to naptime. They are at an age where you could start doing the cry it out process if you wanted to. It is hard on you but it will be good for them in the long run. Deffinately get the Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins book by Dr Weissbluth!

 

My DS has been doing this all week! He usually takes good naps and now he has decided to take these cat naps!! And he is so fussy! I am going crazy over here too!!!!

 

If they are overtired it could cause shorter naps.