need help with afternoon naps!!!

Ok, so our mornings are great...we get up at 7am..have bottles, get dressed and play until 9am, down for a nap...generally lasts about 2 hours and we get up at 11am, have bottles, get changed play....I've been trying to get them to nap at 1pm, but they wake up after a half hour and won't go back to sleep! I'm going nuts!

It's exhausting trying to figure out what to do with them when they are up so long...and by their 3pm bottle they are cranky and will hardly eat anything and DS has a major crying fit for about an hour then falls asleep about 4pm for an hour.

I desperately need some help figuring out my afternoons! I need them to have at least an hour in the afternoon or they end up being so cranky that I end up crying with them every day because I don't know what they want.

Any advice?

 

Ok, so our mornings are great...we get up at 7am..have bottles, get dressed and play until 9am, down for a nap...generally lasts about 2 hours and we get up at 11am, have bottles, get changed play....I've been trying to get them to nap at 1pm, but they wake up after a half hour and won't go back to sleep! I'm going nuts!

It's exhausting trying to figure out what to do with them when they are up so long...and by their 3pm bottle they are cranky and will hardly eat anything and DS has a major crying fit for about an hour then falls asleep about 4pm for an hour.

I desperately need some help figuring out my afternoons! I need them to have at least an hour in the afternoon or they end up being so cranky that I end up crying with them every day because I don't know what they want.

Any advice?

 

just a suggestion... but try putting them down for a nap 1/2 hour earlier. both in the am and for the afternoon nap. That way they have enough time to settle in before it's time to eat again. You'll figure it out! or they will!

 

Are you on 4 hour feeds? How do you get them down in the morning? Are they yawning when you put them down, or have they already gone into overstimulated mode?

I do SO understand. I have to fight with my boys to get them down. I found that timing is everything. If I can catch them between the first yawn and the os mode, they go down fairly easily and sleep for about an hour. We still cat nap in the evenings and then sleep through the night.

 

We went through this. Try putting them down at 1:30. Sometimes I think they need that extra tiredness to get them to nap longer. And stay consistent, and stick with it! It sounds like you are already doing that. Just stick to it, and eventually they will get it. It took a few weeks for me to train my girls but the effort paid off.

 

I am having a hard time myself! We were doing so well... 2 naps, one in AM and one in PM and for some reason this week... the PM nap has gone to pot. About time they fall asleep they need to wake up for the nightime routine. I wish I could offer advice. My only hope and reason is maybe teething... ?? Although your kids are only 4 months but you never know...

 

Thanks...I am so glad I'm not the only one! Well, no meltdown today...neither of them really wanted to eat though.

Yes, we're on 4 hour routines. I do the same thing for the afternoon as I do for the morning so I'm not sure what it is. I think I will try waiting an extra half hour to see what happens.

I think the reason they won't eat is because they are overtired. Sigh, it's tough being a mommy!

 

Oh, one more thing to add ...

I saw a big difference when I added a "lunch" to our solids. I started out feeding solids twice a day, 8am and 5pm. Then I started doing at 12pm, and it helped extend their afternoon nap to 2 hours. If you're feeding solids that might be something to keep in mind.

 

I think sometimes if they are overtired they don't sleep as long. I was going to suggest try putting them down at 12:30 and see what happens.

 

Mine also have a good morning nap and a weaker afternoon nap. Their afternoon nap is quite inconsistent. Sometimes they'll sleep an hour and sometimes they're awake after 30 min. I don't have any suggestions . . . just wanted to let you know that I feel your pain.