How do you get your LO to take a nap?

DD will nap some days after a bottle but on others she refuses. Take today, for example. She is so tired...rubbing eyes, yawning, etc. I gave her a bottle. nope. Tried to rock her. nope. Put her in the swing. Nada. How do I get her to take a nap?

ETA: She is 9 months old

Message edited 12/22/2012 12:27:07 PM.

Re: How do you get your LO to take a nap?

How old is she?

I have been putting my boys down for naps and bedtime while awake but tired since they were about 5/6 months old. They put themselves to sleep. Sometimes right away. Sometimes they play in their cribs for a bit.

Re: How do you get your LO to take a nap?

How do you get your LO to take a nap?

Do you keep toys in the crib with them?

How do you get your LO to take a nap?

DD is 8 months. Since about 3 months, I've been putting her down awake with white noise and the soothe and glow seahorse for music and a little light (it stays on for 5 minutes). She eats when she wakes up except for her last feeding which is right before bed of course. I usually cuddle her for a minute and sing a quick song like twinkle, twinkle before I put her down but that's it. She sometimes cries for a minute but then she goes to sleep.

Re: How do you get your LO to take a nap?

when my DD was around that age i decided enough was enough and she HAD to start taking a regular nap. i started putting her into her crib awake and letting her cry. if the crying went on for more than 5 or 1o minutes, id go in, try to soothe her, give a paci etc. it took a little while, and often times id give up and take her out if she cried more than 10 minutes, but then one day she cried for a few minutes and then it stopped. and she was asleep! and it was the best day ever! so i say keep at it, keep a routine and hope for the best! my DD still keeps that same nap and she is now 18m.

Re: How do you get your LO to take a nap?

I just put him in his crib, turn on his mobile, turn his sea horse on and say "Have a good nap", and close the door behind me. He is usually asleep in 5 minutes. It didnt start out that easy. I had to do the ferber method for a little over a week, but I was always consistent. Eventually it worked. I ntoice the times he got sleepy, and made those nap times. He goes down at 8:00am, 12:00 and 4:00pm. He will sleep anywhere from 35 minutes -1 hour and a half.

ETA- Ds is 10 months and we started nap training around 7 months.

Message edited 12/22/2012 1:14:42 PM.

Re: How do you get your LO to take a nap?

Re: How do you get your LO to take a nap?

I did CIO

Re: How do you get your LO to take a nap?

At 9 months she needs 2 naps a day. I'm surprised she's even functioning come 4/5:00!

Try a consistent routine. Same things in the same order every nap time. If you want a nap after the bottle: give her her bottle, tell her it's time for a nap. Sing her a song on the way upstairs (same song every time). Put her in her sleep sack, give her a pacifier if you want. Give her a favorite toy to hold. Put on the noise machine. Rock her and sing her a song. Put her in her crib. Let her try to sleep for about 20 minutes. If she's screaming, take her out, wait an hour, and do it all again the same exact way. She'll fall asleep eventually. Do it the same way next nap time, and the time after that. She'll figure out that all of those things lead to a nap. Just be consistent. It'll be a hard few days when she's figuring it all out, so choose a time when you're going to be able to just stay home all day. But it will be so worth it. My DD is 15m and now I say to her, "Want to go upstairs and take a nap?" and she runs to the stairs and starts climbing up herself, to get to her room.

Good luck!