Friday, July 29, 2011

Naps...or lack thereof

 I've been having a harder and harder time getting Evie down for naps lately.  I know that this is most likely a "me" problem, not an "Evie" problem.  We did Ferber right around 6 months for nighttime sleep.  I don't think it worked the way it was supposed to.  Things kept coming up that made it impossible for us to stick to the routine, like ear infections, teething, me not wanting to let her cry anymore....  For a while, I felt like she had just been crying in her crib from the beginning of January to the middle of March.

I gave up.  In the meantime, our daycare person managed to start getting Evie to nap.  She let her cry, but never for more than 20 minutes.  It took a few weeks, but she was napping better.  She had never been a good napper before.  I will take most of the blame for that.  I didn't have a very good nap routine when I was home with her on my maternity leave.  Our first daycare provider never really got her into a routine either.  It's a really long, boring story, but in the end we left that daycare mostly because of the "nap problem."

Around Mid-June/early July, Evie finally started sleeping through the night.  We didn't do Ferber/CIO, it just sort of happened when I cut out her night time feeding.  I think she was just ready for it.  That was also when she started napping poorly.  I don't know if they are connected or not...but I really like sleeping all night after not sleeping all night for 11 months.  The naive side of me thinks that maybe she'll just start napping better when she's ready, but I know that probably not the case. 

I will admit that I still rock her to sleep before I put her down.  I feel like if I don't, it's the beginning of World War III, and the nap definitely won't happen then.  I've tried to let her cry it out, but it's never worked.  She works herself into a frenzy, and how could anyone sleep after that?  (I'm talking about 45 minutes of screaming/crying.  I had to vacuum to get myself through it.  I couldn't stand to listen to her.)  I'm really nervous about going back to school at the end of August.  I'm worried that our daycare person will have a horrible time with her, and Evie will suffer through crying most of the day while I'm gone.

Side note: I know many people would recommend a new daycare, but she does a great job overall.  She is very caring with Evie, but she takes care of three other kids as well, and Evie can't monopolize her time.  

Has anyone tried Ferber/CIO for naps?  What were your results?  Did your little one get themselves so worked up?  Any other tips??? 

Evie had her 12 month check up today and I talked to the pediatrician about it.  He gave some non-specific information, and basically said that she'll start napping better when I start "tough love,"  meaning I should let her cry.  I just don't know if I can do it.


On a high note, Evie no longer has a milk allergy!  The doctor removed the diagnosis because she eats cheese and yogurt without any problems. I also have her height and weight update.


Weight: 19 lbs. 3 oz. (a little on the small side.  She's my peanut!)

Height: 29 inches (right at the 50th percentile)

1 comment:

basebell6 said...

i truly believe sleep issues are the #1 challenge in kids / parents ages zero through three. actually they are the #1 call to pediatrician offices [my MIL is a nurse who fields those questions]. all kids are different so there is no true solution. i did CIO for nights but not naps. tried a couple times and failed miserably. i would put him in bed, go ride the exercise bike in the basement so i wouldnt hear him screaming. did this a few weeks and he still screamed for like 45 minutes or more. guess i'm never "quite" sure if he's ready for a nap, i mean yeah he rubs his eyes and yawns and stuff but it is still questionable to me if it is "the magic moment". without that certainty, i just couldnt justify putting him in bed to scream endlessly. we've finally got a pattern where i calm him down, see a yawn, then nurse him to sleep but i know i've created a bad sleep association that will need fixed when i quit nursing. :(

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