https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 10 Apr 2026 08:33:02 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2750173 Wed, 21 Jun 2017 09:59:57 +0000 Asti 2750173@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs marshmallows<br /> How did you find out what time was the best to put him dowo for a nap? I'm still struggling to find the perfect time </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2707035 Tue, 07 Mar 2017 15:39:30 +0000 Mrs. Marshmallow 2707035@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SteelerGirl: I took her class! It was super helpful, but we kind of slacked on a couple of tips (which she warned about!) and then he was over 12 weeks, and we were doing well, but the length of his sleep deteriorated and he started this major freak-out thing over naps! </p> <p>@Dahlia: we've really come to realize this over the past couple of weeks!</p> <p>So update! </p> <p>Things are going much much better. We've come to realize he needed to be awake longer... he has a sweet spot currently of about 1 hour 52 minutes (seriously.) of being awake and then we know it's time for a nap. We've remained consistent with how we put him down, and the crying is much much much better. There are occasionally a few naps that are a bit more of a challenge, but for the most part he's sleeping better.</p> <p>Night sleep still isn't great, but he's back to being up twice a night on average, so I'll take it. Now, if only that second time he wakes up he'd quit this weird new thing where he wakes up when I put him down, I change him because I don't know what else to try, even though he's not that wet... and then have to shush/feed/try again to get him to sleep. </p> <p>Thanks for all of your input while I was in the desperate trenches!! If anyone reads this in the future out of desperation - just keep trying, just keep going... this too shall pass! Your hard work will eventually pay off! </p> <p>Also, side note today is just a weird unicorn of a nap day. We're on nap #3 of the day at 3:30 and the first two were 1.5 hours long!! I'm curious to see what happens with this third one. Babies are weird. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2707023 Tue, 07 Mar 2017 15:31:46 +0000 Dahlia 2707023@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Marshmallow: When DD was about that age she was fighting nap time SO hard like you mentioned. So I decided I would nurse her to sleep for one weekend so I could figure out when she actually needed to go to sleep. Every time she'd get fussy I'd take her upstairs and nurse her. If she fell asleep I'd note how long it had been since she woke up, and if she needed we'd go back downstairs and play again. Turns out that in our desire to avoid over tiredness, we were putting her down way too early. She needed to be awake about 2 hours. To this day, if she's REALLY fighting bedtime it's always because we're trying too early. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2707008 Tue, 07 Mar 2017 14:56:38 +0000 SteelerGirl 2707008@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Two things:<br /> For awhile I was going through this, and then one day when my husband took over he just *didn't* put our daughter down for a nap and she ended up falling asleep in her bouncy seat all on her own. It made me realize I was way over thinking it and probably trying to put her down too early (so the crying was resisting).</p> <p>Cara's method (takingCarababies.com) of the 5 S's was also a game changer for us. She explained putting baby on their side facing away from you so you're eye contact isn't stimulating them is important. Also, the "shaking" is really more like a jiggling- like a bobblehead. I found doing it on an exercise ball was easiest.</p> <p>Very quickly we got to the point where we just used the 5 S's to calm her, but we put her down still awake and she went to sleep on her own. Now she's 6 months and we don't even need the 5 S's anymore. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2702714 Fri, 24 Feb 2017 16:10:55 +0000 Mrs. Marshmallow 2702714@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SweetiePie: Thank you for checking in! Yesterday was a doozie, and then he was up a crap ton overnight. </p> <p>I work from home, and my husband is the daytime parent, and he's been fighting me on the "he needs to go to sleep sooner" thing. So I let him do his thing today.... and well, nap times have been much better... he has cried super minimally, and napped at least 30 minutes every time he has gone down... but awake 2 hours and put down first sign of fussiness (vs. red eyebrows, yawning), and then happy and awake. So I don't know. I'm letting him do his thing today because yesterday was too exhausting haha</p> <p>He usually naps for 2 hours in the afternoon, which he hasn't done, but he's had 3 naps so far. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2702602 Fri, 24 Feb 2017 14:16:23 +0000 SweetiePie 2702602@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Marshmallow: hi! Just wanted to check in and see how things are going.<br /> And remind you that new routines/solutions (like a shorter wake time) can take a few days to start working, so whatever you decide to do just be consistent for a few days. Even if it seems like it's not working. If it's still crap after a few days of consistency then you can switch it up again. </p> <p>Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701864 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 15:24:09 +0000 MrsSRS 2701864@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Another vote for trying sooner, and also another vote that one of my children seemed to need to cry a bit, then would relax and fall asleep. If you're right there I think he knows he's with you and safe, he just needs to express his displeasure and maybe that's ok. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701787 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 14:30:52 +0000 Mrs. Marshmallow 2701787@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SweetiePie: No, it wasn't repetitive for me! I liked your wind down suggestions :happy: Thank you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701786 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 14:28:26 +0000 SweetiePie 2701786@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Marshmallow: Doh, I just read your one reply that you tried 45 mins. Sorry my advice was a little repetitive. But I do think including wind down and routine in that wake time was helpful for us so maybe that will help. </p> <p>Keep us posted! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701756 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 14:20:34 +0000 Mrs. Marshmallow 2701756@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SweetiePie: Thank you! That's a great idea to try also! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701750 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 14:18:08 +0000 SweetiePie 2701750@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Marshmallow: you got some good advice already but I wanted to add that my son at that age couldn't go more than an hour awake and if we kept him up past that he was a disaster crying until he was red/purple in the face. And same thing, he was a great sleeper otherwise. So just want to throw out there that every baby is different and while 1-2 hours is the range they give, they can still fall outside of that. For a while he couldn't even do more than 45 mins!</p> <p>Maybe try an hour wake time and see what happens. And for us that was an hour and he was in BED, including wind down and routine. Not an hour and then started the routine. </p> <p>I would go into his dim room and turn the sound machine on a good 10 mins before actual bedtime. So basically at the 45/50 min mark of awake time. That gave me time to change him, get him in his sleep attire (swaddle and then eventually Merlin), rock him a little all in the dim room with the sound machine and gentle voice.. So that by the end of that 10 mins he was pretty decompressed, relaxed and ready. </p> <p>You may have tried these things already, just throwing some things out there that I can remember from those days. :-) Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701721 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 13:53:35 +0000 winniebee 2701721@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Marshmallow: my first son definitely cried a lot before naps! just try to remember that crying and fussing makes US the parents uncomfortable, but it is a baby's natural way of communicating. hang in there! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701712 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 13:48:12 +0000 Mrs. Marshmallow 2701712@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: Thank you for this perspective, I guess I had never considered that he *needed* to just cry and wail in order to be ready for a nap! Once he's down he's a great sleeper... it's the getting down that royally sucks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701692 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 13:26:52 +0000 gingerbebe 2701692@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So some kids just need to blow off steam before going to sleep. DS1 is like that - he pretty much needed to wail for like 10 minutes before rolling over and going to sleep every single nap when he was that age. But he would sleep like 2+ hours when he napped. Bedtime he usually went to bed without a peep but naps he just needed to yell before going to sleep. I don't know why. It wasn't until he was almost 18 months he stopped for every nap, but even at almost 30 months he has to have a fit about 25% of the time for 1 minute after I leave. Most of the time now he just sings (bellows actually at the top of his lungs) really loudly for a few minutes to blow off steam and then goes to sleep. </p> <p>At 3.5 months waketimes for my kids were both right at 75 minutes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701688 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 13:19:51 +0000 Mrs. Marshmallow 2701688@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winniebee: Thanks, I definitely know it's a phase and that's what gets me through this, but it's the distress, I hate seeing him so upset. I have no idea how to set up a routine so that he doesn't immediately freak out over a nap. We started trying to put him to sleep today 45 minutes after he woke up, and he ended up being awake for 2.5 hours before we got him to sleep (fed him twice attempting to get him to sleep, changed him, let him play). He finally fell asleep on the 5th attempt. I just don't get it. It's especially hard because I would like to avoid CIO down the road if at all possible, and I already feel like we're doing that, but while we're holding him... it's just awful to watch/listen to </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701685 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 13:15:34 +0000 winniebee 2701685@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Marshmallow: okay - just remember it's all a phase - he'll start napping better around 6 months anyways! just follow the path of least resistance until then </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701679 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 13:10:01 +0000 Mrs. Marshmallow 2701679@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winniebee: that doesn't work either, if he falls asleep nursing during the day, he wakes up after he's done like it's a catnap. He sleeps better if we power through him crying in our arms for 5-15 minutes until we can get him down. </p> <p>@mrsbubbletea: I definitely feel this way too... but we just can't wear him, drive him around, or take him for walks every single time he needs to nap... so we power through the screaming to get him to sleep (never leaving him in his crib/bassinet crying, it's always in our arms). </p> <p>We do the 5S's comforting him, holding him, often he won't take his pacifier (unless we put gripe water on it). The pacifier is usually what calms him, but he often refuses it, or pushes it out within a minute and the crying starts over again. I'm just not sure what to do so that we can gently prepare him for nap time, even if we had to rock him to sleep, I'd be okay with it, the crying is just very very stressful to listen to! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701671 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 12:55:06 +0000 mrsbubbletea 2701671@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thats what I was gonna say too, that I really didnt stress too bad about sleep habits when they are that little. You can try to do it "the right way" once or twice and then when you see its not working, do whatever you can to get him to sleep! Cause the cycle of over tiredness during the day will start and each nap will be progressively tougher! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701662 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 12:47:36 +0000 winniebee 2701662@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We nursed to sleep until around 10 months! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701656 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 12:40:46 +0000 Mrs. Marshmallow 2701656@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@winniebee: anywhere from 1 hour - 2 hours </p> <p>@mrsbubbletea: I think we've tried, this but perhaps we can try EVEN sooner. It just seems like it's the *cue* of we're going to try and put you to sleep now is what makes him meltdown. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701654 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 12:36:48 +0000 winniebee 2701654@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think my kids' awake times was only 1.5 hours at that age. WHat are his awake times? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701653 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 12:36:13 +0000 mrsbubbletea 2701653@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Marshmallow: Can you try predicting when the tired cues show and doing it like 15 min before that? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nap-time-for-a-35-month-old#post-2701647 Thu, 23 Feb 2017 12:31:44 +0000 Mrs. Marshmallow 2701647@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My husband and I are going to lose our minds. </p> <p>Our son is 15 weeks old and hates nap time. Once he is asleep, he is a good napper... but getting him to sleep is a feat of epic proportions. </p> <p>We've tried routines to gently prepare him for naps, we've tried sleep sacks, the Merlin suit and swaddling. We've tried getting him ready for the nap in different locations. Crib, bassinet. It all results in the same dramatic red face crying meltdown before we can calm him to a drowsy state, and he can actually fall asleep on his own once he's calm enough... but the lead up is very taxing on us. </p> <p>The amount of times I've given him gripe water because I'm desperate to just get him to calm down because I hate seeing him that distressed... I've lost count. </p> <p>The exception is that he will nap if we go for a long drive, wear him in a wrap or go for a walk in the stroller. The issue is we can't always do this, and we want him to learn how to nap and are hoping this is just a phase. The swing and/or mamaroo also don't work. </p> <p>We've tried putting him down the first cue of tiredness, the half way point and when he becomes fussy. </p> <p>Is there something we're missing? Not trying? HELP. </p> <p>Also - bedtime is never this dramatic. JUST naps. </p>