https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 21 May 2026 02:47:16 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-do-you-just-give-up-attempting-a-nap#post-1920398 Wed, 29 Oct 2014 04:46:14 +0000 Bubbles 1920398@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sounds like she may be ready to drop a nap, DS dropped to 2 just before 6mo (which I think is a tad early - he has pretty low sleep needs), and it became so much easier to get him down. Once he was settled into a routine I never had to give up on getting him down for a nap as he knew it was time to sleep even if he fought it - but if he wakes really early from the nap I will try no more than 15 mins to get him back down, for both our sanity! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-do-you-just-give-up-attempting-a-nap#post-1920372 Wed, 29 Oct 2014 00:05:05 +0000 fussygal 1920372@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. D: That was SO us in the beginning! For the first 3.5 months she ate all.the.time. and had a hard time staying awake while eating so it was so easy to get her to sleep. I miss those days... :)</p> <p>@Vegmama: That's similar to what we were doing - the schedule worked pretty well for a few months! We kept her awake no more than 2.5 hours between naps, but lately if force them she doesn't stay asleep longer than 25 mins (I'm guessing she's not tired enough to stay asleep past one sleep cycle). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-do-you-just-give-up-attempting-a-nap#post-1920251 Tue, 28 Oct 2014 21:41:57 +0000 Zbug 1920251@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@fussygal: I think she dropped to two around 6 mo, but I sometimes had to work in a late afternoon catnap. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-do-you-just-give-up-attempting-a-nap#post-1920107 Tue, 28 Oct 2014 19:53:53 +0000 Mrs. D 1920107@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When she was really little and still nursing, she was a poor nurser. She was SOO SLOW! So, she often got so comfy that she fell asleep while nursing, and then woke up and wanted to finish feeding. It felt like I was constantly nursing. It wasn't until she got a bit older that I started setting naps, around the time I introduced solids between 4-6 months I think. Thank God for Canadian maternity Leaves! She had 2 naps for a long time, and now she's down to 1. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-do-you-just-give-up-attempting-a-nap#post-1920102 Tue, 28 Oct 2014 19:48:15 +0000 Dandelion 1920102@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I stopped trying anymore. He naps where and when he feels like it and I just let him get away with it lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-do-you-just-give-up-attempting-a-nap#post-1920085 Tue, 28 Oct 2014 19:31:18 +0000 catomd00 1920085@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>30 mins actively trying. Then I give her a book and toy in her crib for quiet time (because usually I need a break!) Sometimes she falls asleep, sometimes she doesn't. I let her play until she cries (can be up to an hour of quiet time which is awesome!) she is 8 months and has been taking 2 naps a day (1-2 hours each) since 6 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-do-you-just-give-up-attempting-a-nap#post-1920053 Tue, 28 Oct 2014 19:07:14 +0000 Vegmama 1920053@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@fussygal: 30 minutes ... Our doctor said an hour, but I don't have that much time! ;) We are still on 3 naps per day at 10 months. 1st and 2nd naps are 1.5-2 hours each, and her last nap is 30-45 min.</p> <p>Our max wake time at 7 months was 2 hours. Sleep scheduling was more effective than sleep training ... or I guess, it was just seemed like the most important part of sleep training. Up at 7, max wake time is 2.5 hours, max sleep time per nap is 2 hours. Repeat. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-do-you-just-give-up-attempting-a-nap#post-1920044 Tue, 28 Oct 2014 18:56:25 +0000 fussygal 1920044@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@daniellemybelle: @ScarletBegonia: hmmm, maybe we do need to try dropping to two! She just started taking a 1.5-2 hr nap in the AM within the last month and a half or so. It'd be great if the other ones were longer, too. That would make the transition much easier :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-do-you-just-give-up-attempting-a-nap#post-1920011 Tue, 28 Oct 2014 18:20:02 +0000 ScarletBegonia 1920011@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We dropped to two naps between 6 and 7 months. During that time we would play it by ear and it depended a lot on when he woke up. Now, regardless of when he wakes up we try and get him down for 9, and he will usually sleep 2 hours, then we keep him up minimum 3 hours unless he seems exhausted...so he goes down for his second nap between 130 and 230, and usually sleeps til 4. Then he's up for 3 hours before bed. I will say, his naps didn't start lengthening beyond 45 minutes until we sleep trained at night and he learned to put himself to sleep. On the rare occasion where I nurse him down now (only if its been too long since he had food last), he will only sleep 45 minutes. I think my son is crazy about sleep associations though, he can never stay asleep through more than one sleep cycle if he's been rocked or nursed to sleep.<br /> Good luck!! Hope you get to having more of a schedule soon! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-do-you-just-give-up-attempting-a-nap#post-1919997 Tue, 28 Oct 2014 18:10:36 +0000 daniellemybelle 1919997@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@fussygal: We dropped to 2 naps at 5.5 months. She was probably on the early side of ready but it was easier to find ways to keep her up &amp; entertained than fight with her &amp; squeeze in an afternoon nap. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-do-you-just-give-up-attempting-a-nap#post-1919910 Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:07:55 +0000 fussygal 1919910@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Zbug: She'll be 7 months tomorrow. We recently dropped from 4 naps last month to 3 (sometimes still 4 though). I try not to keep her awake for longer than 3 hours, and with a few of her naps being short-ish (~30-40 mins), that means there can be up to four naps. I'm scared to keep her awake longer and drop to two! :shocked: When did your LO drop to two? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-do-you-just-give-up-attempting-a-nap#post-1919884 Tue, 28 Oct 2014 16:54:54 +0000 Zbug 1919884@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>How old?<br /> When LO was a newborn, I didn't whatever I could to get her to nap - usually meant taking her on a walk. I knew she needed the sleep, and I would do whatever worked.<br /> As she got older, her nap fighting often meant she was ready to drop a nap. We switched to one nap when it became very didficult to get her to take an afternoon nap. I realized we were wasting much of the afternoon just trying to work in a nap and made the switch. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-do-you-just-give-up-attempting-a-nap#post-1919883 Tue, 28 Oct 2014 16:52:11 +0000 Mae 1919883@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I set a 30 min limit on trying before we take a break and try again later. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-do-you-just-give-up-attempting-a-nap#post-1919870 Tue, 28 Oct 2014 16:43:33 +0000 fussygal 1919870@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD used to be easy to get down for naps, usually by nursing to sleep. Since her feedings have become more spaced out, it's becoming increasingly difficult to get her to go down. Sometimes she allllmost nurses down but then sits up and it's a literal wrestling match to get her to stay in my arms as I bounce her asleep (please tell me I'm not the only one that has to wrestle my baby!! :( ). </p> <p>She's out pretty quickly once she settles so I know she IS tired, but sometimes it takes forever. Why do they fight it so much?! What did you do once it became difficult? I feel like crap "forcing" her into sleep. Maybe I should give up sooner and wait for her next (usually very tiny) sleep cue/window? </p>