My husband and I are going to lose our minds.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We've tried putting him down the first cue of tiredness, the half way point and when he becomes fussy.
Is there something we're missing? Not trying? HELP.
Also - bedtime is never this dramatic. JUST naps.