Naps - WWYD?

[sleepymonkey]

DD is almost 13 months.  She has always been an inconsistent napper, but she usually takes 2 naps per day for anywhere from 40 min - 1 1/2 hours each.  For the past week or so, she has refused to nap in her crib for more than 20 minutes.  She will fall asleep in your arms and the second you put her down, she wakes up and starts crying.  She'll sleep for over an hour if you hold her, let her nap next to you on the couch or in bed, or drive her around in her car seat.  But she's just not digging her crib at naptime.  I am 99% sure it's separation anxiety but I don't know what to do.  Do we allow her to sleep where she wants at nap time or not give in and if she doesn't want to nap in her crib, then she doesn't take a nap?  Letting her cry it out is not an option because my parents watch her during the week and my mom refuses to let her cry for more than a minute.  Any advice?  Please tell me this is just a phase!

[bakingbetty]

Morning sleepymonkey !

I'm going to go with "just a phase" as you mentioned she's been consistent thus far. Though I sleep-trained my kids to get in their cribs and fall asleep themselves/self-sooth around 7mos, we always held them, rocked them, did whatever it took to help them during nap time when they were having a rough time and both of them went right back to being excellent self-soothers once the phase was over. Hang in there and wear that sweet little girl in an Ergo for naps if need be, this will pass soon!

[jbm]

It's a phase! We went through something similar, and when we came out of it, DS transitioned to taking one longer nap in the early afternoon. He was just about 14 months, I believe. So, maybe its just a transitional period? No matter what, it won't last forever.

[speedymarie]

Is she going through something? Teeth? Learning to walk? That stuff really screws with nap sleep.

[sleepymonkey]

Jan 20, 2015 16:14:11 GMT -5 speedymarie said:

Is she going through something? Teeth? Learning to walk? That stuff really screws with nap sleep.

Actually, she is just learning to walk right now.  And all she seems to want to do is practice walking - she isn't crawling as much and would rather just stumble 3 or 4 steps to get where she wants to go.  There could definitely be a correlation between learning her new skill and her crappy naps.  Maybe she just doesn't want to waste time napping when she could be practicing walking.  Hoping this is just a phase and will pass soon! 

[speedymarie]

Jan 20, 2015 16:23:16 GMT -5 sleepymonkey said:

Jan 20, 2015 16:14:11 GMT -5 speedymarie said:

Is she going through something? Teeth? Learning to walk? That stuff really screws with nap sleep.

Actually, she is just learning to walk right now.  And all she seems to want to do is practice walking - she isn't crawling as much and would rather just stumble 3 or 4 steps to get where she wants to go.  There could definitely be a correlation between learning her new skill and her crappy naps.  Maybe she just doesn't want to waste time napping when she could be practicing walking.  Hoping this is just a phase and will pass soon! 

Yep, their brains are working overtime on the new skill and it interupts their sleep rhythms. It sucks but it will pass. I'm of the "do whatever you have to" school of parenting, so if she needs held, I'd hold her, at least for one nap a day. But you have to do what works for you.

[wallyworld]

She might also be on the verge of only needing 1 nap...this was always a weird time for us.

[sassypantzz]

what is this nap you speak of?? WAHHH I miss naps.

But this sounds like DD when she dropped to one nap per day