Napping in a pram

[missyelliott]

Hello

I can't seem to get my baby (nearly 6 months) to nap for more than about 30mins in the pram. It doesn't matter at what time or whether i am on the move or stationary. 30 mins and that's that.

Makes lunchtime pram naps more and more tricky. I do try to do 2 or 3 a week at home but i really don't want to be stuck at home everyday. Tried the snooze shade but it makes no difference.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated

Many thanks

Catherine

[oimissus]

I think at this age Miss Oi had one long nap (90 mins) in the morning at home, and two 30 min naps at lunchtime and around 4pm, either at home or in the pram. She didn't settle into the long lunchtime nap until she was nearly 1, the little minx.

I think as long as she's getting enough sleep it doesn't really matter how. But as they get older you are more tied to the house, that is a fact. Once I'd got my head around that it was OK, meant I could have a nap too, or get things done, or just read my book!

[bobby's bear]

My almost six month old only naps for 30-45 mins at a time three times a day irrelevent of where we are (sling / buggy / cot) she is my second and number one did this too, only settling into longer naps from about 7 months despite trying everything under the sun. So I would say wait and it should sort itself out in time IME.

[Fuschia]

Does she wake crying? Have you tried resettling her when she wakes? (I presume so)

[KateW]

At 6 months, my daughter just started to be able to resettle herself after one sleep cycle and so she started sleeping a good 2 hours at lunchtime (following a shorter 30-40 min nap in the morning, which I woke her from). She was never able to sleep longer than one sleep cycle in the pram or car, she just seemed quite sensitive to noise and light. So, from about 6 months I made sure we did her big sleep at home, in a blacked out room and she would sleep 2 hours easily. I used to love the time to myself and often just slept or read or watched tv. Bliss.

[Pickle]

My 1 year old doesn't nap in the pram, and hasn't done so since she was a few months old. However she sleeps 2+ hours in her cot after lunch which for me is perfect, enables me to get dinner organised and have some chill out time before getting the other kids from school.

[missyelliott]

Thanks for all your replies. Yes Fuschia she does often wake crying. I do try to resettle her but she doesn't go back to sleep. She is yawning etc but her eyes are so alert and awake. We do seem to get good nights so I am not at my wits end I just find it frustrating for her and me as she can melt down later.

I agree with you KateW. I am trying to get better at enjoying the time at home. Just difficult when you want to make plans or need to so things out and about.

[BeccaL]

Mine did the same - I got very good at preparing whatever I was going to do with my half hour of peace before I put her down for her nap, whether it was something exciting like housework or more interesting like a cup of tea and a magazine on the sofa. That meant that the moment she was down I could do it - tea already made, magazine and biscuits ready, you get the picture!

You could set a clock by her half hour naps when she was little - v frustrating when other babies were doing 1-2 hours but it did get better as she got older

[alieh]

Mine was a great napper in sling and pram until 4 months but from then on, forget it. So frustrating because I had a toddler to entertain. My first would ONLY sleep in buggy - they got it the wrong way around!

That book Healthy Sleep Habits Healthy Child talks exactly about this phenomenon - after about 4 months it is difficult to get many babies to sleep properly on the go.

Quite quickly we got down to one shorter nap in the AM (which we could do in sling or buggy) and then always be home for longer lunchtime nap in cot. Then for a while also a shorter nap at 4 pm or so, which I could also usually get away with doing on the go.