How do you get your 7-11 month old baby to nap?

Question

Do you just put them down? Do you have a little routine?

Ever since my 9 month old started pulling up he doesn't want to lay down for the morning nap but really needs it (he was sometimes taking a 3rd nap until then). So I started giving him a bottle and he goes to sleep with it. Is that what you do? I know it's not the best habit to get into but that's where we are.

Suggestions please :)

Answer 1

well, my 8-month-old doesn't pull herself up yet (thank goodness!!), but her naps have become a little less structured than they were before.  not sure why. her schedule just went poof!

she usually does two naps a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon -- the times now seems to vary.  honestly, i just put her down in the crib give her a blankie to hold on to and hug, and then i say, "go nap nap."  i shut the door and she usually talks to herself/plays anywhere from 5-20 minutes before falling asleep. i just let her be.  sometimes she will cry but it's because she's either not tired OR overtired.  if she's not tired, i'll take her out and try to put her down later. If she's overtired, i will let her cry for a bit because i know if i go in she'll just get excited and then she'll never sleep!  If i am DESPERATE I have been known to put her in her swing (which is just her infant carseat that attaches to a swing frame, so it's very safe).

there are good days and bad days -- i think the mix of teething and transitioning from bottles to solids messes up her schedule.  also, if her schedule is off for a few days in a row (like on weekends) i have to work at getting her back on track.

Answer 2

I did not give my son a bottle in bed ever.  As kids get older they do nap less.  Could it be that he is not ready for a nap at the same time he was before.  I think by this age my son took 2 naps instead of 3 and they were a little longer than before and then he went down to 1 nap for 2 hours per day.

Answer 3

i did the same thing the bedtime bottle is hard to break though. i had someone tell me to put water in it and they wouldnt want it anymore. when you lay your baby down just let them cry themselves to sleep, at first it will break your heart but after a about a week theyll understand that your not goin to get them and there gonna have to sleep. but instead of a bottle mine lays down with a sippy with water. laying them down with anything sugary can cause there teeth to decay before they even get them.  

Answer 4

Perhaps just giving him one nap a day might help. As children grow and learn new skills they are too excited to sleep. If he is ready for just one nap a day, try putting him to sleep after lunch, or around 12 o'clock

Putting him to sleep with a bottle allows puddles of milk to surround his gums and baby teeth creating cavities.

Try to get into a little routine, so he knows when it is nap time, whether you take him for a walk, eat lunch, rock, sing a song, it helps if it is the same each day, so he knows its nap time.  

Answer 5

My daughter is 10 1/2 months old.  About a half hour before she goes down for a nap, I let her have a bottle.  When she has drank all she wanted, I lay her down in her crib and she usually is out like a light within a few minutes....(it helps that she only gets a nuki at naptime and bedtime, so she actually likes going down for naps!)