Hi & welcome to the forum

Apparently different parts of the brain control day & night sleep so it's quite common to have a baby that settles well at night but struggles with naps. Your little one has become reliant on you cuddling him to sleep for naps but you're right that it would be much better in the long run if he learned to self settle.

The answer is to persevere with using the same settling method as you use at bedtime for naps & although it'll take a while to work, it'll mean much better naps in the long run. It's also likely Thomas can now manage longer periods awake before needing a nap so try putting him down for a nap 30 mins later than you have been doing. Settle him in the cot & only go in to him if he's crying full on. If he's just grizzling or shuffling about, leave him to it. If he hasn't gone off after an hour, get him up & let him try for another nap a bit later (or you can resort to driving in the car if that's a reliable way of getting him to sleep).

Within a week or so he should be settling much better but give it a go & let us know how you get on, coming back with any questions.

reply by Mentor-Sarah - 5 weeks ago

Many thanks for your reply. I tried today putting him down and it just didn't happen. He woke and kicked around as soon as he hit the mattress. I left him for 35mins he did not settle and just cried and then played.

This was around 10.30 later than usual for his nap. I then decided to keep him up till after lunch. I gave him his lunch at 12.30 and at 1 he went straight to sleep. He slept till 3 when i went in his room and disturbed him, i didn't want him to have too much sleep My questions are:

1. Will he be ok with just one sleep in the daytime. (he has started sleeping later in the morning) he goes down about 7pm and it has been 8ish when he has been waking well he wakes a bit earlier but then has been going back to sleep.

2. How long should his after lunch nap be?

3. If 1 nap is not ok as a guide how long after waking do you think he should be going down? and then a gap till the next nap.

Thanks very much for your help, Rebecca x

reply by bramare109 - 5 weeks ago

bramare109 has now taken out a consultation

reply by Mentor-Sarah - 5 weeks ago

Hi sarah

Just wanted to say many thanks for all the help you gave me over the last few days. He has gone down again with the minimum of fuss using all the techniques we discussed. I will keep playing things by ear and taking each day as it comes rather than being so strick to a routine. He slept through again last night so i didn;t have to use the water technique but i will let you know when and how it goes.

many thanks, again xx

reply by bramare109 - 4 weeks ago