Getting my baby to nap

[pompey1939]

Any tips to help get my baby (14 weeks old) into a napping routine. She is clearly tired and ready for her naps at about 10am 1pm and 4pm but she just wont give in and go to sleep in her cot (sleeps fine in the pram), or she drops off for 10 minutes and then wakes with a start. If she hasn't napped properly by 5pm she's so miserable :(
She knows how to go to sleep and goes down perfectly at 7pm sleeping right through until 7 or 8am (with a dream feed at 11pm).
Any ideas gratefully received

[Ric.ror]

Keep them warm and full. Never failed with either of mine and I never had a broken night - saying that they are in their twenties now and could (and did) sleep through an earthquake

[Psychick]

This is something I didnt have to worry about as I didnt bother putting my oldest up in her cot for daytime naps til she was too big to nap in her pram which was at about 7-8 months.

Is she in your room? It may be that shes used to you being there over night, although you have said she goes to bed at 7pm. How about putting a hot water bottle in her cot before she goes to bed so its nice and warm and maybe something you have been wearing near her but safely out of reach, so she can smell you. You could even try having some soft music playing until shes sound asleep.

I know where youre coming from though as my 8 week old is very grumpy too if she doesnt get one decent sleep in during the day. If the time is getting on and she hasnt slept properly, I take her for a walk in her pram and leave her sleeping in there when we get back. Although sometimes she wakes once we have got back still not having slept long.

[Ice.Maiden]

There are no hard and fast rules here. Both my children had different sleeping patterns, with the eldest never taking daytime naps at all. As both people've said - hi Psychick - lots of fresh air sometimes tires them out, and you can leave them to sleep in the pram, but keeping them warm and well fed seems to do the trick as well.
Is your daughter taking full feeds during the day pompey?

[kitty1981]

Hi

Just keep on with putting her in hte cot and when she wakes, go in to her and reassure her and see if she will nod off again. i started this with my sone and he would only sleep for about 5 mins and then wake up screaming. I used to stay with him and stroke his head and hands and sometimes he would doze off again. After a few weeks the length of time he would sleep gradually increased and now he sleeps an hour and half in the morning and the same in the afternoon. He loves going in his cot now and it is so much easier. Plus when we are out and about in the pram he stays awake for a while so gets to see the world go by.

Perseverence is the key

[pompey1939]

Thanks for your ideas. She does sometimes go to sleep with a stroke and reassurance, especially if I stay in the room so I'll persevere with that and hope the time extends. She gets loads of fresh air as I am relying on long walks most of the time so sleeps in her pram.
Yes IceMaiden she does take full feeds in the day, and like I say she sleeps like a dream at night in her cot (which is the important bit I suppose!). I thought I might try white noise aswell and see if that makes a difference. Anyone tried it?

[Psychick]

Hi pompey, Ive not tried whitenoise myself, although the hoover or the hairdryer doesnt disturb her when shes already asleep, but my sister used to get my nephew off to sleep in the day by hoovering! She would lay him down awake, start hoovering, and he would nod off to sleep every time. Ive been told the washing machine is another good one.

Hi Ice :)

[Ice.Maiden]

Don't panic - maybe your daughter doesn't need the amount of sleep that some other babies do? She seems to sleep a very long night, going from 7pm til 7 or 8 the following morning - so maybe she needs stimulation during her waking hours, instead of being fed and expected to go down again for a bit. From 12 weeks old, I set aside an afternoon playtime, which included gentle sitting exercises. My eldest son was walking at eight and a half months, and he was as bright as a button. I spent time reading to both children, even before they could understand a word, and pointing out colours and numbers & playing with toys that made sounds or moved. It might work for you - x.

[Velvetee]

Invest in a baby massage course, so you can massage your baby before you put her down for her nap. Apparently, it really does soothe and relax a baby.

[pompey1939]

If anyone is reading this thread and wondering whether white noise works with babys...............yes it does! My little one obviously just needed to block out some of the house noise in order to nap during the day because I've tried it for a few days now and it works a treat. Thanks again for all your responses and good luck to anyone else trying to get their new baby to sleep :)