Dr.Sue (@TheKidsDoctor) offered some of her expertise during our #SesameSleep Twitter party. You had questions, she has the answers.
@RockinMama asked – How do I get my son to nap in the crib? He sleeps there at night but during the day it is a STRUGGLE and I end up giving in and putting him in the bed.
Dr.Sue replied…
I think you already know the answer to this as you say you end up “giving in” and then he gets to sleep in your bed. If he is already sleeping in his crib at night you have established a good routine and consistency, so you just have to keep that up at nap time and don’t “give in”.
He is smart, I think they are smarter than we are, and he knows that you will give in if he keeps up the STRUGGLE as you say. So, everyday at nap start with the resolve that he will stay in the crib. You can go back in to check on him, and let him know your expectations (depending on his age) and then leave again. The best thing is that he is in the crib and if he is not old enough to climb out you can let him cry and reassure him that you will be there when he gets up from his nap. I used to use an hour as the amount of time that they would stay in the crib, but that is an arbitrary number, before I would get them up and call it a day. After several days they were back to napping.
Be consistent, firm and loving!
For more sleep related Q&A with Dr.Sue, be sure to check out how our Twitter Party went which includes the most common sleep-related questions moms had.
If you have any questions for Dr. Sue, be sure to check out Kid’s Doctor Radio which airs every Sunday between 7:30am-8:30am central time on 103.7 Lite FM CBS Radio Dallas and the Kid’s Doctor web site.
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I agree that consistency with a child is the key to success. Its so true that once you start to veer from what you want your child to do such as sleep in his own crib, then you have to expect that he wont want to go back to his crib especially after being allowed to sleep in your bed which is probably much more comfortable than his own crib.