Getting an 8 Month Old to Nap

[trytobearunner34]

Hi all!

I have a full time 8 month old, 2 month old and mgmown 4 month old daughter. The 2 month old started last week and was able to after the first few days work out a system to get him to nap. The 8 month old just started this week and he will only nap while I hold him.

At home his parents say they just rock him for a minute and put him to sleep. His room is super quiet and away from the rest of the house.

He is beyond exhausted. I have him in a pack and play in my daughters room. I have been watching him for 15 minutes I. The video monitor and he is just sobbing. It is heart-breaking but I am not sure what else to do.

I did ask his parents to send a lovey and an old pacifier, but he is not interested.

Will he eventually get used to it? What else can I try?

[Ariana]

So the parents either lied to you or he is not used to sleeping anywhere else. Do you have a sound machine? Turn it on and let him be, he will eventually adjust and start sleeping. I have had to sleep train many kids over the years and after a couple of days they love their beds . I don't look at it as heart breaking, I see a child who is struggling to undo bad habits set up by the parents. The child is learning to fall asleep on their own which, like walking, is a very important skill. Its too bad the parents did not prepare their baby for group care.

[trytobearunner34]

Thank you!

Thank you framing it in that manner...it helped!

I talked with his mom at pick up yesterday and she said he had slept away from home with them and he had slept at his house with a babysitter, but never away from home without his parents. I also got her blessing to cry it out.

[trytobearunner34]

Apologies for the million errors in my original post...I was posting from my phone in a hurry!

[Pestle]

We've all been there :hug:

I learned from this forum how typical it is for kids this age to be unable to nap in care. I have one right now who's on Day Two. This. . . has been, emotionally, everybody's roughest day in a long time. My own kid and my veteran fifteen-month-old have been taking it the hardest. It throws everybody off balance when one child is screaming nonstop/must be held constantly.

[Ariana]

Thank you framing it in that manner...it helped!

I talked with his mom at pick up yesterday and she said he had slept away from home with them and he had slept at his house with a babysitter, but never away from home without his parents. I also got her blessing to cry it out.

Hang in there! It usually takes a couple of days but it benefits everyone in the end. I have a sibling set who came to me sleep trained and they are a dream! They both have done awesome at napping from day one and are happy in their beds. When they wake they chat and sing

[Josiegirl]

No advice except what has already been offered but safe sleep requires only a paci in the crib with babies under a year. I have an almost 11 mo who does really well now; I started sleep training her around 6 mo. Dcps put her to bed with her bottle. They used to let her sleep in her car seat all the time when she was younger. I just cringe at some of the things parents do, thinking nothing bad would ever happen to them. I used to be that parent too, way back before people learned more about SIDS.