7 Month Old Won't Nap...

Dear J. W.

Daycare has a routine designed from the beginning where it was not considered napping and they usually did it with other children.

You have to now take the place of the other children. You may have to lay down with him for 10 or 15 minutes until he falls asleep. He believes he will miss out on something if he goes to sleep.

This is much more common with boy then it is with girls.

There are other things you can do but this is the best place to start. If this does not work reply back for other way to succeed on this issue.

S. L. DI Hom

Sounds like your little guy is giving you a compliment. He wants to stay awake and spend as much time as possible with you on the weekends! First, I would ask the daycare center what they do before a nap time... Even if he does not nap at a set time, they must do something. After all, he doesn't just collapse on the floor when he's sleepy!
The big thing I think is to "feed the meter." Switch off with your husband every half hour or so, but make sure the baby is getting somebody's undivided attention all morning. He'll be more likely to let you put him down for a nap if you've "fed the meter." (I think I picked that advice up from Happiest Toddler on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp?)
If he's started crawling, etc... he may need more time to let his muscles wind down before a nap, so think about non-movement activities to do before nap time. You might try eading books and carrying your son around the yard for maybe a half hour of quieter activity before a nap.
I also found that my son would go down easier after a "new" kind of experience. For example, if I let him do something unusual, like going through a normally locked cabinet. Or if we spent the morning playing in several different rooms in the house, upstairs and downstairs, with distinctly different toys. Good luck!

You need to find out what the daycares routine is. It may be that he is more aware of things now and realizes that this isn't what I am supposed to do before naptime. Kids thrive on routine.

Does he sleep in the car? Take him for a drive. Or put him in a sling and walk him to sleep. Or, lie down with him till he's asleep then transfer to this crib--I like the idea that you would sort of take the place of the other kids lying down to nap with him. He needs a little company, probably.

Have you tried getting him to nap before he seems really tired?

He isn't as used to being home as he is at daycare, so he doesn't want to miss anything. Daycare is like home for him, and home and time with you isn't the norm during the day. He's getting old enough to realize that and make the most of his time with his mommy. When my little girl got to be about 7 months, her awareness of everything started to really kick in and she went through a time of not wanting to nap at my mom's when we visited every couple of weeks. She didn't want to miss anything. Just MO.

I would get him some hylands teething tablets and give him some infant tylenol. My son started getting teeth about eight months old and did not like the baby ambesol. Let him fuss when he goes down to sleep and he will cry himself to sleep. Wait five minutes after he starts crying and go check on him. Remember you are the grownup and he is the child. The daycare probably puts everyone down to nap at the same time. If he is on a set schedule then that would be a good thing. Be firm but fair. Good luck

I'd check and see what they are doing at school. You may have to tough it out a bit with him at home... and make sure you are are doing the same or a modified version of his bedtime routine, and give him time to sooth himself to sleep. I'm a big fan of Ferber for techniques.

He may just have a more difficult time making the transition at home-- my son always napped like a champ at school, I think because he was so much more exhausted there due to all the stimulation. But sleep is so important, it is important that you get him down for that nap (or those naps, my son was still taking 2 a day at 7 months) at home. Good luck!