How do you put your LO down to nap?

Until about a week ago, I could put DS down with a pacifier and he would usually fall asleep. Lately, he wont stop fussing unless I'm BF him. He will fall asleep while I'm feeding him (sometimes not getting a full feeding) and wake up 1/2 hr later (which is what he always did although I can tell he's still tired). When I try to feed him,after he wakes up, he will sometimes fall asleep again. So I have a couple questions, how do you put LO down to nap? If yourLO only naps for 1/2 hr, do they still seem tired when they wake up?

Re: How do you put your LO down to nap?

How old is your DS?
I would try and wake him during the feeding (tickle his toes or nudge him around his shoulders/belly, anything to wake him) so that he is nursing longer before he goes to sleep. It might eliminate the waking up a half hour later.
Also maybe try moving the nap time up so he is more awake during feeding. Then after the full feeding (try for at least 10 mins) put him down to nap. If you have to give him the pacifier at that point then give it, try not to pick him up and nurse him to sleep. It might not be easy at first but keep trying. It is tough but you need to encourage him to self soothe and to use the pacifier to soothe too.

HTH Good Luck!

How do you put your LO down to nap?

DD has had a few times like that. She won't go down in the crib as usual even though she seems tired. After a few tries I would give in and nurse her to sleep and she'd sleep on my lap for an hour or more. She won't stay asleep if I try to put her down though. Both times, I figured out after a few days that she was ready to stay awake longer, even though she was showing tired cues at her normal time.

This happened when she stretched from 2 hours awake time to 3 and just recently from 3 hours awake to 4. It took me a few days to figure out I needed to put her down later and a few days for her to get used to it and not be tired and fussy for that extra hour. Once we got adjusted, she's back to going down in the crib awake. I sing her a quick song, turn on the white noise, and play her musical seahorse and she's out within a few minutes.

Re: How do you put your LO down to nap?

How do you put your LO down to nap?

DS is also 4 months old ...

About a month or two ago, we stopped letting him fall asleep in our arms - he would fuss and complain for a while in his pack n play but we just left him in there with the pacifier and sleep sheep (and sometimes the musical sea horse thing) and usually he wound up falling asleep. Now, he just falls asleep when we put him in the crib with the pacifier (no sleep sheep required, even).

Most of his naps are 1/2 hour - 45 mins long but he sometimes has a 2-3 hour nap also (but not always). Much like your DS, when he wakes up from the naps, he still looks tired but he gets over it once he eats or plays Then he gets tired again after about an hour and a half.

We try to go with the EASY (Eat -> Play -> Sleep -> Your time) schedule