Baby Likes to Nap in My Arms
I have a question re: napping. I have a 12 month old who likes to nap in my arms but as soon as I put her in her crib she wakes up. I have tried the crying out method during the day, but it doesn't work. She is starting to sleep 11-12 hours a night. I don't know if it is because she is overtired or I let her cry it out. It is that my daughter doesn't need naps and she is only falling asleep in my arms as a comfort thing? Thanks.
I'm assuming from the way you phrased your question that your daughter has never gone down for naps on her own. (She's always napped in your arms.) However, she is able to sleep on her own for long stretches of time at night. (We know that babies wake quite frequently in the night, so your daughter has clearly developed some strategies for soothing herself back to sleep in the night. After all, she isn't calling out to you for help in the night.)
Age 12 months is fairly young to give up all daytime naps. (Most children that age are napping once or twice a day. The shift from two naps per day to no naps typically happens around age three. However, it's important to bear in mind that all children are unique.) However, the fact that your daughter will fall asleep in your arms as opposed to resisting the idea of any sort of nap does seem to indicate that she is benefitting from that daytime nap.
Sometimes children who are overtired find it extra difficult to give into sleep (as crazy as that sounds). They get so tired that they become "wired" and find it difficult to relax enough to sleep properly when the opportunity presents itself at naptime. One missed nap tends to lead to a pattern of missed naps, and sometimes they end up giving up naps before they are ready.
What I would suggest is that you consider using elements of the routine that seems to be working well for your daughter at bedtime (e.g., music, story, darkened room, etc.) Because she's developed a powerful sleep association (she's come to associate naptime with sleeping in your arms), it may take a while to wean her off this habit. You might decide that you're okay with napping (or reading) in her room with her while she naps in her crib, for example. Or you might decide that such an approach would backfire, given what you know about your toddler's temperament. You're the best judge of what would work for her and for you.
- Ann Douglas