not napping as much, aka: fighting sleep

[jjsmom]

My 4 1/2 month old isn't napping as often or as consistently during the day as he used to. He used to take a morning nap and an afternoon nap pretty consistently. For the past few days, he seems to be fighting nap time. For example, today he took a short morning nap in the car for about 20 minutes. After his nursings, he appeared to be napping on me for about 15-20 minutes, but the minute I put him in his crib he would start crying and wouldn't sleep. He finally fell asleep in his swing after about 10 minutes of crying shortly before 6 PM. I feel like this is pretty late for a nap, and he'll probably wake up around 7 to eat. He sleeps through the night from about 8:30 until about 5 AM, when I nurse him and get him back to sleep for about an hour or two. He appears to be tired during the late afternoon, but he seems to be fighting the naps. Any suggestions? I'm feeling like his sleep schedule is all over the place.

[Momma P]

I highly recommend "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child" by Marc Weisbluth. It has a plethora of information and solutions to common sleep problems. There is an emphasis on self-soothing which was extremely helpful for us. When my DD was that age she was taking a morning nap, an afternoon nap, and an evening nap. Best of luck to you!

[charliesmommy]

Sounds to me like your baby is starting to get teeth. My advice is to put him down the very second you know he is in a deep sleep. There is a very small window when Charlie is teething that I can put him down. And, don't sweat it if he falls asleep in his swing while he's teething. When a baby is lying down there is more pressure on their gums than when they are propped or sitting up. My guess is in a day or two you'll find a new tooth and your baby will be back on his regular nap schedule. Good Luck!