| |
You are here: Experts > Kids > Health for Kids > Pediatrics > 9 month old naps
Expert: David Olson, MD - 11/6/2009
Question
My 9 month old has always slept well at night (about 10.5-11.5 hours) but we are having difficulty with her naps. She would show signs that she is tired and when we put her in the crib she will always cry, usually 3-5 minutes at night and somewhere between 10-40 minutes for naps.
Her naps usually only last 30-45 minutes and she will wake up crying. Sometimes she will fall back asleep sometimes not. The frustrating part is that she may cry longer than her naps. We know that she is tired because without a decent nap she is fussy, refuses to eat and generally in a bad mood.
We also know that if we go and try to comfort her, she will never fall back asleep and cries louder. We are more successful to let her cry it out.
We keep a regular schedule and have tried putting her to nap earlier (fear of being over tired) and later (fear of not tired enough) none of it work.
Are we doing something wrong? Why does she always have to cry before sleeping? why doesn't she learn to nap better? Why doesn't she want to sleep because she is obviously tired, Is she sleeping enough (only 11.5-12.5 hours a day)?
Thanks.
Answer
Hi, Joshua,
A lot of kids, including one of my daughters, stop napping at about this age. Nothing is wrong with this. These kids tend to be better night time sleepers. Lots of kids will cry a bit before sleeping and this is OK too.
Good luck, Dr. Olson
Add to this Answer Ask a Question
|
|
