My Baby Cries When I Put Him Down To Sleep
“My baby sleeps well overnight, but won’t nap during the day unless being held.”
This is one of the most common sleep concerns parents experience in the early months.
Often babies will happily sleep in the bassinet overnight, but during the day become much more alert, stimulated and resistant to being put down.
Why Babies Fight Daytime Naps
After the newborn stage, babies gradually become more aware of the world around them.
At around 6–8 weeks, many babies become significantly more sensitive to stimulation, light, movement and overtiredness.
This is often the stage where parents notice:
• short naps
• contact nap dependency
• crying when being put down
• difficulty settling during the day
• overtired evenings
The good news is this stage is extremely common — and usually very responsive to simple, consistent changes.
Consistency Is What Creates Sleep Habits
Babies thrive on predictability.
One of the biggest mistakes parents make is treating daytime sleep completely differently to nighttime sleep.
If your baby sleeps well overnight in the bassinet, that already tells you your baby is capable of sleeping there.
The goal now is helping daytime sleep feel just as predictable, calm and familiar.
Don’t Let Baby Become Overtired
One of the most common causes of nap resistance is overtiredness.
When babies stay awake beyond their ideal wake window, cortisol levels rise. This can make babies significantly harder to settle and more likely to fight sleep.
For many young babies, daytime sleep opportunities need to happen surprisingly quickly after waking.
At 8 weeks old, many babies still need sleep opportunities within approximately 45–90 minutes of being awake.
Healthy Sleep Habits For Young Babies
This stage is not about rigid sleep training.
It is about gently creating the conditions that allow your baby to relax enough for sleep to happen more easily.
That includes:
• predictable sleep routines
• appropriate wake windows
• dark sleep environments
• calmer transitions into sleep
• reducing unnecessary sleep associations where possible
When babies regularly fall asleep in the same place they wake up — without relying on constant rocking, feeding or dummy replacement — they often begin sleeping longer and more deeply.
5 Tips To Help Your Baby Nap During The Day
1. Watch Wake Windows Carefully
Aim to offer naps before your baby becomes visibly exhausted.
Many babies settle much more easily when sleep is offered slightly earlier rather than slightly too late.
2. Darken The Room
Darkness helps stimulate melatonin production — the hormone responsible for sleep.
After around 6 weeks of age, this becomes increasingly important for daytime naps.
3. Avoid Feeding Only To Force Sleep
If your baby is genuinely hungry, feeding near sleep time is completely appropriate.
However, feeding purely to make sleep happen can gradually create stronger feeding-to-sleep associations.
Sometimes a brief cuddle, lullaby or quiet wind-down period is enough instead.
4. Put Baby Down Calm But Awake Where Possible
This does not need to be rigid or stressful.
The aim is simply giving your baby opportunities to gradually learn what sleep feels like in their own sleep space.
5. Stay Present During Settling
Many babies settle better when parents remain calm, nearby and emotionally regulated.
If your baby grizzles mildly, try staying present rather than immediately intervening.
Your calmness helps create the feeling of safety that supports sleep.
Babies Learn Through Repetition
Sleep habits develop through repetition, consistency and emotional security.
Babies begin to relax when they understand:
“This is where I sleep. This is what happens next. I am safe here.”
Often it is not the bassinet itself babies are resisting — it is the unfamiliarity and inconsistency around the process.
Can You Get Help With This Overnight?
Yes — and many parents do not realise overnight baby sleep support exists.
Raquel Tara provides overnight, in-home baby sleep support where she works directly with babies overnight while parents sleep.
Rather than parents trying to implement changes alone while exhausted, Raquel physically comes into the home and manages settling, resettling and overnight sleep support in real time.
This is not simply “sleep advice.”
This is hands-on overnight support designed to help exhausted families get proper rest while healthier sleep patterns are established.
Learn more about overnight baby sleep support
Helpful Related Reading
You Don’t Have To Figure Your Baby’s Sleep Out Alone
I work with your baby overnight in your home, implementing changes in real time and taking the burden off your shoulders while you finally get some sleep yourself.
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