So here's a new one for us...

My DS sleeps like an angel in his cot - he goes down for naps with no fuss and will wake and play in his bed if it isn't time to get up.

BUT this means he now doesnt sleep in his pram. In the past, when I took him to the shops, if he started to get tired, I could just pull the hood down and he would drift off. Now, he just SCREAMS and SCREAMS! It's shocking... I nearly had a breakdown at the shops today. Nothing I did stopped the screaming. I gave up and took him to the car, I put him in his seat and the screaming stopped. The whole way home he was playing and laughing. When we got home, he played on the floor for 30 minutes before having something to eat.

What's wrong with this kid? If he had at least fallen asleep in the car, or was upset when he got home, I could say he was tired and that's it. Now, I'm just stumped...

Its getting to the point where I dread taking him out anywhere. Any suggestions?

The exact same thing happened to us, it was absolutely horrible. We introduced a sleep toy, just this soft bunny thing and now if we know we'll be out and about when it's sleep time, we take the toy with us and it makes things much much easier. She generally won't have a great sleep and often she won't sleep at all but she will get the idea it's rest time and will tolerate us putting the hood down and even a cover over the pram and she just has a "rest."

How is the pram set up? Sounds horrid

Not exactly what your asking for but might help?

What about a sling? My DS will still sleep upright in our ring sling, while we walk around, if he's tired. I just make sure to support his head. :)

Kaz - Just a standard forward facing pram. It's a City Mini, so the hood goes down pretty low, but maybe I need to try putting a blanket over it to block everything out.

Heather - He's 11kgs, I dont know that I would be able to carry him around... also he wiggles so much, I cant imagine him sitting still in a sling. These days, he doesnt sleep in my arms at all.

starangelk - Hmm... I could try introducing a sleep toy. He sleeps in the cot at my mum's place with no issue, I just dont get it.

fair enough. Just thought it might be another option. :)

Thanks for the suggestion :)

So we still havent solved this problem... he had another screaming attack in the shop last week. I have tried covering the pram with a blanket, and he hasnt taken to a sleeping aid :( I now dont go out during the day for more than 1.5 hours at a time... this sucks!

Maybe you can try putting him to sleep in the pram at home one day and see if that will help? Or maybe just letting him fall asleep in the pram when out, rather than enforcing sleep with the blanket over the pram and lowering it etc? With all the stimulation at the shops, he may not be as tired with so much going on.. or maybe that is the problem.. do you have much noise around the house? If not maybe the noise at the shops is preventing him from having a nap? If so maybe leaving the tv on at a normal level or putting a radio on near his room will help.

There is plenty of noise around our place. We live in an apartment in the city, and trams go past all day - so he's ok with noise.

I will definitely try putting him to sleep in the pram at home... that's a good idea - will help work out if it's the pram, or being out that's the problem.

I let him try to fall asleep on his own when we are out, there is no way of forcing him, but we dont even get to that. When it gets to the time where he usually naps at home he just starts screaming in the pram. I have tried putting the cover over when I know the time is coming, to help him wind down, and I have also tried leaving it up so he can put himself to sleep, both end in screaming fits!

The only way they stop is if I take him out of the pram and carry him. At 11kgs, he's not the lightest kid in the world, so I struggle to carry him. The other thing that calms him is putting him in the carseat. He doesnt end up sleeping, but he stops the screaming. He also doesnt sleep in the car seat anymore... just too much to see in the world!

It's so frustrating isn't it? My DS1 LOATHED the pram, he never liked it when he was a bub and would start screaming almost as soon as he was in it. It made life very difficult!

Are you moving the pram (i.e walking around) when your DS starts to scream? The only way DS2 or DD would sleep in the pram is if it was moving. If it was stopped they'd just cry when they got overtired.

Dd was the same. To the point where i just made sure i was home so she could sleep there. So i have no solution really. Is he a little uncomfortable in the pram, i found it helped when i changed the straps so she didnt hsve them going over her shoulders so she could move about more And get into a better possition. I basically just had to accept that she wouldnt sleep in the pram. Sorry. Not what you wanted to hear im sure! Hope you have more luck!

Is he lying down the whole time or sitting up in the pram? Perhaps if he is seeing people as you walk around he might get distracted or if he hates sitting up then lay him down and see if that works as perhaps he is getting over stimulated?
Also is he ok until he gets tired, then loses it when you put the hood down?

Sorry for the all the questions just trying to get a clearer picture

Happy to answer questions if somehow in all this we find a solution!

Moving the pram when he started screaming used to work, but that doesnt work anymore :(

I have tried both - sitting up and lying him down, same result from both.

He is fine until he gets tired, then he loses it... at the start it was before I put the hood down. So I thought 'Ok, I just need to catch him before he gets overtired and put the hood down. That didn't make a difference.

Today we went to MIL's for lunch. He was pretty buggered, so I put him in the pram (lying down), and took him to another room. It took about 10 minutes of rocking for the screaming to stop, but he ended up sleeping for about an hour. That's the best sleep in the pram in the last month! It was in a room away from everyone else with nothing to stimulate him, so maybe the shops are just too much for him now that he is alert enough to want to look around. Also, I didnt have his straps on around his shoulders, just around his waist (so he wouldnt slide out), and maybe that helped him getting into a more comfy position? Not sure...

We will see how we go on Sunday... Easter is a good test for him, our background is Greek, so we have a lot of festivities out of the home... Wish us luck! :)