why wont my ipod nano play in its ihome?

i got an ihome for christmas - one with a radio and clock.
i used it a couple times with my ipod nano (the original one) and it was working perfectly fine. then it just stopped working. i would plug it in and press play and it said it was playing but there was no sound or anythnig. it wasnt working. then on my ipod a little sign thing came up. like where it has those symbols if its playing or paused .... in the top left corner, a new symbol showed up. it was two play signs. like those little sidewards triangles. these little signs wont go away and my ipod wont play in its ihome. anyone know why?