Need nap help for a 2 Month old

[deny_zoo29]

My baby girl is only 7 weeks old, so I'm not sure if I'm expecting too much or what but I thought you'd all be able to help.

First of all I am fully breastfeeding. And she sleeps in a crib at night. She is sleeping well through the night and has been for several weeks already.
My problem is that during the day I can only get her to nap if I'm holding her or snuggling with her. If I try to put her in the crib, after about 10 mins she starts squeaking and then it turns into a cry and she will only calm down if I go get her and hold her again. I have tried putting her down awake and I've tried holding her till alseep and then putting her down either works (or doesn't) about the same. If she doesn't nap she gets Very grumpy/cranky from 6-9pm and is practically inconsolable until bed time.

Any suggestions?

Wanted to add: that we swaddle her at night, but haven't been during the day should I try that?

[Llyra]

If she does sleep at night swaddled, she may very well need to be swaddled to nap, too. That would be the first thing I would try.

but honestly, seven weeks is still very, very young. She may need to nap in bodily contact with you. Lots of babies really need to be held to get good sleep during the day, at that age. It can drive you nuts if you count on nap time for getting things done yourself, but fighting it may only lead to a cranky baby and not get you anywhere. Have you tried lying down and sleeping with her, so that at least you're getting a rest, too? In my experience, regular naptimes and nap routines can slowly appear between about 4 and 7 months, depending on the child. Before then, they mostly take in-arms cat naps throughout the day, usually after nursing.

Is she truly sleeping all night, as in not feeding at all during the night? I find the idea of a breastfeeding baby that young not feeding at night a little alarming. I would be worried about maintaining a milk supply in the long term, if your breasts aren't getting any stimulation at night.

[Lilly Milly]

I agree I would try to swaddle first. We swaddled with a blanket for naps and a velcro swaddle a night at that age. I guess I wanted the naps and night to seem a little different somehow.

Our LO only started to be able to nap in the crib once and a while at 8 weeks and at least once a day I had to wear her to get her to nap. I did continue to try to put her in the crib first. If your goal is to have her nap in the crib, then that may be a good way to go. If she cries when put in crib, then you could wear her or nurse her. If she wakes up when you transfer, you could just wear her for the whole nap. This is what we did but it was a VERY gradual process. Over the course of a month she started falling asleep in crib more and more and staying asleep there more and more. This was just my experience, so your LO could be very different.

Just make sure she is getting the right # of wet and poopy diapers for that age and gaining weight well. Can't remember the # off the top of my head though. I believe that is what I read about how you tell whether they are getting enough to eat.

[rzberrymom]

She's so very very young. She's used to being near a body, to hearing the sounds of humans and to feeling the motion and movement, so it seems natural that she sleeps so well like that. I'd say hold her as much as she wants--her preferences will change as she gets older, and she'll begin lying down for her naps. At that age, my DD #1 took all of her naps in a carrier with DH or me. My DD #2 (4 weeks) will take a few naps in a vibrating bouncy seat or a swing, but she also craves us holding her or carrying her in a carrier for many of her naps. It will pass.

[deny_zoo29]

Originally Posted by Lilly Milly

I agree I would try to swaddle first. We swaddled with a blanket for naps and a velcro swaddle a night at that age. I guess I wanted the naps and night to seem a little different somehow.

This is why we haven't been swaddling, but we will try to swaddle and see how that goes over the next couple of weeks

Originally Posted by Lilly Milly

Just make sure she is getting the right # of wet and poopy diapers for that age and gaining weight well. Can't remember the # off the top of my head though. I believe that is what I read about how you tell whether they are getting enough to eat .

Yep, she's got plenty pf both! The ped says she's gaining fine. 75th percentile in both height and weight. ANd yes she is sleeping fully through the night. I do not feed her between 10pm when we put her to bed and 7am when she wakes up. She is gaining and growing well and I have a 200 oz BM stash in our freezer so far. Thanks for the suggestions. We'll try the swaddle blanket and just keep trying as she gets older.

[t2009]

Originally Posted by rzberrymom

She's so very very young. She's used to being near a body, to hearing the sounds of humans and to feeling the motion and movement, so it seems natural that she sleeps so well like that. ... It will pass.

If you haven't already, I would encourage you to try out a few different types of slings and let her nap in a sling. It's a great way to keep her close but to have a little bit of freedom for yourself.

My DS was similar to your daughter at that age. He refused to sleep anywhere but in my or DH's arms & I thought he'd NEVER sleep anywhere else! But we kept trying different things and most of them worked for some period of time eventually... his co-sleeper, his bouncy/vibrating chair, his swing, some combination of all of these, and finally his crib.

It was a slow process but now he sleeps on his own for at least one hour twice a day, sometimes longer. He's now 8 1/2 mos. And I'm sure this will change very soon... nothing is constant!

But for a while, the sling was a real lifesaver. For me the Moby Wrap and a ring sling worked wonders; for DH the Moby Wrap and the Baby Bjorn were his slings of choice. We'd wear him for entire naps and sometimes to get him to sleep at night.