cosleeping help!

[lucid501]

Hello all! I am a new mom with a 7-week DS. We are cosleeping at night, and he sleeps great, usually only waking to nurse once or twice. BUT, we have lots of issues with his naps/separate bedtime, and I dont know how to help him.

He will nurse to sleep for naps, or will sleep in the Snuggli if we go out. (I have not yet found a carrier he will tolerate at home. It seems he only likes to be in one if I am walking "with purpose") He will not stay asleep if I put him down at all though. The longest I've gotten him to stay asleep in his PNP was 15 minutes.

There are times when he is just completely exhausted and just will not nap. When he finally does, it will be a long, long nap in someones arms. I'm all for in-arms sleep--its a lovely feeling--but I'm worried that when I go back to work in a few weeks that he wont be able to nap at daycare. DH will be home with him 2 days/week as well, and right now is really worried that he wont be able to calm/comfort DS because nursing is the only thing that seems to work consistently.

Any ideas for ways to calm him w/o nursing? also any tricks for getting them to accept sleeping out of arms? We have tried bassinet, crib, PNP, bouncer, and swing, with no luck. I have even tried nursing to sleep in our bed and then rolling away once he is asleep, but he wakes up w/in 15 minutes when he realizes I'm not there. It kills me too, because I love that craves my company so much, but I wont be able to be there 24/7 starting in 3 weeks or so.

[cileag]

I'm sort of in the same boat---I've got a 9 week old who nurses down beautifully. Do you swaddle? That keeps my daughter sleeping in her co-sleeper for at least 45 minutes.

Will be watching for more solutions...

[labellaluna]

My DD did everything you DS is doing when she was that age. SHe didn't start napping on her own untill 5 mos- and always sleeps longer when she is being held. Sometimes there is nothing to do except wait till they are ready...That being said- here are the things that I tried- Didn't work for my dd, but have been successful with my friends. 1. Wrap a warm water bottle in your used nursing bra and leave it with him in the bassinet. 2. Can you bring the snugly to daycare adn have them use it to nap him in? 3. My DD, who would never go to sleep without nursing, would always fall asleep with aa pacifier for my mom. THey sleep differently when they know you aren't there. Your DS will be fine and I am sure everything will work out. Big hugs and hang in there!

[lucid501]

Originally Posted by cileag

I'm sort of in the same boat---I've got a 9 week old who nurses down beautifully. Do you swaddle? That keeps my daughter sleeping in her co-sleeper for at least 45 minutes.

Will be watching for more solutions...

We do swaddle sometimes. He seems to not like it as much as he used to...he always fights to get his arms out and loosens the swaddle.

Originally Posted by labellaluna

1. Wrap a warm water bottle in your used nursing bra and leave it with him in the bassinet. 2. Can you bring the snugly to daycare adn have them use it to nap him in? 3. My DD, who would never go to sleep without nursing, would always fall asleep with aa pacifier for my mom. THey sleep differently when they know you aren't there. Your DS will be fine and I am sure everything will work out. Big hugs and hang in there!

I'll have to try the water bottle trick, that could work.
I doubt that daycare would be willing/able to nap him in the Snuggli, just because there are 3 infant attendants and 8 infants.

I have heard that from other people too, that babies act differently for people other than their moms, so that is my hope right now. Time will tell...

[FrugalGranolaMom]

Originally Posted by labellaluna

THey sleep differently when they know you aren't there. Your DS will be fine and I am sure everything will work out. Big hugs and hang in there!

my DS will nap just fine in his swing when my mom is watching him but if I'm around he wants mommy to hold him.