Fussy baby at work...won't nap...what to do?

[Laurodactyl]

I also posted this under night time parenting, but thought it may be more appropriate under the working parents section? Thanks for any help.

My 2 1/2 month old son has gotten into a schedule where he pretty much sleeps only at night (not the worst thing...I know). He may sleep for an hour or two during the day, but that's it. I take my son to work with me, but it is REALLY difficult to get anything done because he is always awake and wants to be held.

The only real way I know of to get him to sleep is to swaddle him really tight and put the white noise on right next to his head. This is what we do at night. But I read that swaddling too much is bad for babies and can result in problems with their hips. Also I feel like if he is swaddled all night, that he probably wants to stretch out a little during the day and I shouldn't be trying to force him to sleep.

So that's the predicament. I want my son to be happy and free to be on his own schedule, but it seems weird that he never sleeps during the day, and my patience with working at my computer with a fussy baby on my lap is wearing thin.

Any advice? --then some people suggestion babywearing or trading off w/DH or swaddling techniques...below is my response to them.

Thanks for the suggestions! The trouble is he's not into being in a wrap or carrier unless we are walking and outside. And I have to be inside at my computer. If I try to put him in when we're inside, he will fuss and wriggle until I take him out (even if on a ball).

My husband has to work full time and is not allowed to have the baby at work, or to work from home, or to change his hours, so that isn't really an option. I have to work half time to make ends meet. But my half time ends up being more like full time because I am only clocking a few hours for every whole day I'm in the office, due to my son's need for attention and not napping.

I liked the double swaddle video and will give that a shot. Do you all think it's okay to swaddle him all night and then put him down for just a couple naps during the day (also swaddled?). Like a two hour in the morning and a two hour in the afternoon? Or is that too much for a baby who sleeps all night?

Thanks!

[BetsyS]

My kids walk and talk and move about just fine. THey are 3.5 and 18 months old. They were swaddled for EVERY night time and EVERY nap until they were over 15 months old. They just like to be swaddled.

At 2.5 months old, mine were still very, very sleepy. As in, they were only able to stay awake for about 45 minutes at a time before a nap. Now, sometimes the naps were 15 minutes long and sometimes they were 2 hours long (and they were unpredictable), but they did happen very, very frequently.

I'm a huge believer that babies need LOTS of sleep, both daytime and night time. I think it makes them happier and healthier, and all around, it's a good thing.

I'd say try a swaddle and see what happens. It may be just the thing to get your little guy to settle down and sleep some during the day.

[AndtheStars]

I too bring my now-6 mos old to work with me. I went through this with him around the same age. We tried wraps, snugglis, slings etc. My DS hated (!) to be swaddled so I think that he disliked the confinement of a carrier. I kept at it though and ended up with a karmababy sling/pouch that allowed him to kind of be upright, sitting in the pouch with his arms free. This is the only place that he napped for 3 months (We've now moved onto an Ergo, which he seems to be tolerating). He also slept well at night and took only 3 or 4 30 min naps a day. I found that if I remained standing and rocking through naps, in the sling/pouch and out, he would be more content. I quickly learned to type one-handed while standing. I ended up putting my keyboard up on books to make that easier. I don't know that I have a lot of advice to give you but I have a lot of sympathy. I know how insanely frustrating it is to be at work, knowing that you are expected to get things done, knowing that you have to be a good parent and feeling slightly (or hugely) guilty about not being able to do either thing to your fullest capacity. If it is any consolation, my DS now will sit on the floor on a quilt with toys for 20-30 minutes at a time and play quietly so I can get a few things done. He still only takes 30 minute naps though. Good luck, Mama!