I have no clue how to keep my baby asleep (help!)

[zannster]

My first (ds) would not stay asleep at all when set down, and I chose to stay with him during naps. I quickly gave up trying anything else.

Now I have a nearly 4-wk-old baby, my 5 year old, and my MIL is headed home. DD doesn't seem to be quite as needy about the naps as DS was, but she's not far off. When she nurses to sleep (which isn't as often as I expected), she then lies on the breast and drapes her arm across me (all very cute!) - how can I get up from this? What can I try to keep her asleep? I'd live to stay there with her but I have to do things with DS!

I know the other option is wearing her, but I haven't gotten that figured out yet either. I've only tried my Moby once, and it's a little intimidating. I also have a kozy carrier (Mai tei) somewhere but I'm not sure that's the greatest choice yet.

[Tiddilywinks]

Have you tried the Miracle Blanket? I had the same problem until we tried the MB, it worked wonders.

[Pookietooth]

I was able to start swaddling dd fairly soon although not right away, and that helped. Even after she stopped enjoing it, I have found that if I swaddle her right after she falls asleep, I can put her down and she will stay asleep, sometimes for a long time (not always though.

[berrymama]

I second (or third?) the miracle blanket. Wrap up your baby before you nurse her, so you don't have to try to swaddle her if she is already asleep. Also, hold her until she is in a deeper sleep (really limp, no facial movements) and you will have a better chance of her not waking when you put her down.
Or, if you are comfortable with it (everyone's opinion varies)...tummy sleeping is wonderful

[Abraisme]

Originally Posted by berrymama

I second (or third?) the miracle blanket. Wrap up your baby before you nurse her, so you don't have to try to swaddle her if she is already asleep. Also, hold her until she is in a deeper sleep (really limp, no facial movements) and you will have a better chance of her not waking when you put her down.
Or, if you are comfortable with it (everyone's opinion varies)...tummy sleeping is wonderful

Also, give the Moby another chance. Once you get the hang of it it's pretty easy and SUPER comfortable.

[maptome]

Originally Posted by Abraisme

Also, give the Moby another chance. Once you get the hang of it it's pretty easy and SUPER comfortable.

Yep.

[karika]

can you plan to do things in the bedroom with ds? I would just stay on the bed with dd2 and play cards or a game with dd1 while she slept. I wasn't snuggled in with her, but I maintained contact with a hand or foot. In the beginning though, I slept with dd2 (until she was about 3 or 4 mo, heck I lived in the bedroom ). I would set dd1 up doing something on the computer or watching a dvd of her visit with her aunt in the other bedroom (or in the same room) and dd2 and I would sleep. dd1 is really savvy about what is okay to do and not do though... but she did get into some food she shouldn't have a few times... until I just stopped having that food around. She always had a phone handset and I had the other one that she could call me on (if in separate rooms), or just come in our room if she needed anything. I made sure she had a jug of water and snacks also. I am a super light sleeper anyway though... in the daytime her dad was in his room sleeping since he had a night job, and if it was at night (we don't keep schedules here) and she was on computer, he was also on his at work and they would talk the whole time on yahoo messenger, plus she would call him on the phone... just some thoughts. It is different with the second one, but with the wide spacing dd1 was able to entertain herself for that hour or two, or we played together in the same room dd2 slept in.

[yentroc]

I have kids the same age difference!

Ds is now 4 months and napping better, but for the first few months the Moby was where he took all his naps.

My advice is to check out the videos on You Tube for wearing instructions. I was really intimidated at first too, but got the hang of it quickly and really don't know what I'd have done without it.

Good luck!

[engineer_mom]

do you have a vibrating bouncer chair??? it's almost the only thing this babe will sleep in (sometimes)
its a godsent for us

[MsVyky]

My DD won't go to sleep alone, so I swaddle her, nurse her down by side lying, and once she is asleep, I prop a pillow behind her and in front of her to give her the feeling of being cuddled even though I'm not there.

(are these miracle blankets big enough for bigger babies? DD is 6 months, 15lb and 28")

[JamieB]

Originally Posted by MsVyky

My DD won't go to sleep alone, so I swaddle her, nurse her down by side lying, and once she is asleep, I prop a pillow behind her and in front of her to give her the feeling of being cuddled even though I'm not there.

(are these miracle blankets big enough for bigger babies? DD is 6 months, 15lb and 28")

Yes the blankets fit bigger babies. My DS is about the age as your DD and he fits in it. It just doesn't come as far up on his arms but it still works.

OP, definitely give swaddling a try. What we did was swaddle him and use sleep positioners to keep him on his side in his bassinette with the radio on static fr white noise and the blinds pulled down. I would aslo put a hot water bottle in his bed and lined the mattress with a receiveing blanket that I wore in my shirt for a couple hours.

My DS would not sleep anywhere but in my arms for the first 3 months but we just kept trying this (which sucks I know, you just start playing with your oldest and then the baby wakes up) and now he is such an amazing napper. I acutally have to wake him up from every single nap after about 2.5 hours or he won't sleep at night

ETA: Not saying the reason he is a good napper is because we "did the right things" or whatever. We were just lucky. Just wanted to clear that up!

[Llyra]

DS was in his Miracle Blanket until 15 months and about 25 pounds. So yeah, it'll fit. If baby is too tall, you can cut holes for the feet to poke out.

[lucy_v]

Originally Posted by MsVyky

My DD won't go to sleep alone, so I swaddle her, nurse her down by side lying, and once she is asleep, I prop a pillow behind her and in front of her to give her the feeling of being cuddled even though I'm not there.

Same here, just discovered this & it works really well... so far! My DD (7 weeks) can not and will not be swaddled, we've called her Houdini from day 1. If I try laying her down on her back when she falls asleep at the breast, she wakes immediately (seems to still be from the moro/startle reflex).

[rzberrymom]

Originally Posted by Tiddilywinks

Have you tried the Miracle Blanket? I had the same problem until we tried the MB, it worked wonders.

Is there a babywearing group near you? A stretchy wrap also worked wonders for us!