HELP!!
I have a new 11mo in my home daycare. His mom just went back to work, so this is the first time he has been in childcare.
He needs to sleep on me, or in a carrier. It isn't working.
At home he cosleeps, or mom rocks him to sleep and then kind of rolls him onto the floor. If left on his own he will only sleep about 20 minutes at a time, but in a carrier or on me he will sleep at least 90 minutes twice a day.
He really needs that sleep. If he doesn't get it, or it is cut short he is miserable and clingy. If he doesn't have a good morning nap he basically screams the entire time I make lunch for the other kids because I have to put him down... even if I set him up in his highchair with some snacks he still flips out because he is overtired.
But I just can't spend 3+ hours a day holding this little guy while he sleeps. I have four other kids to take care of (all under 3.5yo) and a house to try to keep from falling apart. I know this is all very transitional so I am not expecting a quick fix, but I need to do something.
The afternoon nap I have a semi-solution for. All of the kids nap at the same time so I put the older ones down and then rock the baby to sleep. Once he is out I am able to roll him onto the couch. I stay close by so when he stirs every 15 minutes or so I can pat his belly and he keeps on sleeping. If I am not right there he will wake up screaming. But this at least allows me to have something to eat, take a quick pee, etc.
The major issue is the morning. I can't just put him on the couch because I have all of the other kids running around. And they aren't exactly quiet. If I sit with him either my DD wants to be in my lap at the same time, other kids try to get in his face saying "Hi Buddy!!! Hi Buddy!!!", or, most often, they view it as a time to go crazy. This morning I had two toddlers kicking each other and screaming, one kid closed another kid's hand in the bathroom door (on purpose), toys got dumped out, and a book got ripped up. Even with the baby in the carrier it is so hard for me to deal with all of this and the kids are taking advantage.
So then the baby doesn't get enough sleep, screams for the rest of the morning, my nerves are on edge and I am snappy at the kids. Bad news all around.
I really need to figure out a way to put him down and leave him for an hour long nap in the morning. How??? I have managed to get him to sleep in a pack n play, but it takes nearly half an hour to make it happen and by then the rest of the kids will have completely destroyed my house and each other. And even if I do get him to sleep there, he wakes up again in 15 to 20 minutes because I am not right there to pat him back to sleep.
HELP!! (Gotta run... snack is over and everyone is screaming again.)
I have a new 11mo in my home daycare. His mom just went back to work, so this is the first time he has been in childcare.
He needs to sleep on me, or in a carrier. It isn't working.
At home he cosleeps, or mom rocks him to sleep and then kind of rolls him onto the floor. If left on his own he will only sleep about 20 minutes at a time, but in a carrier or on me he will sleep at least 90 minutes twice a day.
He really needs that sleep. If he doesn't get it, or it is cut short he is miserable and clingy. If he doesn't have a good morning nap he basically screams the entire time I make lunch for the other kids because I have to put him down... even if I set him up in his highchair with some snacks he still flips out because he is overtired.
But I just can't spend 3+ hours a day holding this little guy while he sleeps. I have four other kids to take care of (all under 3.5yo) and a house to try to keep from falling apart. I know this is all very transitional so I am not expecting a quick fix, but I need to do something.
The afternoon nap I have a semi-solution for. All of the kids nap at the same time so I put the older ones down and then rock the baby to sleep. Once he is out I am able to roll him onto the couch. I stay close by so when he stirs every 15 minutes or so I can pat his belly and he keeps on sleeping. If I am not right there he will wake up screaming. But this at least allows me to have something to eat, take a quick pee, etc.
The major issue is the morning. I can't just put him on the couch because I have all of the other kids running around. And they aren't exactly quiet. If I sit with him either my DD wants to be in my lap at the same time, other kids try to get in his face saying "Hi Buddy!!! Hi Buddy!!!", or, most often, they view it as a time to go crazy. This morning I had two toddlers kicking each other and screaming, one kid closed another kid's hand in the bathroom door (on purpose), toys got dumped out, and a book got ripped up. Even with the baby in the carrier it is so hard for me to deal with all of this and the kids are taking advantage.
So then the baby doesn't get enough sleep, screams for the rest of the morning, my nerves are on edge and I am snappy at the kids. Bad news all around.
I really need to figure out a way to put him down and leave him for an hour long nap in the morning. How??? I have managed to get him to sleep in a pack n play, but it takes nearly half an hour to make it happen and by then the rest of the kids will have completely destroyed my house and each other. And even if I do get him to sleep there, he wakes up again in 15 to 20 minutes because I am not right there to pat him back to sleep.
HELP!! (Gotta run... snack is over and everyone is screaming again.)
