Napping on me - limited options

[zannster]

I don't want to hijack someone else's thread on this.

I have a 2.5 month old, and yes, she always sleeps on me. I have a couple of problems. One, she doesn't nurse to sleep, at least not unless it's a mid-nap wakeup. This is a hard thing for me (my first was always out cold when he nursed at naptime! Not this girl). The other thing is that I just don't see wearing her as all that practical. For one thing, I have health issues that would make it too hard on me. For another, I don't usually move around enough.

So...at this point I'm contemplating whether or not to get a swing, although that isn't ideal, given her age and the cost. I'm not even sure she like it, but no one I know has one for us to try. I'd prefer to able to lie her down (or nurse her to sleep in bed and get up!) but I haven't had any luck there.

How do people with babies like this do it? Am I still going to have this problem six months from now??

[Abraisme]

Both of my kids have been super light sleepers. My DS had to nap in a carrier and then sleep on my chest for the first 4 months of his life. Then one day he just NEEDED his own space and rarely wanted someone touching him while he slept again.

My DD is like your baby, she has never nursed herself to sleep. I held her all the time for her naps until she was 3-4mo old. After that she would only nap in a dark room, swaddled, with a fan on. She needed to be swaddled to sleep until she was about 7mo.

Have you tried to swaddle your baby? I know it seems a little late, but it might help a lot. If my DD wasn't swaddled she would wake herself up within minutes every time. She's now 10mo and sleeps just fine on her own, so long as she's in a dark and quiet room. My feeling is that if you give your baby what she needs now, she'll be a lot less likely to be clingy and needy later. Good luck

ETA: Both of my kids would nap in a swing or vibrating bouncy chair long enough for me to take a shower. I think it's worth the money to have at least one baby seat. I bet you can find one used or nearly free if you ask around.

[EmTheWife]

nak...
my son is like this at 6.5 wks, and i've found the bouncing/vibrating seat to be a lifesaver; he'll take 1-2 hr naps in it, which are othewise only achieved with me wearing him. i too didn't want one considering the cost, but craigslist is a good source for them.
good luck momma!

[Knitting Mama]

Cecilia was like this as well. We'd try the swing a couple of times a week with zero success, and then one day, like a switch was flipped, she slept for 2 1/2 hours in the swing. She now takes her morning naps in there. The rest of her naps are still on me, she seems to sleep better by herself in the morning. The other naps she needs me. It works fine for me, I get a lot done during her morning nap!

[zannster]

We have a bouncy chair, with the lights and music. DD will sit in it for a little while so I can take a quick shower. Just today, we finally put a new battery in the vibrating part. When put in it, she got excited and proceded to wiggle/kick her way down the seat (she wasn't strapped in, but I was sitting there next to her). This was with the light-up part removed. So it doesn't seem as if the vibration is especially calming! Would I put her in it after she's asleep? I don't think I'm the best at moving sleeping babies.

No, I haven't swaddled her. I've been a little resistant to it, and I'm not sure why.

[mumkimum]

Similar babe here too - NOT much of a comfort nurser at all (like dd1 was). I have, lately, become able to wear her and set her in our (regular, non-moving or anything) baby chair for naps and she'll get in at least a half hour more sleep (sometimes wearing gets more, sometimes not). I'm more likely to do this in the afternoon since she seems to do shorter, more frequent napping that time of day, so doesn't get bothered if she wakes earlier or anything.

I don't swaddle - but I have found that if I've put a jacket on her right before she falls asleep for a nap, she'll handle disruptions and sleep sounder (being warmer and all).

We don't have a swing or cradle of any sort, but yeah - I'd look into both of those to help yourself out.

[Knitting Mama]

Swaddling is a lifesaver for us. Cecilia sleeps 6-7 hours at night, with one or two night nurses, but since we co-sleep it doesn't matter because neither of us really wake up! Her hands are pretty spazzy if she sleeps unswaddled and she wakes herself up by hitting herself in the face.