Where do your cosleeping babies nap when they are with someone other than you?

[juniper_mama]

DS is 12 months old and I'm going back to work next week for two days per week. He has always been nursed to sleep in my bed for naps and bedtime and I'm not really sure what to tell the nanny about where and how to get him to sleep. We have a crib in our room but he hasn't slept in it for many months. We'd like to get him back into it to see if it improves his nighttime sleep but haven't managed it yet. I'm still reading a stack of sleep books to try to figure out how to do that gently. In the meantime, I wonder if the nanny should try to put him in the cot or if that will just result in lots of crying. What are your experiences with this situation?

[sammymama]

My DD is 14 mos and she has also not slept away from me more than 2 or 3 times. In those moments my mom or DH would put her in the Ergo and walk around until she conked out. Having been a nanny for several years I'd say to try to find a nap routine that is just for your DS and nanny. (For whatever reason I always found that the babes would - happily - do very different things for me than their moms and vice versa.) For my DD she needs some sort of motion so that's why we went with the walking; again, she is a light sleeper so they would just hold her for her whole nap, but if your DS is a more sound sleeper she can always set him down carefully once he's really out. If your DS falls asleep more easily in general (and you want her to be the one to try the crib out for naps!) you could get them into a groove of turning off room lights together, closing shades, bottle/milk, stories, picking a favorite animal, maybe white noise or a mellow CD playing, etc. If he fusses, then maybe her laying down with him in your bed after some sort of routine like that will be enough for him to fall asleep. I would just expect the first few days to be a little tough, but they will develop a rapport soon enough. Good luck!

[mrsnarbonne]

DS naps while being worn in the baby carrier (Boba) by his babysitter in the living room on the one day a week I work outside the home. Apparently he misses me too much when he's taken into the bedroom.

We started this after a disastrous night out for the hubs & I where DS stayed up way too late and no amount of rocking in the bedroom would help. That's when I told my babysitter that sometimes I wear him for naps - she tried it and he took to it immediately. In fact, apparently he sometimes crawls to the carrier to let her know that he's tired & ready for sleep (something he's never done with me!).

[colsxjack]

My DD takes a nap differently for my DW than she does for me (daddy) or our caregiver.

Mama nurses her to sleep.

The routine of me and the caregiver is to put on a CD of lullibye's and hold her and rock or sway with her. By the second song she is out and we carry her into the room and put her down in bed. She is 16 months and we have been doing this since Mama went back to work at 10 months. It worked well.

Maybe your DS can easily have a different routine for someone else? Maybe try your partner trying something different on weekends or whens convenient and then let the nanny know of ways to comfort your DS.

We worry about what will happen if we send our DD to daycare. At this point she has never not been rocked or fed to sleep.

[Peony]

DS is 18m and if I am working then who ever has him either drives him in the car or wears him for a nap. Up until recently, he was worn for naps but some caregivers can't wear a toddler so that is how the car entered the picture. 

[Lovinbeinamama]

Hi:  I was so worried about that, too, when I went back to work, but DS napped fine for the babysitters.  He knew they weren't me, and just fell asleep without nursing.  Now, even though he's approaching 2 years old, if I'm home, he wants to fall asleep nursing for his naps.  Up until 18 months old, he napped on the couch, which trapped the babysitter there with him until he woke up!  But he would crawl up on the couch and announced "Night night!" and lay down and fall asleep.  So my worries were unfounded, fortunately.

[NewSolarMomma]

My "man"-ny either holds my son, or puts him in his bouncy chair to sleep when he has him. We cosleep, but some nights we can't because baby is up too much and disturbs me, I have to work all week and need to sleep too. When this happens DS either goes to "uncle" Oscar, or I sleep in another room and he sleeps with just DH.

[plantnerd]

My mom has ds on sundays and he is left with dad at least one night a week.  Mom rocks him and I'm sure he screams at her for a while, but he's just kind of a screamer.  He usually sleeps in a little nest on the floor over there.  Husband will wear him down in the baby bjorn.  Sometimes he wakes as soon as he puts him down, and at those times we will do some CIO.  Although I even hestitate to say that, as the boy is more raging around and protesting that he doesn't want to go to bed.  A 4 month old cries out of lonliness when left like that, a one year old gets po'd, and I don't feel bad for setting a few limits and him not getting what he wants 24/7.

I guess in my experience they will behave very differently for different people, and it's hard to say until it happens.

[Ravin]

DD started daycare when she was 10 mo. and I went back to school. She napped in a crib, no problem, and later on a kindercot thing when she transitioned from the home provider to a center when she was 2 and a half. I think the whole thing of other little ones napping around her was what made it work.

[always hope]

I started working when my daughter was 7 months. She would only nap in her buggy. She is just starting to sleep on a stretcher on the floor with the other over 2s. 

[Rlin]

I was worried as well, but my nanny found her own way of putting him to bed. She strokes his head, holds his hand and sings to him. He usually sleeps in the stroller with her, but he sleeps in bed as well now. She just sits with him until he sleeps. DS would never do the same for me, but he's fine with the nanny. You might be surprised how easy it goes...

[mkksmom]

We do stroller naps here too. In fact, LO needs one now. :)