Naps! « Back to Group Discussions

[atomicrocket]

What are your babies' naps looking like?

My lo nurses to sleep and therefore spends his naps sleeping on his nursing pillow on my lap. I usually go for one long walk each day, so he takes one nap in the ergo. He seems to be getting plenty of sleep, which is great, but it would be nice if I could get him to take at least on of his naps in his crib so I could get a few things done. Every time I try to put him down for a nap he wakes up right away and then gets fussy because he's tired.

Any tips?

[TeamGR]

Oof, sorry to hear about this, I had a similar thing until week 10, which I worked to get Finn out of. 

Basically, it took a LOT of long rocking to sleeps and then transfer, and then back to rocking, and then transfer, and back and forth throughout an hour each time I would want him to nap. Eventually he got the idea that rocking to sleep was ok and then transferring without waking up. One trick that may have helped (I honestly don't know, but it seemed a good idea at the time), was that I would rock him wrapped in a blanket and then laid him down on that blanket to sleep. There was less of a change in temp from body to crib, and less of a change in smell... I kept that blanket with us when we nursed too, so it really smelled like me. I also would ease him from moby to the middle of our bed, which was a lot easier than getting him to the crib. 

Although to be honest, the biggest thing was when he found his thumb. The self soothing has been huge. 

Wish I had some fool proof method!  Walking and wearing did it for us for the first 10 weeks or so, so I'm new to this whole "napping in a crib so mom can take a shower/ do yoga/ work/ thing."

Good luck!

[atomicrocket]

That's good advice. I know I need to keep trying to just get him used to it, and to establish more of a nap time routine. I've been a bit lazy with naps because it's easier to let him sleep on me instead of working on settling a fussy tired babe. But now I have a talk I need to prepare and I'm getting tired of my messy house! Also, my MIL bought him a really nice crib and keeps asking if I've used it and I feel guilty saying no, heh.

How many naps does he usually take each day?

[Kaydove]

The two things that changed it with naps for us were swaddling and napping in my bed. I would side-lie nurse her swaddled and then after she feel asleep, I could get up. She takes 4 hour naps this way!! How many naps she takes is fluctuating but I can count on a 8am-12pm nap after dream feeding at 5am and 8am-ish. I read No Cry Nap Solution and loved it - very much in favour of co-sleeping so reading the chapter on getting your baby to nap in a crib/bassinet when you co-sleep was very helpful. My DD sleeps the first 5 hours at night in her arms reach bassinet. I swaddle her, nurse her, and then put her down sleepy but not asleep (so if she wakes up, she can easily fall back asleep because she's in the same place that she feel asleep vs. waking up somewhere new and freaking out).

Edited to add: the first few times I put DD to sleep in her bassinet I had to rock it till she went back to sleep. Sometimes she would wake up after an hour.

[hildare]

dh is home with baby b, and had trouble getting him to sleep at the mid afternoon nap, when he was demonstratively sleepy and kind of grouchy about it.  out of desperation, he swaddled him again.  we'd quit doing that around 1-2 mos, but it totally worked.  he's happy being swaddled, and sleeps soundly and deeply.  dh uses the moby to swaddle him, since he outgrew the summer swaddler things we had. 

we also use white noise. 

[atomicrocket]

Kaydove - that's how I put him to sleep at night (nursing in bed). I tried it yesterday for his afternoon nap with no luck. For some reason during the day as soon as I take my nipple out of his mouth he wakes up. He won't take a pacifier anymore either. Boo! I'm going to order the no cry nap solution. And 4 hour naps? Amazing!
Hildare - we stopped swaddling at 2 months too. Maybe I'll try it again just for nap time.

[1blueheron]

Baby blueheron only wants to sleep (i) on a warm body or (ii) on his tummy.  Looking forward to a time when we feel comfortable doing more of the latter.  We run around a ton the first half of the day, so he catnaps on the go then does a 2+ hr nap in the afternoon.

[slimkins]

My son's naps are the typical 45 minutes on his own, or countless hours at the breast or in someone's arms. I just follow cues, but try to never let him exceed two hours. When, where, and how is still a hit or miss. Whatever works at the time. Probably doesn't help that we don't swaddle, use a paci, swing, or any of those things. Occasionally, I will use white noise or put him down on his belly.

I hate dealing with naps or lack thereof (same with my older son at that age), but it's ok in the end, cause when it is night time, he knows it. And he is OUT.

[parsley]

atomicrocket, blueheron, slimkins - I've had similar experiences.  So similar that I hesitated to even open this thread.  Naps have been the bane of parenting for me.  DD1 didn't take a nap off of me or DH until she was 2 1/2 and at school.  It's looking like the same pattern with DD2... she only sleeps on the breast or in a wrap.  The good news is that bedtimes end up easier this way... DD1 (4 yo) goes to bed at 7 pm without any fighting now that she dropped all naps. 

[Maternalove]

Wish I had something new to contribute but I side lie nurse in my bed or put him to sleep before he's a sleep but content. We have white noise EVERYWHERE in the house b/c of air filters or window units so that helps. This combination leads to usually an 45 min -1 hour nap in the am and a 3 hour nap in the afternoon. 

I wish he'd sleep when there is noise but before I started putting him down in the quiet he was taking lots of 30 min naps. So now he sleeps, but we are stuck in the house or out with a grumpy screaming baby.

[mamanoish]

Same here. The only predictable sleep he has is around 8pm, he let's me put him down until 11ish. I'm usually too tired to catch up on chores though. He'll nurse to sleep and stay on my lap but he wakes up within 5 minutes if I put him down. He'll stay asleep if I wear him though so if I know he's tired sometimes I'll put him in the mei tai and do some chores while he naps.

[atomicrocket]

Well at least I am not alone! I'm going back to work in a couple of months though so I'm a little worried about what's going to happen at daycare when they try to put him down for a nap.

[Maternalove]

Kaydove! THANK YOU! I had totally forgotten how to put a baby to sleep to promote healthy sleeping habbits. I had done this with my DD and she was a WONDERFUL sleeper all through her toddler years. She hit preschool and developed an attitude but anyway...

I started putting DS down after nursing while he was still awake but tired and it has worked out so much better for naps AND bed time. No more nursing to sleep, which I don't usually mind but around 4 months they start putting two and two together and realize if they cry then they get what they want and comfort nursing to bed isn't really something I want to do for the next 3ish years. Not to mention I work 2 nights a week and DH has to put him to sleep without me. 

Anyway I just wanted to let everyone know that this has made naps and bedtimes far less stressful for me and DS it seems.

[1blueheron]

We are having a lot of success with solo naps now that we're putting him down on his tummy (like good solid 2 hr naps).  We've decided that we are now comfortable with the idea of tummy sleeping, after much deliberation.  He has a very strong preference for it.  

They are all so very different...DD hated tummy sleeping/tummy time with a passion.  And that whole "drowsy but awake" thing?  Ha.  That never worked with DD, but totally works with this kid.  

[atomicrocket]

The drowsy but awake thing is totally not working for us. I have been working really hard on developing a nap time routine this week though, and this morning he went to sleep without much fuss. Also, right now he is sleeping in his crib! It's only been about 25 minutes so far, but hopefully he stays down a bit longer.