[lilempressmommy]

Aside from naps in the car, DD has never slept alone. She has a crib that she's never used to sleep in; we cosleep in our family bed. She's always been high needs, never been an easy baby and fights sleep with every ounce of energy she has. She's always had to be nursed down and ends up sleeping in my lap. I let her do this when she was a baby and it was the best way to meet her needs.

She's now 12 months old and still being nursed down/napping in my lap. She's more easily disturbed during her naps and I think it would be best for both of us (for her uninterrupted sleep and my sanity because I'm essentially stuck in my chair for the duration of her naps) if she learned to nap laying down in either her crib or her bed.

Any suggestions? She does have a regular naptime but I'm really at a loss for how to get her to sleep without nursing down. Or worse, trying to move her when she's asleep. I've tried nursing her down in our bed and then crawling away, leaving a baby monitor to watch her but she's pretty sensitive to when I leave her.

 

[Meems]

maybe nurse her to sleep in her bed and take your time moving away from her? w/ DD, i would keep a hand on her back for 2 minutes or so until she was very asleep and gradually move away. i suggest you use some loud white noise in the room (darkened room of coarse!) and maybe a pillow against her leg so she feels secure...

good luck!

 

[MamaBug]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meems maybe nurse her to sleep in her bed and take your time moving away from her? w/ DD, i would keep a hand on her back for 2 minutes or so until she was very asleep and gradually move away. i suggest you use some loud white noise in the room (darkened room of coarse!) and maybe a pillow against her leg so she feels secure... good luck!

My dd is now 2 and I have the same issue, minues the BFing, she just KNOWS when I leave. I do exactly what Meems said.....I lay with her with my hand on her back and slowly move away and we use a noise machine whenever we are sleeping. I need it for myself but it also helps cut down on disruptions when she is sleeping. I also put a pillow low on her back so it feels like I am there.

Good luck~

 

[mamadelbosque]

Up untill a couple months ago, my DS mostly napped on our couch (hed fall asleep on my lap and I'd lay him there and thats where he'd stay). Then about 2 months ago, my dad threw his back out and was stuck laying on our couch for a couple weeks... so we transitioned to napping upstairs in our bed (we still co-sleep too). I'd go up there and la down with him and read while he napped and once he was good and asleep I could *usually* slip away and go get stuff done. Then, a couple weeks ago, I admit, I was in a bad mood (long night, long morning, I really don't have a good excuse... I was just fustrated and bloody tired...), and I went up and layed him down and said 'its time to sleep, its nap time, its time to sleep, I love you'... and got up and walked away and closed the door. And of course he was sniffling/crying as I got up... but as soon as I closed the door, he stopped. And he fell asleep. All. By. Himself. Something he'd *Never* done before... and so since then, for the last couple weeks thats how we've been doing naptime & bedtime. We still co-sleep (though I'm looking for a bed for him now as I'd like to only be co-sleeping with one child, tbh. I'm due in August...), but he goes to sleep by himself for naps ~2pm and then for bedtime around ~8:30-9pm.

Good luck!!

 

[Whistler]

Just an encouragement... it WILL get better! My DS was exactly like you describe and the period from 8-12 months was the worst! But he gradually developed his own rhythm and now at 2.5 will nap every afternoon in his toddler bed. I never thought it would happen, though! He SO fought sleep when he was about a year. UGH!! Hang in there mama!

 

[Bald_Bull's_Mama]

I would try a gradual transition. For us, room darkening curtains and a white noise machine make a world of difference. We nurse, rock, whatever to sleep in the bed together. Sometimes, I lay him down, boob in mouth still, when he is very sleepy, sometimes, just after he has gone to sleep. I lay and he sleep nurses for a bit, then I very gradually sneak away. If he stirs at all, I lay back down like I wasn't trying to do anything. Rinse and repeat. Generally, I can sneak out pretty easily now. If he stirs, I go back in and nurse him back to sleep again.