[acupuncturemomma]

My back is really feeling the strain of carrying her in the front carry for *every* nap...for ten months now! I guess I've set her up with this bad habit. I've tried recently to transfer her to the bed once she's fully asleep, but she wakes up immediately--probably doesn't help that our bedroom is very bright. There's really no other place for her to sleep on a bed that would be less bright; our house is tiny and blinds aren't an option since we have two walls of all huge picture windows in our bedroom.

So, really, what I'm getting at is that I need some tips on getting her to nap in the bed!

Also, I wouldn't mind carrying her for naps all the time if I didn't have such bad joint pain. I used to be able to go for walks, etc while she's napping, but my feet hurt so badly that's not an option any more (post-pregnancy plantar fasciitis). I'm relegated to sitting on the exercise ball and surfing the net or knitting while she sleeps.

FWIW, she hates the car and also the jogging stroller.

Any ideas? Thanks so much.

 

[maliceinwonderland]

Have you tried getting her to go to sleep on the bed? Putting her down when she's sleepy, but not yet asleep?

My little guy wakes up as soon as I put him down if he's asleep, but today I tried putting him down in his crib sleepy, and patted his back for a minute. I had to run to the bathroom and when I came back he was out! He has only slept in the sling until now, he won't even sleep for more than 10 minutes at a time if he's being held in arms. There's a huge age gap between my little guy and your babe, but I thought I'd offer the suggestion anyway. Good luck! My back is already killing me from wearing him for every nap, I can't imagine how you must feel!

 

[acupuncturemomma]

thanks for the tip, maliceinwonderland.

i tried all day yesterday to transition her to the bed: i would nurse and get her settled in the ergo and then try to transfer her to the bed. no go. at all. she would wake right up every time.

guess i'll just keep at it!

anyone else have any advice?

 

[finn'smama]

Can you lay on the bed with her and nurse her while laying down and then leave when she's asleep (or doze off yourself!

)?

 

[maliceinwonderland]

It didn't last long for us anyway..he went down twice like that yesterday, I was completely floored..today he's back to either sleeping in the sling, or in my bed, but only if I'm there

I'm going to keep trying though. The naps he had yesterday once he went down were two, and two and a half hours and he was SO well rested after them. Pretty darn frustrating though..especially getting him to the sleepy state repeatedly, only to have him wide awake as soon as I put him down

:

Hopefully someone has some advice for you that's actually useful!

 

[crwilson]

My dd has napped in her ergo since she was three weeks old. She still will not tolerate being transferred unless it's at night - for naps, as soon as I move her out of the ergo she is awake, no matter how gently I move her. But...she has started to fall asleep on the bed if I lay down with her and read. I just make sure that I have a good book on hand and I read until she falls asleep. Or, I fall asleep with her for about 20 minutes and then read for the rest of her nap. I don't know that this will help, as it just happened with her.

 

[sdmoose]

I agree with Finn'smama. My ds always wakes if he falls asleep in arms and is put down. Side-lying nursing changed my life! Try it! He nurses 20 minutes and often will pop off himself, turn his head, and is asleep. You just can't try and leave too soon. If I try and delatch him too soon he'll still wake. Good luck

 

[acupuncturemomma]

Thanks for the input--I think you're right about it not working to transfer from the ergo. I'm going to try laying down with her and see how that goes.

And actually, she's napping solo in the bed right now! She was *beat* after going to a friend's house, so I think that helped, although it took 45 minutes for me to be able to sneak away. I feel like I'm back in the days when I would try to sneak away at night. I remember getting so impatient--now I just go to bed with her at night!

Do you think it will work to have some naps be in the ergo and others bed-only? Or should I try to be consistent and stick with one or the other? I'd like her to still be able to nap in the ergo if needed--like if we're on a hike (once my feet heal) or out and about.

 

[jadzia's_mommy]

I think laying down with her sounds like the best idea. I always had a hard time laying them down from the carrier with both babies. It's just too jarring, I think.

I definitely think it is fine to get them to sleep in different ways. In fact, it's probably preferrable. Today my DD#2 took 2 Ergo naps and one nap in the bed with daddy. Her longer naps tend to be in the bed these days, though, so I don't rely on the Ergo a lot anymore. She won't sleep more than 45 minutes in there, but she'll do 2+ hours in bed.

 

[Nora'sMommy]

Going for walks in the ergo (front carry) was the only way my dd would nap for months as well! I could always manage to undo the buckles in the back and lay her down on my bed, leaving the ergo under her. Have you tried it that way?

FWIW, she still doesn't really have a scheduled nap and I still have to take her for a walk in the stroller or a drive in the car (this has only worked since she stopped nursing though, otherwise she'd be screaming in the car for me to nurse her).

Guess I'm not much help.

But good luck.

 

[bellymama]

well, my ds naps in front carry in a wrap, and i love it, BUT he is only 5 months old...we'll see how i feel in another 5 months!
sometimes i take him out of the wrap (verrrrry carefully) but leave him still on my chest in the same position and just sit in my rocker with a pillow under his butt to support his weight and i just chill out.
thats my only advice...sorry.

 

[crwilson]

Quote:

Originally Posted by acupuncturemomma Thanks for the input--I think you're right about it not working to transfer from the ergo. I'm going to try laying down with her and see how that goes. And actually, she's napping solo in the bed right now! She was *beat* after going to a friend's house, so I think that helped, although it took 45 minutes for me to be able to sneak away. I feel like I'm back in the days when I would try to sneak away at night. I remember getting so impatient--now I just go to bed with her at night! Do you think it will work to have some naps be in the ergo and others bed-only? Or should I try to be consistent and stick with one or the other? I'd like her to still be able to nap in the ergo if needed--like if we're on a hike (once my feet heal) or out and about.

I think it's definitely fine to have some naps in the ergo and some in the bed - that's what we do. She takes her long nap in the bed and her short ones in the ergo. She actually laid down with dh the other day and fell asleep in the bed, which has never happened before. she's generally not that good at falling asleep without me (even though she doesn't nurse to sleep usually).

 

[ColoradoKat]

I still use the Ergo to help get her "ready" for naps. Here is what I do:

As soon as she seems sleepy, first eye rub or yawn, I put her in the Ergo. But ONLY for 5 minutes. As soon as she goes in, she thinks ok, it's time for sleep. Then I nurse her and can either put her down in her bed or nurse her in our bed. After a week or so she got use to winding down in the Ergo but not sleeping in it.

Hope that helps!!