How do you...

[rockgirl]

get the baby to nap when the toddler is, well a toddler?

DD is 7 weeks old and is having trouble settling down during the day when DS is playing.
I try to keep him entertained with quiet activities while I get her down but nothing has really been working. Once she is down, she'll startle quick even if we go hang out on another floor. MAybe she just needs a few more weeks to get used to the circus?

[Michele]

Re: How do you...

She's probably just young and will get used to the "circus"...but have you tried a babycarrier? Like a wrap or sling? I know the weather hasn;t been great but walks are helpful for me to work out toddler energy (let him push the stroller out and then he rides back) and the baby sleeps in the wrap. Other options are the swings and such.

[Pollyanna]

Re: How do you...

I don't think your dd not settling down has anything to do with your ds. Our newest one does the same thing when all of her siblings are at school and the house is completely quiet. Some babies just settle and sleep better than others. I agree with Michele about trying a carrier, some babies sleep much better when all snuggled up.

[MDPhDWife]

Re: How do you...

The swing was a lifesaver in our home. Our youngest DD was easily woken and the swing helped me keep a bit of sanity.

[GrayMatterWife]

Re: How do you...

We swaddled DD within an inch of her life. Poor thing--she was absolutely immobile. But it was the only way she would calm down. She freaked whenever her legs or arms would pop out and "surprise" her. Easily startled.

And...BAD PARENT ALERT!!!...she slept on her tummy. On tummy = four hours of smooth, calm sleeping. On back = up every 20 minutes, crying like she was in pain. She had bad acid reflux. I think sleeping on her back aggravated it. But, because I worried about her "smothering" herself if she laid on her face, she slept only on a flat sheet. No blankets or anything in her crib. And she sleeps in a wooden port-a-crib, so the mattress is very thin and hard, as versus a smushy, luxury-type mattress (my poor, deprived children!).

[Ladybug]

Re: How do you...

And...BAD PARENT ALERT!!!...she slept on her tummy. On tummy = four hours of smooth, calm sleeping.

Me too.

They startle themselves awake every 20 minutes on their back. I've started sleeping DD on her tummy during the day and she's about 2 months old. She can lift and move her head so I feel comfortable with it. She also cat naps in the bjorn, but this is getting harder to do.

[Rapunzel]

Re: How do you...

I didn't put my first to sleep on his tummy. I was horribly frightened at the thought thanks to the popular parenting ideas out there today. I learned REAL quick with my next children (twins). All five of the kids after the first slept on their tummies. And, they were all much happier, felt more secure, and slept more soundly because of it.

That being said, I am also a fan of the swing (keep in mind, though, that some babies do not like swings).

Re: How do you...

And...BAD PARENT ALERT!!!...she slept on her tummy. On tummy = four hours of smooth, calm sleeping.

Me too.

They startle themselves awake every 20 minutes on their back. I've started sleeping DD on her tummy during the day and she's about 2 months old. She can lift and move her head so I feel comfortable with it. She also cat naps in the bjorn, but this is getting harder to do.

Same here. With the caveat that it isn't recommended, this made a huge difference for me. Even with that, TenE didn't sleep much but she didn't sleep AT ALL on her back. Can't remember when I did this (heh, probably the sleep deprivation), probably around 4 months or so.

[mommax3]

Re: How do you...

Reading this thread makes me feel so much better.....relieves a lot of residual guilt! The *only* way Luke would sleep was on his tummy, and he was born just before the huge push for "back to sleep". Joel was a much easier sleeper, but then Nathan came along..... Like TenE, he never slept well, but if he slept, it was on his tummy. I felt so guilty!
<end hijack>

[rockgirl]

Re: How do you...

thanks for all the great ideas!!! I don't know why I never think to put her in the bjorn when we are inside but the last few days she settled right down in it. She does hate the swing so we pretty much use it as a chair now.

I am still hesitant to put her on her tummyto sleep. I fear SIDS in the worst way even though she can completely lift her head and switch sides herself. What age was everyone comfortable putting the kids down on their tummy?

Re: How do you...

Everyone has different comfort levels. I was afraid to put DS on his tummy too, until he was ~4 months old and could roll over himself. But I used to prop him on his side as a newborn and he slept better that way. And during the day he pretty much only slept in a sling!

[SuzySunshine]

Re: How do you...

Like everyone has said, you have to do what you feel is right. I didn't put Adele on her stomach until she put herself there but she always slept well on her back.

Re: How do you...

I swaddle DD #2 (5 weeks) in The Miracle Blanket and put her down on her side with a sleep positioner. DD # 1 (2.5 year old) being loud doesn't seem to bother her too much...(unless she goes right up to her bassinet yelling and singing)

I think it is partly being the second baby with things not as quiet, but it also has to do with her temperament. DD1 was and still is a very light sleeper and a more sensitive kid. She needed to sleep in the baby carrier much more than this new baby and loved swings, vibrating chairs, etc...and she hated being swaddled while this one loves it and calms right down. Go figure.

Re: How do you...

I am still hesitant to put her on her tummyto sleep. I fear SIDS in the worst way even though she can completely lift her head and switch sides herself. What age was everyone comfortable putting the kids down on their tummy?

tiptoeing in here....The risk of SIDS is highest in babies from 2-4 months. My SIL lost her third child to SIDS (although he wasn't on his tummy when it happened) two years ago and it has been my biggest fear with DD. As a newborn, she either napped in her Amby hammock or I carried her in her baby carrier while I got some housework done. Since you're uneasy about letting her sleep on her tummy, I would go the carrier route instead.

[Pollyanna]

Re: How do you...

I am still hesitant to put her on her tummyto sleep. I fear SIDS in the worst way even though she can completely lift her head and switch sides herself. What age was everyone comfortable putting the kids down on their tummy?

We never put any of our babies on their tummy to sleep. Even with baby #5 I'm too much of a spaz to do it. Heck our kiddos don't get pillows until they are 3 because I'm convinced they will suffocate (did I mention my spaziness ) and I still make sure everyone is breathing at night. The important thing to remember is that this is a fleeting stage and before you know it she will be applying to college.