No sleeping unless held?

[moonlight]

My DD had reflux and the trick was putting her bassinet at a incline. She also loved to sleep in her bouncy seat.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Yeah we aren't even trying to establish a schedule but I just wanted to not have a baby tumor attached to my body for one hour a day.

[MrsK]

K2 is 8 mos and he still needs to be held for naps. I managed to successfully transfer him to the crib for the first time yesterday. K1 is a champion sleeper and hep was like that too. K1 grew out of it at about 7 mos.

[Ravenclaw]

Sounds like my DD when she was a newborn. I won't tell you when she stopped nursing to sleep because I don't want to scare you!

But a few things that helped a little were to make sure her sheets were warm before putting her down so there's not a drastic change in temperature from mommy's body to the bed; I'd use a hot water bottle wrapped in a t-shirt of mine (to leave my scent in the crib).

If she likes to sleep with the nipple in her mouth like my DD did, this helped a little too:
http://www.pregnancy.org/article/whe...d-pantley-pull

And finally, when I'd put her down, I'd do it very slowly, sometimes bending over so we were still chest to chest and very very gradually removing myself (sometimes it'd take 10 minutes!).

[Ravenclaw]

I'm no help

SO cute!

[v-girl]

You mean we're supposed to put her down? I'm not the only one spoiling ST's baby!

[v-girl]

I'm no help

Adorable!

[GreyhoundsRUs]

Love it, V!

[Michele]

Yeah, I held all mine for naps. Phedre still naps on my back most of the time and she's 18 months old!

I love the pics of sweet napping babies!

[MrsK]

FWIW, every time I get frustrated about K2 sleeping on me and thinking that I have other things to do, I take a deep breath and remind myself that infancy is so fleeting. Soon our babies will be grown and out of our arms. Slow down and savor this time, enjoy their soft skin, reasted bodies, baby bellies, baby snores... Then consider whether that other thing you need to do is more important than this moment. Holding your sleeping child is one of life's sweet pleasures and you will miss this time. I know it sounds cliche but seriously, I miss my kids when they sleep at night and I'm surprised by how beautiful they are every single morning.

[Thirteen]

FWIW, every time I get frustrated about K2 sleeping on me and thinking that I have other things to do, I take a deep breath and remind myself that infancy is so fleeting. Soon our babies will be grown and out of our arms. Slow down and savor this time, enjoy their soft skin, reasted bodies, baby bellies, baby snores... Then consider whether that other thing you need to do is more important than this moment. Holding your sleeping child is one of life's sweet pleasures and you will miss this time. I know it sounds cliche but seriously, I miss my kids when they sleep at night and I'm surprised by how beautiful they are every single morning.

Aaaaaaaaaaand now I'm going to go cry because my "baby" is almost a year old. *sob* It's so true.

[spotty_dog]

On the pacifier thing, I really think it depends on the kid. DD did NOT want to nurse all the way down. When she was done eating, she still wanted to suck but got PISSED if milk came. So once I figured that out she sucked my finger to sleep until she was about 4 weeks and I got tired of the crooked elbow and felt good about my milk supply and her latch; then I introduced the binky and she was a happy camper. She only got it when she was done nursing and ready to sleep, and she gave it up on her own at a year.

[ladymoreta]

Will she sleep if you lie down beside her? That would be a way for you to get a little sleep, too. Just take all the pillows off your bed and rest your head on one arm and drape the other hand over her to keep her secure.

I don't remember when DS outgrew needing to be held the entire nap, but I feel your pain. I remember sitting with him for hours because he needed the sleep and was miserable without it. If I was lucky, I could put him down after about 10 minutes, then he would sleep for another 20. Then he'd need to be held the rest of his nap. (I could tell when he was done because he'd perk up and be happy. Any wakeups before that, and he'd be fussy.) So yeah, I only got about 20 minutes a couple times a day... Looking back, it was sweet, but I can still remember the frustration. Toddlerhood is so much better IMO!

And don't let people pressure you to start sleep training. I seriously had people telling me to let DS cry some when he was just a few weeks old. As people reassured me, you can rock them, hold them, or let them swing from the ceiling (thanks MrsK!) at this age. Do whatever it takes to get you both some sleep, and don't worry about habits yet.

[TigerLily]

With both of my babies, I tucked one of those kind of soft and fuzzy blankets on the mattress like a sheet. I know it's probably against the"rules" but I made sure it was tucked wayyyyyy under. That always helped because they are nice and fuzzy and not cold. And they couldn't tell when they were sleeping in a puddle of drool... Also we LOVE the sleep sheep. The only problem was that it only goes for 45 minutes, so naps were always exactly 45 minutes. lol

[ladymoreta]

Also we LOVE the sleep sheep. The only problem was that it only goes for 45 minutes, so naps were always exactly 45 minutes. lol

I love our white noise machine. It stays on all night with no breaks in the sound. DS will wake up within seconds of us turning his off if we need to wake him, and DD is already learning that it means sleepy time. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000F3...0396402&sr=8-1