Baby napping

[MsSassyBaskets]

So, this is a fairly short term problem since A week be at daycare starting in a month, but I'm having so much trouble getting her to nap. Part of the problem is all the grandparents visiting... she was held all day for the last 5 days and now won't nap in the swing anymore. Today it took 30 minutes of rocking in the chair to get a 30 minute nap in the crib. She's 7 weeks, she should be sleeping half the day away, but she can be awake for 2-4 hours at a time if I can't get her to nap. She actively fights sleep. After a failed nap battle including rocking, swaddling, AND the moby wrap, she's finally napping in grandma's lap. But only after an overtired meltdown, and it took so long it's practically time for her to eat again.

Help. She's a demon if she doesn't get enough sleep. I need to get some kind of schedule going (at least as soon as the grandparents finally leave, I think it's a lost cause until then). Please give me all your tips.

[Thirteen]

DS1 didn't sleep. DS2 sleeps.

Common things:
-They would fall asleep in the swing (DS1 hated it until 4 months)
-They would fall asleep being worn
-They would fall asleep nursing

I wish I had more advice! :/


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[oceanchild]

Put her in her carseat and drive around or push around in stroller?

I was all set to say swing. The swing was magic for us. My son napped in it until he was like 8 months old.

Also, we have to do some retraining every time a grandparent leaves. It takes about a day for every day he was with them.

[OrionGrad]

Baby napping

DS1 hated going to sleep. The most reliable way for me to get him to nap (until 6 months or so) was to put him in the Ergo and sit bouncing on a yoga/exercise ball until he fell asleep. Literally worked 100% of the time, but then of course you're trapped with a baby on your chest which means you can't really rest yourself.

With DS2, the only way he'll fall asleep is nursing (or being worn). Sometimes it takes a while, but I just keep switching him from side to side on my boobs until he passes out, then I transfer him to the crib.

ETA: I forgot, but sometimes I would swaddle DS1 and bounce of the yoga ball, then transfer him to the crib once he fell asleep. We gradually weaned from that at some point, but that's another story.

[MsSassyBaskets]

Well, at least I'm not alone! Did you all try to do any kind of nap schedule in the early months? Or did you just wait until they seemed tired?

[Thirteen]

Well, at least I'm not alone! Did you all try to do any kind of nap schedule in the early months? Or did you just wait until they seemed tired?

I think both kids started showing "tired" cues around 3 months that were readable.
Face touching, fussiness after playing or an activity, eyes rolling around in the car seat, etc. Getting anyone on a schedule in my house is laughable, though...
With reliability, DS1 would take an hour long nap from 1-2 (starting at 10 months old! &#128561, and DS2 digs a 2-3 hr nap from 1-3, 1-4. DS2 would like a mid-morning nap, but can't seem to grab one with regularity because we are always in transit. It would probably be 60-90 minutes, knowing him. He is currently 5 months.


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[OrionGrad]

I have a hard time getting them on a time schedule until they start waking up the same time every morning. I usually watch the clock (and cues) and rarely let DS2 go more than 2 hours awake before we start getting ready for the next nap.
So, we are on a schedule, but it's dictated by how long he's been awake instead of what time it says on the clock.

[MsSassyBaskets]

I usually watch the clock (and cues) and rarely let DS2 go more than 2 hours awake before we start getting ready for the next nap.
So, we are on a schedule, but it's dictated by how long he's been awake instead of what time it says on the clock.

I have been trying to do this, going no longer than 1.5 or 2 hours, but she fights it so hard. I can swaddle, rock, walk, etc. and she'll have none of it.

[scarlett09]

Following...

E barely naps. She will snooze for .5 - 1 hours at a time maybe 2-3 times per day. And that's it. Should I be putting her down for a nap? She's hanging out in her swing right now and I feel bad that I'm not engaging her because she looks bored. But maybe that means she's falling asleep?


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[MsSassyBaskets]

Well, since my mom ruined her on swing naps, she just had like a 2-hour nap on grandma's chest this morning. I guess I'll take that as a win for today since at least she slept. I just hate to see her so tired and cranky, she's a total joy when she sleeps well.

[MrsC]

DS never slept much during the day. I did find that playing lullabies or classical music soothed him to sleep in my arms and then I would put him in his bassinet.

[OrionGrad]

I have been trying to do this, going no longer than 1.5 or 2 hours, but she fights it so hard. I can swaddle, rock, walk, etc. and she'll have none of it.

Is it possible she's over tired by the time you start trying to put her down? A lot of babies really can't stay awake for very long without getting grumpy at that age. DS2 is just now starting to lengthen his awake times, and he's 6 months.

[MsSassyBaskets]

Is it possible she's over tired by the time you start trying to put her down? A lot of babies really can't stay awake for very long without getting grumpy at that age. DS2 is just now starting to lengthen his awake times, and he's 6 months.

I think that's definitely it, but I can't seem to catch her sweet spot of tiredness, so I only know it's time when it's too late. Today she napped like crazy just due to circumstances - car ride, stroller ride, lots of arms to hold her - and she's barely cried at all, she's so pleasant. Maybe I should watch the clock to get her down at the hour mark.

[Howfunitis]

My daughter was on a schedule ever since she came home. The one thing that has stayed the same has been her bedtime routine. As a baby, I'd wake her up every 2-3 hrs and let her sleep longer at night (4-5hrs) and then even if she didn't seem tired, she go straight to either the bassinet or crib. The swing, rocker, and playmat for engaging time. But that was just me in my personal preference because I didn't want to struggle when she was older to transition her to the crib. I also kept a journal/book I bought from amazon that allowed me to write down her whole schedule which was a lifesaver in those early days up till she was 6 months. At 6 months she was sleeping through the night and already in her crib.

And I also used her white noise machine for both naps and bedtimes.


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[MsSassyBaskets]

Ok, so after another week of carefully watching for tired cues, trying not to let her stay up more than an hour or so at a time, etc. I've determined that this kid a) fights sleep even harder than me, and b) was ruined on naps by her grandmothers and will now only nap on me, after a long long struggle. I can catch her at that sleepy point when her eyes are drooping, get her nearly to sleep (by holding and rocking and shushing, the swing no longer works), and then POP! The eyes are open and she starts going crazy. An hour or two later she will finally pass out in screamy exhaustion on my chest. That's my new definition of nap.