How do you put LO down for naps?
Kristen050
member
Not the routine but what exactly what do you do to get them ready for sleep/drowsy/actually asleep. Do you nurse to sleep? Rock them til drowsy then lay down? Rock til fully asleep? Something else?
DS2 has always been a sleep fighter. He has been an extremely fussy/hard baby in general. With DS1 I never wanted to create "bad" sleep associations so I never did any of those things. With this one, I had to do whatever worked because almost nothing worked. Sometimes I have nursed to sleep and most recently rocking. Rocking worked for a little while but he has been fighting that more and more.
I watch his sleep cues to make sure I'm not putting him down too early or too late. I don't mind rocking or whatever but I would just like to start putting him down without such a fight. He seems to have a hard time transitioning from awake and playing to now it's time to sleep even though he's tired.
So what do you do?
Re: How do you put LO down for naps?
I'm not one to give advice! Currently DD is napping on me after walking her around the kitchen for 20 minutes with oven fan on. Tried putting her down to nap and she was up 5 minutes later so the routine started over. My DH wonders why nothing gets done around here ....good luck to us both!
Ours also was a huge fighter. We started putting him down when he was tired, then patting him or doing the butt jiggle as we call it (he sleeps on his tummy, so we just kind of vibrate his tush. Works for a chest jiggle, too) while shhhing. Over the span of a couple weeks, we weaned from the shhhh and jiggle to just a pacifier, then off the paci. Admittedly he did cry at first, so if he went for more than three minutes, we'd go in to shh/pat/jiggle -- just until he quieted -- then leave the room. It gave him time to burn off excess energy and he also learned to put himself to sleep rather than relying on us.
In terms of routine, we watch for his cues, then take him to his room, change his diaper, close the blinds, turn on his white noise, lay him down, then leave.
So we aren't the only ones who do this??
We need some help too! Bedtime for us is like nap time times 100... Ugh.
naps are worse...bedtime she sleeps pretty good in Rock n Play. I cringe thinking of the day she outgrows it. I may keep her in it until she's 10! Won't do naps in it though..go figure!
Ah yes... My LO loves his RnP too! For bedtime and naps (when he lets us put him down at all). We have been trying to get him in his crib for months. He did great for a few weeks, but now seems to be on a crib strike, so he is back in the RnP. Of course after we walk him around the house for a good chunk of time first!
Glad to hear I'm not the only one with a sleep fighter! DD also demands to be walked around the house after eating since she kicks me if I sit still. Getting her to sleep also involves many laps up and down the stairs. She seriously cannot be kept still! Only pro is I'm down 10 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight lol!
When he's full and sleepy, but won't settle down I often take him for a walk or drive. The fresh air almost always calms him down and he's asleep within 15 minutes. If I put him in the car he'll be asleep by the time we've gone 5 miles to the grocery store.
But if I don't want to leave the house, then I just let him fuss in his crib until he falls asleep. I sometimes will pick him up and hold a paci in his mouth, but I'm trying to stop that if we can.
Between 8 weeks and 4 months I timed it. Like clockwork, we would eat, play and within 90 minutes of the time he woke up he was ready. His sleep cues generally involved him whining and making a grunting noise. By then I started our routine for nap: short walk to his bedroom, shushing, patting his back and then lying him down. If on his tummy, he would need help. So I would pat his back and gently rub his back. His pacificer was essential as well as his sound machine.
Now, I am able to do our short nap routine and just lie him in bed on his back his sleep preference, give him his favorite blanket, and turn on sound machine. I whisper "I love you" and reassure him ill be here when he wakes. He falls asleep within 5 minutes.
So, pay attention to visual or auditory cues: eye rubbing, yawning, disengaging, or fussiness. If your baby is like mine and didnt show a lot cues early on, time yourself. From the moment baby wakes, they should be back asleep within 2 hours. Older babies may have a little longer attention span but most still abide by the 23 hour rule once over 6 months.