Lurker, nap help :(

jafiorino

I don't post often but I was hoping you guys might be able to help. Most other boards would tell me to CIO but I can't!

My DD is 6,5 months old. I babywore her for naps until she was 4 months,and then she was getting too distracted and couldn't fall asleep on me anymore so I transitioned to letting her fall asleep on me while I laid in bed, then I would move her into the crib.

The last 2 weeks whenever I try to put her in the crib she jolts awake, and the minute I pick her back up she goes back to sleep... put her in the crib and she's awake again. I have tried just leaving her in there with the hope that she'll go back to sleep but she starts to play and really wakes herself up. When I put her in her crib drowsy she will either play or start to cry, and I refuse to CIO. I have left her in there playing for 30 minutes and she just screams and talks to her feet, lol. Eventually she starts to cry for me. Her crib is right next to my bedside so I have tried laying next to the crib, holding her belly, shhing, our sound machine that we use at night, holding her hand etc and she either starts to cry or she talks to me. I'm stumped at how to proceed....... any ideas?

p.s. Just letting her nap on me unfortunately isn't a good long term solution. I've been laying in bed for 3+ hrs a day for her naps and it is making me crazy, I'm a busy body. I also babysit another infant in my home, she hasn't been here the last few weeks but once she is back DD is definitely not going to be able to take all of her naps on me.... help!

TiffanyBerry

Can you set up your bed so she can just  stay alseep there and you don't transfer her anywhere?  That's how my daughter has always napped, since we cosleep.

=Lee=B

Is her crib on a high or low setting?  My daughter is 7 months and the crib mattress is still up high (she doesn't pull up and doesn't sit or even roll in bed...shhh don't tell her that babies can roll around in their cribs).  This makes it easier for me...if she wakes and is fussing I lean all the way into the crib and hug her and kind of wrap myself around her...she usually passes right back out then I slowly pull myself away.

My daughters sleep cue was always me kissing her forehead (started from wearing her in carrier)...I do this when she is in crib and wakes but needs to go back down...she calms and sleeps.

If you need to try the carrier again when you have the second baby back it might be helpful to have asleep cue routine, my daughter now takes a lot more time and effort to get to sleep in the carrier (the world is wayyy to exciting to miss anything).  I admit that I use the hood to cover her, then I use my hands to cover the opening by her face lol.  There is still room for air to move in and she now knows that when my hand goes up and blocks the opening she is supposed to go to sleep.  She usually will...other times I peek in and she's moved her head so that her eye can peek out a tiny hole!  Once she is asleep I open up the hood so her face is fully exposed.  In addition to blocking out the world in the carrier.  I kiss her forehead and pat her bum, all sleep cues.

Regardless of where naps occur I find they come in waves...my daughter is back in the wave of happily putting herself to sleep about 8 times out of 10.  Other time periods require me to lie in bed with her until she falls asleep.  I just flow with the waves and make them as easy on me as I can.  When she needs me close I make her safe on the bed and I just sneak out once she's down and if she starts to wake I go back and lie with her until she is back asleep.

musicalmama5

TiffanyBerry said:

Can you set up your bed so she can just  stay alseep there and you don't transfer her anywhere?  That's how my daughter has always napped, since we cosleep.

This is what we do.

Mrs.AmyDylan

musicalmama5 said:

TiffanyBerry said:

Can you set up your bed so she can just  stay alseep there and you don't transfer her anywhere?  That's how my daughter has always napped, since we cosleep.

This is what we do.

Us also. 

LilyGR

I have nannied for an infant from 4 months to 9 months old, and I always walk around with her laying in my arms singing to her until she falls asleep. (When she is tired.) I have to make sure that she is sound asleep before I lay her in the bed. When I am putting her down, she usually opens her eyes, but she is still sleeping, and closes them right away again.

Dr. Sears says in his sleep book to make sure the infant has gone from REM sleep into the deeper sleep. Limp arms and a mouth that is slightly open signals this deeper sleep.