11 week crib transition for naps

adbunch90

My babies sleep during the day is all over the place. She will only sleep in my arms and I'm trying to transition her to take naps in her crib. When I put her in her crib she only stays asleep for 5 minutes at the most and wakes up and cries or just sits there and plays. For instance, today I tried putting her in her crib at least 4 times after waking up then she got so overtired she started screaming and she has been asleep with me holding her for nearly 4 hours! She's only sleeping about 6 hours at night so I know she's tired it's just hard doing anything when I have to hold her. Is this normal? Is she too young to sleep in the crib yet? Am I expecting to much from her and should I just let her sleep on me until she is older? BTW she hates a swing, bouncer, bassinet, and baby carrier like Bjorn and Moby . I do swaddle her but it doesn't do much. Everyone says they should have a "nap routine" but she has no daytime routine at all if she seems sleepy I just hold her and she sleeps which is almost all day it seems.

sammyjopp

Just keep at it. I just got my son 15 weeks to nap in his crib. I had to make sure the room is dark. If he won't settle down on his own I give him his binky. And I don't pick him up. Sometimes I have to go in a few times to give it to him but he will eventually go to sleep. It's not easy in the beginning it took him over an hour to fall asleep. But now I can put him down in the crib and he will nap. 

ashash1035

Did he ever get overtired in his crib or fussy laying there so long? That's what happens with my LO, she starts screaming almost poor little thing just can't figure out how to fall asleep on her own. 

ashton2190

My LO isn't napping in her crib during the day but she's been sleeping there since we got home from the hospital. During the day she either sleeps in her pack n play, bouncer, or on me. I heard someone mention using a heating pad to heat up the spot on the crib before you put them down so the transition isn't as bad from you to the crib so that might be worth a try. Also try soothing her without picking her up like rubbing her belly and shushing her. What about a white noise machine?

foxtrot0407

We were having this same issue...little cat naps while jolding her to the point of NO naps (she's 6 week old). SO overtired and cranky! I just started using the app called Baby Sleep which plays different white sounds (on a timer) and whether I put her down in her rock n play or crib for a nap now with the app playing she takes a full 1.5 or 2 hr nap everytime. 

delujm0

We started out sleeping in the crib at night around 13 weeks, and she took to it right away.  Naps took about another month before she was happy in the crib.  Do you have a mobile on the crib?  DD loved her mobile starting around 8 weeks, so we would lay her in the crib a few times a day and turn it on, so she would just get used to being in there.  Then when she woke up at night, she would put herself back to sleep (unless she was hungry) because she was familiar with her surroundings.  Naps were hard though.  I would wait until she was THISCLOSE to being asleep and then put her in the crib.  Once she started to self-soothe by sucking her thumb she would just put her thumb in her mouth and pass out.  At night I let her fully fall asleep on top of me before transferring her, but that does not work for naps.

TwizBeans

The crib is SO much harder to get a baby used to than people realize. I've had the best luck in a crib when my kids were still swaddled. Swaddle really, really tight!

ZoeyRaeJames

I understand where you're coming from. My 2.5 month old ALWAYS wants someone to hold him during the day, almost all day. He won't even nap in his bed. Which momma and daddy are TRYING to change. Now, if I lay a blanket out on the floor, or on the couch next to me, the little one will sleep. Or, of he's snuggled into daddy on the rocking chair. But at night, we have NO issues. He will sleep about 6.5-8 hours at night. But, like everyone keeps saying, we just gotta keep at it! 

jodiedrich18

I second it's something you have to keep working at. Our LO is 8 weeks and sleeps great in the crib at night and self soothes wonderfully at night, but fights naps during the day something fierce. I usually have to rock her and she seems to prefer her RNP for any attempts for daytime naps. She likes to nap while being held too so i usually cave and sit her in the RNP so i can have some hands free time. We use white noise which helps so we're going to keep trying to put her in her crib during the day to get her used to it. She usually wakes up within minutes currently and then cranks up crying. A work in progress is how I see it! 

MississippiCatfish

All babies are different. My third is 3 weeks and has taken to the crib pretty well - not because of anything I've done right or wrong. If I were you, I'd try white noise and swaddling - without those, my baby don't sleep anywhere but being held. Id also try a rock n play or swing if you feel like you're going to go crazy having to hold her all the time:)