Babies: 3 - 6 Months

How do you 'put them down for a nap'?

I am boggled by this phrase. According to most sleep 'experts,' DD's wakeful period at 3months old is 1.5 hours. I try to watch for her sleepy cues and just start rocking/singing to/being low-key with her no matter what by 1hour of wakefulness to try to ensure she's napping by the 1.5 hour mark. It never works and she never becomes drowsy during this time. I gave up and put her in the swing for the last half hour and she's finally fallen asleep after 2.5hours of being awake. I always find it funny when people say in their posts that they 'just "put" LO down for a nap.' like it's just that easy. for us it's an hour long process to get 45min of napping out of her. How the heck do you do it?

Re: How do you 'put them down for a nap'?

  • DD naps in the swing and that is how I put her down for a nap.  Just put her in and turn the thing on and she is out in about 5 min.
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • Oh, we're like you - there's no intentional "putting down" for naps. If she falls asleep or it looks like she's about to pass out, I'm trying to put her in her crib (though that's new as of yesterday - normally we'd just let her sleep in our arms or wherever).

    So yeah, I'm with you.

    Pregnancy Ticker Pregnancy Ticker
  • Loading the player...
  • Well, for us...it's a mixed bag of marbles. lol

    Some days we can just lay DS in his crib and he goes right to sleep on his own. And other days he has to be rocked, walked around, given a bottle, ect. So ya never know. I think it's worse for DS if we wait until he's 'over tired'...you have to recognize his cues and put him down right then. A minute too late and it turns into chaos!!

  • I agree with you! It takes a sink, a vacuum, rocking and shushig to get my guy down,

    And the process doesn't work until he's already crying from being overtired -usually after 1.5-2hrs of being awake.  

  • At your baby's age, my LO was still napping on top of me or in my bed with me.  

    Right now, I'm having a little more success.  I try to give him 2 hours of awake time before TRYING to go "down" for a nap.  I rock him quietly (I don't sing or talk) until his eyes close.  Then I move him to his crib.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  

    And 1.5 hour naps?!!? HAHAHAHA... never happens.  In fact, LO is rousing now, after 45 minutes of sleeping on his own.  I don't know what a 1.5 hour nap is like.  It's ok, some babies are cat nappers.  

  • On the weekends DS naps in his crib.  I just wait until he's obviously tired (rubbing his eyes, cranky, etc), go into his room rock him for a minute or two and lay him down.  He's usually out before I lay him down though.  He'll nap anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours..just depends.  But at FIL's house he naps in the pnp, not sure how he puts him down for naps.

    Sounds like you're trying to put her down before she's really tired.  Try waiting longer and see if that's any easier.  Good luck!

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic Pregnancy Ticker Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • I rock him until he's drowsy then I lay him down.  We use a humidifier for white noise.  Lately though I have had to sing to him...he's really starting to get fussy with the whole process.

    1 hour seems too soon (with the exception of maybe the first nap).  I would try 1.5-2 hours between naps.  DS goes 2 hours to avoid over-stimulation.

  • whenever he starts his tired cry. I just put him in his swing.  He wont stay alseep anywhere else for naps.
    Photobucket Photobucket
  • white noise, swaddle, nurse to sleep, transfer to swing. i spend 20-30 minutes getting ds to sleep so he'll get a 40-60 minute nap. repeat 5 times daily. ugh.
  • I wasn't able to put him down until just a few weeks ago.  Prior to that, he usually fell asleep while nursing, and if not I'd have to wear him or bounce him on my lap for a long time.  Recently I've been able to rock him for a bit once I notice he's getting sleepy (usually after 2 hours awake) - about half the time he falls asleep easily, the other times he cries for a min or two but ends up falling asleep in my arms.  Then I'm able to put him in the crib.  Rarely I can put him down awake and he'll fall asleep on his own, but the stars have to be aligned perfectly.
  • I put him down when he starts getting cranky, which is anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 hours after waking up. I then put him swaddle him up, put a pacifier in his mouth and lay him in his crib. He fusses for a few minutes and then passes out. I have never rocked him to sleep, which my mom thinks I am horrible for, but I have gotten a good sleeper so I don't pay any attention to her! He takes a morning and afternoon nap. In the evening, he usually falls asleep sitting on the couch with DH. Sometimes he takes a "formal nap" in the evening but not usually. It is not unusual for him to be awake for 4 or 5 hours in the evening. We put him down for bed the same way we put him down for a nap and he sleeps for 8-11 hours.
      
  • imageNicavesani:

    At your baby's age, my LO was still napping on top of me or in my bed with me.  

    Right now, I'm having a little more success.  I try to give him 2 hours of awake time before TRYING to go "down" for a nap.  I rock him quietly (I don't sing or talk) until his eyes close.  Then I move him to his crib.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  

    And 1.5 hour naps?!!? HAHAHAHA... never happens.  In fact, LO is rousing now, after 45 minutes of sleeping on his own.  I don't know what a 1.5 hour nap is like.  It's ok, some babies are cat nappers.  

    nope. never said that. just 1.5 hours of wakefulness.

  • I put Max in his swing.  After about an hour of being awake, playing, eating, and a changing, by 2 hours he is zonked, so he usually gets fussy.  I put him in his swing, give him the paci and out he goes in about 5 minutes.  This is the rotation we are on all day...by 6 p.m. he is ready for bed and wakes twice during the night at 1 and 4ish.  I am looking forward to STTN eventually but happy with our current routine.
  • imagemoPOETRYtion:
    imageNicavesani:

    At your baby's age, my LO was still napping on top of me or in my bed with me.  

    Right now, I'm having a little more success.  I try to give him 2 hours of awake time before TRYING to go "down" for a nap.  I rock him quietly (I don't sing or talk) until his eyes close.  Then I move him to his crib.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  

    And 1.5 hour naps?!!? HAHAHAHA... never happens.  In fact, LO is rousing now, after 45 minutes of sleeping on his own.  I don't know what a 1.5 hour nap is like.  It's ok, some babies are cat nappers.  

    nope. never said that. just 1.5 hours of wakefulness.

    Oh ok, nevermind.  My bad.  

  • For me, it means picking him up from whatever he's doing as soon as he shows tired signs (rubbing eyes, mostly, sometimes yawning), giving him a paci and holding him close until his eyelids begin to droop (up until yesterday, I also swaddled him).

    I put him in his crib after about 5-10 minutes of quiet holding/soothing and he usually sleeps for 2 hours or so (sometimes I have to soothe him back to sleep at the 40 minute mark).?

    He can usually only be up for 90 minutes - sometimes as little as an hour, in the mornings, sometimes as long as 2 hours.?

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic image Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • imageNicavesani:
    imagemoPOETRYtion:
    imageNicavesani:

    At your baby's age, my LO was still napping on top of me or in my bed with me.  

    Right now, I'm having a little more success.  I try to give him 2 hours of awake time before TRYING to go "down" for a nap.  I rock him quietly (I don't sing or talk) until his eyes close.  Then I move him to his crib.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  

    And 1.5 hour naps?!!? HAHAHAHA... never happens.  In fact, LO is rousing now, after 45 minutes of sleeping on his own.  I don't know what a 1.5 hour nap is like.  It's ok, some babies are cat nappers.  

    nope. never said that. just 1.5 hours of wakefulness.

    Oh ok, nevermind.  My bad.  

    lol. sorry. i sounded kinda beeotchy there. didn't mean to be. i just wanted to clarify that no one thought i expected 1.5 hour naps out of her! that hasnt happened since she was 6w old! Tongue Tied

  • I wish I could tell you.  I can't ever just "put DS down" for anything - nap or bedtime.  I have to nurse him to sleep and then hope he doesn't wake up in the transfer.  Sometimes I just say screw it, and let him nap on me.  Not terribly productive, but he'll nap for 1.5 - 2 hours that way.  It makes me beyond jealous when I read about people just putting their LOs in the crib and they fall asleep.  I don't think that day will ever come.
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    "You're gonna miss this You're gonna want this back You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast..."
  • When I catch sleepy signals from Baby D, I swoop her up and put her in her crib.  And that is how I put her down for naps.  I am very lucky that I have a babe who actually enjoys being put down.  When I decide to be Mom of the Year and rock and sing her to sleep (because hey, that actually sounds GOOD sometimes), she cries and cries and cries.  LOL!   
    "I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy." J.D. Salinger Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"