Poll: How do you put your babies down for nap?

Ruby_Tuesday

I've been a SAHM for almost two months now and we still have trouble with naps sometimes.  I watch sleep cues, read a book, cuddle and put them down in a calm state.  Sometimes they go to sleep.  Sometimes they fuss a little then go to sleep.  Sometimes they scream bloody murder.  So what goes on in your house?  Do other people's babies just go to sleep with out all of the drama?[Poll]

smeyer

Mine go thru phases (sometimes a phase is a day, other times weeks). Right now, I put them down after our loose routine, they may play or talk to each other for a few min but then they go to sleep. In the past their behavior has varied anywhere between totally zonking to screaming. When they were in the screaming phase (thankfully it was a short phase!) I'd let them go for 5 min then try to soothe them.

jalaiaa

I put the first one, but wanted to say that it wasn't always this easy or simple ....

ProwdMommy

eehh..my boys have good and bad days.  Sometime I can put them down and turn on a mobile or crib toy and they go to sleep on thier own and sometimes I have to rock them until they are drowsy and sometimes, like now, one will go to sleep in his swing.

It is usually not a big deal around here but if they do scream when I put them down then I just pick them up and rock or nurse until they are drowsy and then put them down.  I never put the down asleep though.

Ruby_Tuesday

jalaiaa:

I put the first one, but wanted to say that it wasn't always this easy or simple ....

Did it just take time for them to get the hang of it or did you do something? Thanks.

jalaiaa

Ruby_Tuesday:

jalaiaa:

I put the first one, but wanted to say that it wasn't always this easy or simple ....

Did it just take time for them to get the hang of it or did you do something? Thanks.

Honestly, I feel like I tried everything so who knows if it was time or one of the many "methods". The last one I did was The Sleep Lady just before they were a year and right around that time everything fell into place. I will give her credit, but who knows, may have just been time too. James was always a wonderful napper but Eli gave us so much grief from day one. He hated naps and I spent much of the first year of their life fixated on how to get him to sleep.  Now I put them down and they will either go right to sleep or play for a few minutes then go to sleep.  

kafunder

We've always just changes diapers, put them in their sleep sacks (or miracle blankets when they were little), and then put them in their cribs, turned out the lights, and walked out of the room. They sometimes play or fuss, but they usually go to sleep within a few minutes. DCP and MIL do the same thing except without swaddles. The only time we've had real trouble with them going down for naps was during the 4-month wakeful, when they've dropped a nap, or when they're working on a milestone.

togo

I didn't do a routine for naps. I would just put them down after I changed their diaper and then turn on their projector sound machine. So maybe that was our routine ?

Kimmy08

Sorry, Bump burp!

Kimmy08

I rocked mine to sleep until they were a year old and it got to the point where we were having to rock them longer and longer and you had to set them in their crib *just right* or they would wake up and we would have to do everything all over again. It got to be about a two to three hour ordeal and they were starting to wake during the night again and it was a huge mess.

I was talking to my friend with triplets and asked her how she did it since it was impossible to rock three babies to sleep and she said she only did that for the first 3 or so months and after that, she got a sound machine and got them used to it. Everytime they heard that song, they knew it was time to go to sleep.

I bought the $20 Homedics sound/projection machine and the very first night set them in their cribs awake and they fussed for four minutes before they fell asleep. I was shocked! It has been 3 1/2 months and they have never looked back. No more waking at night and no more rocking. They sleep more soundly and longer, too.

MrsLnt

DD goes down easier so I put her down, give paci, taggie blanket, seahorse, walk away.  Watch her on the monitor, make sure she's down, then do the same with DS although he requires some assistance at times.  That's on a really good day.  We've never rocked for naps and always tried to put them down drowsy.

Some days there is stereo screaming no matter what. 

jennyfur211

I have never had a routine for naps only for  bedtime.  However, I noticed that my twins start to get tired about 2-2.5 hrs after they get up in the morning, so usually between 8:30-9:30(usually around 9ish)  they start getting fussy and I just take them and put them in their cribs, sometimes they will cry/whine for a few minutes and other times they will go right to sleep.  I always try to make sure they are in bed, though, no later than 9:30 b/c they usually sleep for 2-2.5 hrs, then it's lunch time.  Then they usually start getting tired again around 2ish, so I just put them in their cribs & off to sleep they go.  Having a "set" time for naps has definitely helped me with getting out of the house b/c I know what kind of window I have before the crankiness starts. 

As for my 3 year old, he takes a nap at the same time the twins do in the afternoon.  For him though it's not always a nap but quiet time in his bed, but that usually ends up with him falling asleep. 

I will say that my nephew who will be 1 in two weeks, never had a nap type schedule until he spent the week with my mom, myself, & my 3 kids.  He went down at the same time my kids did and usually got up around the same time and he learned that nobody was coming immediately to get him when he started crying.  Since then he has followed the time schedule & things have been great for my sister.

floridakat

kafunder:

We've always just changes diapers, put them in their sleep sacks (or miracle blankets when they were little), and then put them in their cribs, turned out the lights, and walked out of the room. They sometimes play or fuss, but they usually go to sleep within a few minutes. DCP and MIL do the same thing except without swaddles. The only time we've had real trouble with them going down for naps was during the 4-month wakeful, when they've dropped a nap, or when they're working on a milestone.

This exactly. Every bit of it. Except the sentence about DCP and MIL, because H is a SAHD. Oh, and the miracle blankets. We just swaddled. 

mrs.cam

No routine, i just put them down. Very rarely do they fuss, they are pretty amazing sleepers.

janjag

At that age, all of the 1st 3 options applied to us, and still do.  Oh, and sometimes they jump in their cribs for 2hrs now. 

 

Dec31stBride

One usually cries, the other goes right to sleep.

dec13th

are you dealing with reflux?  I ask b/c DD who did not have it, has always been a great sleeper and an easy napper.  While, DS who has reflux (and still takes meds) would often cry before sleeping.  He ocassionally screams bloody murder before sleeping.  This is usually at night.

lola6711

I put something else, because I have mine fall asleep in their swings.  They are supposed to be on apnea monitors, but after awhile I felt pretty confident that they were ok without them during the day when they were with me ( still hooked them up at night and long car rides).  I liked the swing option because I could see them and still get some stuff done.

With that said, they are coming off the monitors soon and I am going back to work, so I need to work on having them nap in their cribs.  I have the AngelCare monitors going at the same time as the apnea monitors so I have a little more peace of mind.

lkates921

my girls go down for a nap between 1130 and noon...we have breakfast at ten and then at 1130 i give them 4 oz of milk and change them and then i take them upstairs put them in their beds and sometimes they lay there and look at their books and talk to each other and sometimes they lay down and go right to sleep but they never cry when its time for a nap they just go in their beds and drift off to sleep...i did the ferber method and they never cry anymore...they've been sleeping in their own beds since 1 month old and they just know that their cribs mean sleep...sometimes at night they fuss when SO and i put them down and sometimes they don't...i think they just know now that mommy isn't going to come back and play games with us...it takes a lot of hard work but its so worth it in the end when they just lay down and go to sleep! good luck!