How did you/do you do naps with 2u2?

LaurenL977

DS1 is 11 months old and still naps twice a day, although he often fights at least one of them.  Sometimes one of his naps is like 20 minutes, but could end up being an hour....it really varies.  If he doesn't nap, he is really not pleasant once the early evening comes.  Waiting for bedtime can be tough!  DS will be approximately 13.5 months old when DS2 arrives.

 Did you do anything with LO1's naps before LO2 arrived?  If not, how did you work LO1's naps once you had a new baby?  Did you leave the newborn/infant in a swing while you were putting the older one down to nap?  I am starting to get a bit worried (probably overthinking it) because our nap routine now consists of a bottle, rocking, and reading 1-2 books.  And sometimes he doesn't go right to sleep and I have to go back into to his room several times to lay him back down or calm him down.  I wish I could just nap with both of them at the same time, but DS1 does not cuddle or nap with me.  He thinks it is playtime if I even try this.  TIA!

delg23

Well I don't really have this down to a science yet because DS#2s naps are all over the place. But right now for DS#1 I do milk w/ a sippy, read a book while drinking the milk and put him in the crib. But he is pretty easy going for naps and only has 1 now.

I have DS#2 in the RNP while I do the nap routine. I would streamline the naps as much as possible before #2 is born as much as you can. And yea keep #2 in a swing or whatever.

The problem for me is not putting ds#1 down, but that DS#2 has so many naps and fights them so I feel like I am spending all my time w/ him either nursing him or putting him down for a nap. Or getting him because he is crying because he is having trouble falling asleep. Oh and putting him down for naps w/ out waking #2 during his nap from 1:30-4:30. But I am only about 2 months in. I guess it gets easier. I hope.

rosesandpeonies

Yes I would put her in the swing or bouncy and bring my other daughter to bed.  She dropped her nap in the morning right before I had the baby (they are 18 months apart..she dropped it completely around 15 months but it was iffy starting at about 13 months).  Don't do anything...except try and get the naps to coincide but  remember the first two or three week the baby sleeps a lot and wake every hour or two to eat...then at three week they wake up!  and well good luck with coinciding naps.  Once you get into the swing you hopefully can get them to nap at the same time...

 To be honest that sounds like a long naptime routine to me....but thats me.  I gave the bottle before even bringing her up.  Then I sang a song and put her to sleep.  Even if she didn't sleep and she played in her crib no big deal....as long as she wasn't crying.  My daughter will not sleep with me or lay with me either.

The baby...she didn't have rhyme or reason to naps for a month or so. 

 Sadly sleep when the baby sleeps doesn't work the second time around usually (unless you have help). 

You can also try baby wearing which might help if you have to continue the naptime routine you currently have.

Big thing to remember: Do NO big changes right before or after the baby comes...no changing to big kid beds...no sleep training...nothing.  Either do it a few months in advance or a few months after.   Other than that you will work it out

MamatoJackson

I would always make sure I got #2 down first and then could focus on #1.  Sometimes that meant keeping #1 up a bit later before going down for a nap.  Sometimes that meant predicting when #2 would be getting up and putting #1 down a bit earlier.

Or if their schedules are totally different, I would set #2 up in the swing/exersaucer, whatever was age-appropriate and take #1 in and put him to sleep.  When #2 was super little, though, I would take her in the bouncer into #1's room and bounce her bouncer with my foot while rocking #1.

Try not to worry.  You'll figure something out.  As they get older, everything changes, all the time, and you just adjust accordingly and do what works in the moment. 

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moonfaerie

I agree w/others that your nap routine is a little too complicated. Not to sound discouraging. I don't have set naptimes for my LOs, so when #1 looked sleepy, I'd put #2 somewhere safe if she wasn't asleep herself, and put #1 in her crib with a kiss and a hug. She would fall asleep on her own.

I recommend really working on getting your DS to fall asleep on his own before #2 is born. It will make your life so much easier.