XP - Moms of 2 or more, where did your 2nd baby nap??

Meggie1129 · October 2011

XP - Right now DD is only 3 1/2 weeks old so I am not too concerned, but I feel like I am never going to be able to get her on any type of nap schedule (at least in the mornings) or to nap in her crib b/c of my 3 1/2 year old DS. We are either driving to preschool, or an activity, or he is as loud as all get out and I cannot devote the time to have a "naptime" routine like how I did with him. So right now she is either napping in her carseat, bouncy chair, or swing. I was wondering what was going to happen later on though. DS still naps so I am hoping I will at least be able to get her down for a crib afternoon nap eventually, but I feel like mornings are just going to be a total crapshoot. What worked for you, what did you end up doing? I also posted this in the age forums, but I want to know what worked for you??

AgrippaRidesAgain · October 2011

Once she hit 3 months old, we kind of had to cut out activities for a while, b/c she resisted sleeping in the carseat and needed a regular nap schedule. I tried to make her naps flexible though. She went down for her morning nap two hours after she woke up, then napped again somewhere between 9 and 11, and napped again somewhere between 12 and 3. DS wasn't in school yet though, so that helped. I just made morning time our personal activity time. If she was still taking a morning nap, I'd probably try to force her to stay awake until we got back from dropping him off, then let her sleep until we picked him up again.

VTbride05 · October 2011

It's hard. Right now we are home at least 2 days a week (b/c I watch other kids) and gone at least two days (for speech and music class), so DD's sleep schedule is... not a sleep schedule. I am trying to get her to nap only in her crib on the days that we are home, which she will do. On days we are out and about she often misses the morning nap. Not ideal, but she wont easily fall asleep in the Ergo or stroller, and she wont transfer if she is asleep in the car. For us it works b/c DD is super easy going and does okay pushing her naps back or missing one.

schnappycat · October 2011

Afternoons were fine since DS still napped most days until the last few months, so they would both be in their respective rooms for the PM nap. However, mornings were tough. DS didn't start preschool until August, but he did have other AM activities and classes to work around when DD was an infant. Most days I was able to give her a shorter, early nap in her crib before we had to leave, but other days she would catch a few minutes in the car and that was it. Needless to say, I ended up dropping her AM nap really early (like around 10 months) because it was too hard to get a regular one in or it was just so short it wasn't worth it. Luckily, she rolled with it much better than DS did as a baby.

KristinKD · October 2011

In the beginning I just let her nap anywhere, but it was easier since she was born a few months before DD1 started preschool. Around three months is when I got serious about naps in the crib.

When we were home, I would give DD1 the choice of staying downstairs to play or coming with me to put DD2 down for her nap. If she came with me, she knew the rules: she had to be quiet and leave with me as soon as I laid DD2 down in her crib. She also knows to be quiet when we're upstairs while DD2 is sleeping; every so often she forgets (which is understandable at this age) and yells and wakes DD2, but fortunately those instances are rare.

When school first started, DD2 was napping right around drop-off time, but then and now, if she falls asleep in the car, I can usually move her to her crib and keep her sleeping as long as she's been asleep for less than 20 minutes. When her morning nap moved a little later, it often meant I'd have to wake her up to do pick-up, but that's just the way it is sometimes. The afternoon naps were a little harder in the beginning, since DD1 still needed a nap then but had always needed to be rocked to sleep. I'd either be rocking both of them at the same time so I could get DD1 down, or putting DD2 down and then getting DD1 down only to have DD2 wake up shortly afterwards. It was actually much easier when DD1 gave up her nap! Now DD2 takes one nap after lunch, so school doesn't interfere with it anymore, but I often have to wake her up in the morning to drive to school. Ugh! Even with all of that, she's still a better napper than DD2 ever was.

I think you kind of just have to figure it out as you go along. Good luck!

welshgirl · October 2011

It worked well for us for a while that M would have her first (early) nap in her crib, then the later morning nap in her pram, and then her 3rd nap was either crib or double stroller. But it might ahve been easier for us because we walk everywhere, and you can keep her in one place to have a proper nap (vs car seat and in and out of the car). Now that DS has started nursery school, she's not napping so well in her crib, because she's getting used to nappign in the buggy, but naps are a changeable feast.

jerol · October 2011

My first two were 16 months apart so when #2 got into a regular schedule, I made sure she got one GOOD nap in the crib- during #1's nap. On the days we were home in the morning, she napped in her crib but if we were out and about she napped in the car.

Now, with #3 she naps in the car or stroller but anytime we are home I am sure to put her in the crib so she gets used to it.

jlw2505 · October 2011

I work full time so it is a bit different for me. When I was on leave, my older DD was at preschool and my baby napped at home or if we were out doing things (shopping, play group, etc) she napped on me or in her car seat. On the weekends, we kept my older DD on her nap schedule and my little one was just more flexible - napped in her stroller, the car seat or held by me and if home - then in her crib. Once she moved herself from 3 naps to 2 naps at 10 months - life got way easier as I had the girls napping at the same time in the afternoon and we just did one on one things with my older DD during the morning time frame. My younger DD would take her morning nap after being up about 1 1/2 to 2 hours and then her afternoon nap would fall at around the same time as my older DD's or they at least over-lapped enough that it worked out. I honestly think that once you have more than 1 kid, your younger kids just learn to be more flexible. If I had planned to stay home for every single nap time of both of my kids - I would have never left the house though 1st 10 months.

smilejenn · November 2011

With the exception of napping in the car during preschool runs (there wasn't anything I could do to prevent that), my youngest son always napped in his crib. I didn't want to go through a difficult time transitioning him to sleeping in his crib, so I didn't encourage sleeping anywhere else. If he happened to fall asleep in a bouncer or swing, I moved him to his crib.

Want a personalized experience?

XP - Moms of 2 or more, where did your 2nd baby nap??

Re: XP - Moms of 2 or more, where did your 2nd baby nap??

Choose Another Board

Search Boards