Good nappers please come in

bikitybinx · May 2012

So LO would nap great when she was on me - sometimes for hours at a time. I've been putting her down in her crib or pnp for the last few weeks to break her of that habit to make the mat leave ending transition easier. When napping in her crib/pnp it can be difficult to get her down and she only naps about 30 minutes - hour (sometimes shorter - for example, she just napped for 10 minutes and is now up crying). As a result, towards the end of the day DD's mood gets worse and worse.

For those of you with good nappers (im defining this as LOs who nap at least 2 hours and who don't nap on you) were they always good nappers, or was it a pattern that they gradually fell into? If they ended up doing this on their own, at what age did they begin the longer sleep pattern?

TIA

ETA: amended nap time length

Floridamom224 · May 2012

I would have to say DD did better once she was about 3 months old. When she was younger, she would nap, but if she woke up and realized I had put her down, she would fuss and get back up. She napped GREAT when we were out and about, but at home it was different because she HATED to be put down ANYWHERe...RNP, PNP, Crib, swing...you name it she hated it. Now that she is a bit more interactive and can look at a mobile and enjoy it for example, she is more inclined to nap now. So, she will nap pretty much anywhere...her RNP, swing and the couch are her faves right now. Oh and her carrier. If I have her in her infant carrier to go get DS from school and she falls asleep, I leave her in it when we get home and let her nap in it. Usually I will get a good hr to an hr and a half out of her in that.

btartaroind · May 2012

DS was a terrible napper. He would only nap on me, like you said. But then I realized it wasn't because he was on me, it was because he was on his belly. So one day I put him down in his crib to nap on his belly and slept 3 hours. Sometimes he sleeps so long I have to wake him up because it is getting too close to dinner/bedtime! He still sleeps on his back at night because I don't like that I can't check on him.

jmccall79 · May 2012

I've had a good napper/sleeper from the get go. I've been very fortunate! Try playing music or white noise. This definitely makes a difference for my son. He's up at 6:00 (because we have to get up and going, otherwise he'd probably sleep 'til 7:00is), he takes a 2 hour nap in the morning. Is up for about an hour and half or so then back down for a 3 - 4 hour nap. Up for about another hour and half, then back down for at least a 2 hour nap. In bed at 8:30. During the day there's music or white noise playing for him and at night a bear with the heartbeat (not the weird "whooshing" sound one but more of a heartbeat sound). When he's napping, I can run the vacuum, wash clothes, move stuff around in his room...pretty much whatever and he sleeps, as long as there's other noise constantly going. Oh, and he's a tummy sleeper...when he first came home he was a side sleeper in the wedge, but he always scooted out of it. I tried him on his back and he was awake every 2 hours. I finally realized that he just needed to be on his tummy. If I put him on his back, he's wide awake.

bikitybinx · May 2012

I keep her swaddled and on her back - im worried about tummy sleep (SIDS). I have an angelcare monitor. Plus she hates tummy time - and she cannot roll over yet. Do you think I should give tummy sleep a try? With the angelcare I'd be alerted if there was any issue and I have a video monitor as well so I can keep an eye on her.

preggersINschool25 · May 2012

I am in the exact same situation.

k.linn · May 2012

I think DS is just naturally a good sleeper. He sleeps on his back, in his crib, swaddled with a noise machine running. He generally takes 3 2-hour naps (sometimes a little longer).

jmccall79 · May 2012

I know SIDS is a big deal, but sometimes you just have to do what you have to do...If you're worried about tummy sleeping, trying for a nap first and not bedtime. If she can pick her head up and turn it side to side easily I wouldn't worry about tummy sleeping (that's why I've never been freaked out about it because Ian was able to pick his head up really early, and turns it side to side no problem). Again, just try it for one nap, where you can check on her easily and just see if it makes a difference.

bethanyturon · May 2012

DD was NOT a good napper at first, but she is now.

Here are the things we found that helped:

- Keep in bright in the house when she's up, and put her in a dim room for sleep.

- Use a noise machine so she knows it's time for bed by the sound (DH doesn't do this, but it helps me).

- If I put her down, I lay down to nurse her. Again, this helps her know it's rest time instead of awake time./

- One of the biggest things was learning her schedule. She always goes down 45 min to 1 hour after first waking up in the morning. Then she will only stay up 1-2 hours between naps. Catching the first nap on time will make or break naps for the day. For us, it's almost like you just feed her, let her stretch, get her changed, play with her a few minutes, and dress her, and it's time for her to go back to sleep.

- We also swaddle now.

- Sometimes if she is being difficult, we will bounce her in the little manual bouncer to help her get drowsy.

HTH!!!

bikitybinx · May 2012

Thanks all for your responses. Yesterday and today (so far) were better with naps. I guess she has good and bad days. After trial and error, I figured out that she needs to go down about an hour after waking. I just wish she would sleep longer, tho...I guess she will always have her own agenda :-)

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