Moms with infant and toddler

AimeeL85 · May 2013

Please, please, please tell me how you manage to get your baby down for naps.

DD (4 months) is not at the point where she can/will put herself to sleep yet, she still needs me to get her to sleep.

I'm finding it near impossible to do that with a 2 year old. He won't get into trouble if I leave the room for 10 minutes or so, and I can hear what he's doing, but after just a few minutes he will start yelling for me to come back or will find the loudest toy he can.

I need a new strategy so the baby can get some sleep during the day.

TriciaandSean · May 2013

I don't have a baby yet but one on the way. Is it possible that he could get 10 minutes of iPad or TV time while you put her to bed?

memali26 · May 2013

Honestly, until DD2 was 6 months old she took all naps in the swing. It was what worked, so we went with it. At 6 months I had a week where DH and I were both home, so we did some mild sleep training and DD2 learned to put herself to sleep in her crib for naps and night.

Something other moms suggested to me was to have a bin of quiet toys that the toddler can only play with when you are putting the baby to sleep. They stay "fresh" if they are only pulled out a few times a day, and you can rotate them out every week or so. For some kids that might buy you enough quiet time to get the baby down. I don't think it would solve him yelling for you to come back, though, which is part of the reason I never tried it

Squirrel29 · May 2013

I'll be honest here - my older DS pretty much always watches TV while I'm putting the little one down. It was a lot of TV in those early months and I know it wasn't the best strategy but it was the only thing that worked. I also had to let DS2 cry for naps earlier than I did with DS1, probably at around 5 or 6 months I started just laying him down awake to see what would happen, I'd let him cry for up to ten minutes and then sooth and try again and it worked a lot sooner than I thought it would. Also, his nap schedule has been less than consistent with the majority of his morning naps happening in the carseat on the way home from whatever morning activity we have going on. He'll be one in a week and is now transitioning to one nap and it is awesome as I can put DS1 in his room for quiet time while I put DS2 down. You really just have to muddle through it until it gets easier...which it will!!

hoping4sticky · May 2013

Squirrel29:
I'll be honest here - my older DS pretty much always watches TV while I'm putting the little one down. It was a lot of TV in those early months and I know it wasn't the best strategy but it was the only thing that worked. I also had to let DS2 cry for naps earlier than I did with DS1, probably at around 5 or 6 months I started just laying him down awake to see what would happen, I'd let him cry for up to ten minutes and then sooth and try again and it worked a lot sooner than I thought it would. Also, his nap schedule has been less than consistent with the majority of his morning naps happening in the carseat on the way home from whatever morning activity we have going on. He'll be one in a week and is now transitioning to one nap and it is awesome as I can put DS1 in his room for quiet time while I put DS2 down. You really just have to muddle through it until it gets easier...which it will!!

This. My DD normally got to watch 1 MMCH a day and when I need to put her brother down it was two. I would also see if you can play with your nap schedule a bit, I know 4 months is early, but a lot of time I could put my older one down before the baby in the afternoon so that I had time for him. If not, my DD is in a booster seat with straps that she insist are strapped so I could get him down while she was eating lunch. Sometimes I could set her up with playdoh or another toy/activity. Honestly, for us, it only was an issue for a few months. I like to try and give DS some one on one time before his nap - story, cuddle, but some days it just doesn't happen with DD coming into his room. If that is the case we just work on her being quiet and he goes into his crib. He may stay up and play for 5 - 30 minutes, but he is generally quiet and will eventually fall asleep. Months 3 - 7 were pretty brutal for us, but I promise it gets better! Even with my little guy walking early at 10 months it is still easier than the point you are at now.

AimeeL85 · May 2013

I always do have the TV on for him when I'm trying to put her down, but maybe I need to not put it on until it's time for her nap so that he stays interested.

At what point did your LOs start to fall asleep on their own for naps and did you do anything to facilitate that? I'm afraid we'll never get to that point. DS didn't do it until 16 months.

memali26 · May 2013

AimeeL85:
I always do have the TV on for him when I'm trying to put her down, but maybe I need to not put it on until it's time for her nap so that he stays interested.
At what point did your LOs start to fall asleep on their own for naps and did you do anything to facilitate that? I'm afraid we'll never get to that point. DS didn't do it until 16 months.

DD1 was over 12 months. DD2 was 6 months. We used the Sleep Lady Shuffle for both of them.

Squirrel29 · May 2013

AimeeL85:
I always do have the TV on for him when I'm trying to put her down, but maybe I need to not put it on until it's time for her nap so that he stays interested.
At what point did your LOs start to fall asleep on their own for naps and did you do anything to facilitate that? I'm afraid we'll never get to that point. DS didn't do it until 16 months.

DS2 started falling asleep on his own for some naps around 6 months (not entirely consistently but pretty good all things considered). It took my DS1 significantly longer for that (like a good 2 years...) but I really think it was because I had the luxury of being able to rock DS1 for as long as he needed. That's just not possible with number two.

Another trick I liked to use for the midday nap with DS2 was about the age of your LO was to take them both into DS1's room, have DS1 lay down and I would rock / nurse DS2 - sometimes i would sing too - that would almost always knock them both out rather quickly. I also used this strategy for night time when I was home alone with them.

hoping4sticky · May 2013

AimeeL85:

I always do have the TV on for him when I'm trying to put her down, but maybe I need to not put it on until it's time for her nap so that he stays interested.

At what point did your LOs start to fall asleep on their own for naps and did you do anything to facilitate that? I'm afraid we'll never get to that point. DS didn't do it until 16 months.

Pretty much from as early as possible I did drowsy but awake every time my kids went down. Sing a song, rock for a few minutes, and turn on the seahorse. My second was a bit more difficult with sleep so he was in the rock and play until 5.5 months and we did a woombie. Around 6 months though both my kids were putting themselves to sleep. We also did sleep eat play to help break the sucking to sleep habit.

I would also wait until the last minute to turn on the TV. I do quiet wind down activities with both kids before I take DS into his room to do the last few minutes of sleep routine, so normally we read a few books and maybe start rocking a little in the living room, TV on, and then I can have DS down in <5 min. I wouldn't over think it though, I know it seems like forever, but things really will start getting better in a few months.

sschwege · May 2013

You have some good suggestions here already. The only other one I can think of is perhaps having your son 'help' put your daughter to sleep? I do home-daycare and when DD was 16 months we added a little baby to the mix. She would come with me and do knee bends, like I did and help 'Shhhhh' the baby. Wouldn't work in every situation, but might be worth a shot.

Temp994124375009771 · May 2013

TV, iPad, iPhone

Those are my only chances of getting baby down for nap without DD barging in singing, dancing, yelling, etc.

They don't always work but I usually can get baby down for one nap peacfully a day. That's better than nothing.

The other nap(s) are a battle for all involved but soon enough I will be able to put her down to fall asleep on her own.

Its temporary so I don't sweat it.

AimeeL85 · May 2013

Thanks for all the advice. It actually really helps just to know everyone else is in the same boat. I felt like I was the only one who didn't have this all figured out. I guess I just assumed everyone else's babies were sleeping peacefully in their cribs 3x a day while I'm here pulling my hair out lol.

Anne Mommy · May 2013

sschwege:
You have some good suggestions here already. nbsp;The only other one I can think of is perhaps having your son 'help' put your daughter to sleep? nbsp;nbsp;

DS1 and I have a stupid song that we sing to DS2 for naps. If he helps with the baby he gets to play with a special toy while the baby sleeps. We have a box that has all the toys people brought for 1 when 2 was born. He gets to pick one of them out.

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