Sleep advice

HessHall · June 2013

My LO is almost 7 months. At 2.5 months we transitioned her from RnP to crib and started a bedtime routine bath, PJs, quiet play, then nurse/rock to sleep. It works wonderfully, she typically falls right to sleep and usually sleeps 8 hours, wakes for a change and feed, then goes back to sleep for another 1.5 to 2 hours. Occasionally we have a wake up or two in the middle of the night, but she falls back asleep easily with a little rocking.
Nap time is a different issue, somedays she naps well two solid naps other days its a few twenty minute catnaps or long nursing sessions, but nighttime sleep has been great so I don't mind much.
So far I've been on maternity leave, but will start back to work in September, LO will be 9 months. She will go to an inhome daycare mon, tues, wed, and will be with my inlaws thurs and fri. I am a bit nervous about starting daycare in general and being away from her, but I don't want to set her up badly for naps.
My question is, since I basically always nurse her to sleep, and she obviously can't do that at daycare, should I start sleep training her to help her fall asleep on her own? If I do, do I need to start with bedtime? I'm hesitant to change our bedtime since it is going so well. Or should I just let daycare figure it out?
I should add that she takes a bottle while I'm away. My husband can get her to sleep by putting her in her carseat and rocking her, or taking her for a drive. She basically screams if placed into her crib awake.
Thanks for reading and any advice is helpful.

pb_bride · June 2013

You probably *can* just nap train and not sleep train, but naps are usually harder to train than night time sleep. But in any case, although night time is "going well" for you right now when you nurse/rock to sleep, have you thought about what you'll do when it's time to wean?

My thought is that since you're going to need to do sleep training, you might as well do both right now. You can still nurse at bedtime but you'll just be putting her down awake.

RachelEric · June 2013

I only nursed, and still do, for naps and bedtime. It's the easiest way to get him to sleep. He went to day care at 3 months, and he sleeps just fine for them. They just put him in his crib, he fusses a little, then he falls asleep. LO will figure it out, if she's tired enough, she'll sleep. I was afraid of this too at first, but it all worked out fine.

GrantHenson · June 2013

I would agree with the idea of teaching your baby to sleep on own now. Of course no matter what you do it is not right or wrong and it needs to feel ok for you and work for your family. I do however agree that it would be easier to sleep train at night first rather than naps and that it is easiest to do it all at once.

JoNi2010 · June 2013

My LO also uses daycare some days of the week and my mom takes care of him the other days. When I used to nurse him to sleep, it was fine for daycare and my mom - he was different with them. However, I knew I could not nurse him to sleep forever so I sleep- and nap-trained him at 6 months. He does not depend now on nursing anymroe (unless he is sick or teething).

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