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10 week old - napping issues

KCBreloKCBrelo member
in Babies: 0 - 3 Months

I have a 10 week old baby girl who has never really been a good napper.  Earlier on (first 6-7 weeks) it was due to me missing her sleep cues and her getting over tired.  Now I'm trying to follow the eat, activity then sleep routine and look for her yawns and try to get her into her darker room by the 3-4th yawn so that I can get her away from stimulus to prevent her from becoming overtired.  I change her diaper if she needs it.  Shush and pat her back until she is calm.  I swaddle her hands and leave her legs loose, but when I go to lay her in her crib she starts to fuss and gets progressively louder.  I try to pat her, shush her and reassure her in the crib, which usually doesn't work.  I then pick her up and try to calm her again (shushing, patting, whispering), and then put her down in her crib again.  I repeat this about 10-20 times. she will never really get calm in her crib with me standing there. IF she finally does go to sleep, she sleeps at most 45 minutes.  How do you get a LO to go down for a nap without her crying it out or having my boob in her mouth?  She won't take a pacifier, so PLEASE do not tell me to give her a pacifier.  Believe me if she would take one I would have given it to her the past 10 weeks!  I'm so frustrated every day, every nap time and again at night trying to get her down.  It is a battle each and every time.  We both have had little sleep, which I'm sure is perpetuating the problem.  The only time she really gets a good nap is in the morning when I put her in her carseat to go to Mommy/Baby bootcamp at the mall and push her in her stroller.  That class is only an hour long, so she usually gets about a 1.5 hour nap from 8:45-10:15. The rest of the day, naps are impossible.  I'm at my wits end.  I don't want to have her cry it out, but I also can't hold her for the rest of her life or have her sleep with my boob in her mouth whether for naps or at night.  Any suggestions you ladies can offer (besides giving her a pacifier) is greatly appreciated. I've considered calling in a sleep consultant to help because something has got to be done soon for her and I to get some much needed sleep.  Please help if you can.  TIA

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Re: 10 week old - napping issues

  • mlampingmlamping member
    I am sorry you are having a hard time, but she is too young to be a good napper. My dd did not nap well until 1.5 years old. It takes time, around 4-5 months she will be in a more of a schedule. Right now all you can do is go with her flow. I know it is hard, but you cannot expect much of her, she is very young 

    Best of luck and try white noise on load, that is what worked for my dd. 
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  • KCBreloKCBrelo member
    She won't nap that well in the swing or bouncer, but that was the only place I could get her to sleep today although the nap was still less than 45 minutes.  I usually will do laps at the mall with her stroller completely closed up to block out stimuli to get her to sleep.  That will usually work, although yesterday it didn't work so well.  She sleeps so well with the car moving that if I am really desperate we will go for an hour long drive just to get her some sleep.  I doubt that is a very good habit and kind of an expensive solution, but when she needs to sleep she needs to sleep!  Most days I do what works until she finally goes to sleep, but I would like to establish some kind of routine by three months, which is approaching rather quickly.
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  • PrimRoseMamaPrimRoseMama member
    mlamping said:

    I am sorry you are having a hard time, but she is too young to be a good napper. My dd did not nap well until 1.5 years old. It takes time, around 4-5 months she will be in a more of a schedule. Right now all you can do is go with her flow. I know it is hard, but you cannot expect much of her, she is very young 


    Best of luck and try white noise on load, that is what worked for my dd. 
    Yup. You are expecting way too much here. She cannot self soothe at all at this age. Expecting her to do it is setting yourself up for failure.

    If she needs to be nursed to sleep and/or rocked to sleep then do it.


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  • PrimRoseMamaPrimRoseMama member
    Cry it out at this age would be abuse...


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  • carriec1111carriec1111 member
    My baby is 10 weeks old too. Naps are usually in her swing...but she sleeps better when she is sleeping on me. I love holding her but I can't hold her all the time-need to get things done. Maybe buy a wrap( moby, Baby k'tan) I think our babies are just too young to be on a schedule. I tried and it doesn't work. A few more months and I think they will. Good Luck!
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  • flkongflkong member
    Give her a pacifier! ;) Just joking :D
                                   






     
                                 
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  • jayro10jayro10 member
    My LO is 11 weeks and doesn't sleep more than 30 minutes if I put her down in her crib, swing, etc. But if I hold her, she will nap for 1-2 hours, so that's what I do at least once every single day. At this age, they are still adjusting to life outside the womb and need lots of comforting. She needs to know you're always there for her and this is when you're establishing that trust. So hold her for a long nap every day. Enjoy that time with her. Set up a snack, drink, remote, phone, whatever next to the couch and get comfy. Soon enough she won't want you to hold her all the time. Three months is still pretty young to have a strict schedule, but follow her lead and she will set her own schedule.
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  • MeenaJoMeenaJo member
    My DD is the same way. Like PPs have said, it's just the age. They don't know how to self soothe. It sounds like you are doing the right thing to get her on track to learn, but she's still too young to do any real sleep training. My DS was the same way too. After I sleep trained him naps were a breeze. So I'm waiting for the time when she's old enough and ready, until then naps are hit or miss.
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  • KCBreloKCBrelo member
    Thank you all for your replies.  Being a first time mother and reading way too many books, I think I am expecting way too much of my little munchkin based on your posts.  I know you can't compare babies to other babies because all babies are different, but when all the books say babies at this age should be sleeping 15-18 hours a day and I know she is getting less than 12 and is cranky, I will take all the advice I can get!  She seems happy and very smiley and attentive when she isn't overtired.  Overall she is healthy and gaining weight, and that is all I can ask for!
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  • Martinez720Martinez720 member
    jayro10 said:

    My LO is 11 weeks and doesn't sleep more than 30 minutes if I put her down in her crib, swing, etc. But if I hold her, she will nap for 1-2 hours, so that's what I do at least once every single day. At this age, they are still adjusting to life outside the womb and need lots of comforting. She needs to know you're always there for her and this is when you're establishing that trust. So hold her for a long nap every day. Enjoy that time with her. Set up a snack, drink, remote, phone, whatever next to the couch and get comfy. Soon enough she won't want you to hold her all the time. Three months is still pretty young to have a strict schedule, but follow her lead and she will set her own schedule.


    Good to know I'm not the only one. LO like to snuggle on me to fall asleep before I put him down. Soo I got my snacks , phone, and remote next to me
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