Going back to work and nap issues

sundaesprinkles · December 2013

I have six weeks until I go back to work and I am dreading it like I do every year except it's even worse this year because I will miss my little man so much. I have a unique situation. I prepare individual income taxes. My dad has his own business and I work for him from January through April every year. The rest of the year I hardly ever have to work. It definitely is a blessing to be off most of the year. I basically get to be a SAHM most of the time. However during tax season I work from 9 until 8 M-F and 9-3 every Saturday. It's ten weeks of a grueling schedule. But I am also lucky that my mom is going to watch Logan. Since we live 50 miles from work and my parents live 5 minutes away during tax season DH and I live with my parents, which brings it's own set of challenges. (Hopefully this is the last tax season of living with them since we are trying to sell and move back here.) But my main worry is naps.

I usually nurse him to sleep and move him when he's sound asleep to his crib at night. He wears a Merlin sleepsuit. He's a good sleeper at night for the most part. For naps I am guilty of nursing him to sleep and holding him. I can't help it, I'm treasuring the snuggle time. Sometimes I can get him to fall asleep on his own without nursing but only in the swing. He hardly ever naps in his crib. But I'm getting nervous now that I'm going back to work soon.

Today I left him for the first time all day with someone other than DH (my mom). I had continuing education all day today and tomorrow as well. We spent last night here and are spending tonight too. He slept 8 hours last night. ( I did have to move him from the crib to the swing though half way through the night after he woke up three times in an hour.) I left before he woke up. Well he only took one 30 minute nap (which was in the swing) this morning. My mom couldn't get him to nap after that, so he didn't nap until I got home about an hour ago. (He's napping next to me right now.) So six hours without a nap.

I know it's only the first day but I'm worried about his naps. I keep meaning to work on his sleep but we've been so busy getting the house ready for sale. This weekend I want to start getting better routines in place and I would like for him to learn to sleep on his own but I don't want to do CIO at all. Anybody have any success stories getting your baby to fall asleep on their own without CIO? Today was really rough for me....I missed him so much and to hear him fussing from tiredness over the phone when I called to check on him made me so sad.

MisN · December 2013

Given your situation, I would break the nursing to sleep association. One option would be to rock to sleep, that way both your mom and you could both do it. Another is soothing over the crib until he falls asleep. There will likely be some crying with this one for a few days until he builds new sleep associations. In the meantime, if he is overdue for a nap, could your mom take him for a stroller walk?

coffeeandbooks · December 2013

I just posted my modified ferber on the recent ferber question.....it requires a little bit of crying but not a lot.
I am not sure if it would work for you, but in any case, I wouldn't stress too much. I think you have to let your mom or whoever is babysitting figure out their own way of getting him down. My mom always takes LO for a walk. And my MIL can just rock him in her arms in front of a window. They just have their own way of doing it which works for them.

Oohgurl · December 2013

I was the same way when I had to go back to work. I could never get LO to take a nap longer than 30 minutes. He was having to nap every hour, I would end up holding him. Complete mess. I was so freaked about daycare, not so much about leaving him but mainly worrying about him being overtired and not getting naps.

And he was tired, very tired for the first 2 weeks. And then things settled into place. He is on a much much better schedule since starting daycare.

The truth is that your mom is going to have to come up with what works for her. Because what works for you obviously can't be done. And it may take a couple of weeks but things will settle into place. He will start napping for her. She just has to follow her instinct and do what she thinks will work for him.

jayro10 · December 2013

Today was day 3 of daycare for M. Like you, I have always held her for naps (she instantly wakes and screams if I try to put her down) and she often nurses to sleep. Day 1 of daycare, she took two 15 minute naps. Day 2, one 45 minute nap in the crib! Today, three naps- two in the swing for 40 minutes each, and a two-hour nap while being held. She wouldn't let them put her in the crib.

So she is starting to catch on, but it's going to take some time.

sundaesprinkles · December 2013

MisN said:

Given your situation, I would break the nursing to sleep association. One option would be to rock to sleep, that way both your mom and you could both do it. Another is soothing over the crib until he falls asleep. There will likely be some crying with this one for a few days until he builds new sleep associations. In the meantime, if he is overdue for a nap, could your mom take him for a stroller walk?

We can sometimes rock him to sleep but lately it hasn't been working. He will also fall asleep with a bottle but it ends up being just as bad as the nursing because we still are feeding him just to get him to sleep. I can soothe him in the crib sometimes. Naps are much harder than night time. We will just have to keep at it. The stroller is a great idea. I brought so much stuff with us that we couldn't fit it in the car this time but we will definitely have it here for tax season.

sundaesprinkles · December 2013

Thanks @oohgurl that's what I needed to hear. And @jayro10 it sounds like your LO is figuring things out. I just feel like a bad mom for not trying harder to get him to sleep on his own. If I didn't have to work I wouldn't mind the way things are now but unfortunately I have to work.

Want a personalized experience?

Going back to work and nap issues

Re: Going back to work and nap issues

Choose Another Board

Search Boards