How long does it take you to get LO down for a nap?

August & After · March 2014

LO will be 10 weeks in a couple days, and I'm going back to work in three weeks. We do the eat/play/sleep schedule and on normal days (non-growth spurt days) he's basically eating every three hours. So he gets changed and eats, altogether that takes about 40 min, then plays for maybe 30 min and starts showing signs of fussing, so I start getting him down for his nap. On average, it takes close to a half hour, sometimes more, rarely less, to get him down for a nap and stay down. Then he naps for about a hour before waking up again.

Up until now, we were getting him pretty much close to asleep before actually putting him down. I've been working to break that, but it still takes a long time to get him drowsy enough to lay down and fall asleep. I wondered if maybe I was starting to get him down for his nap too early, and he just wasn't tired enough, but today I pushed him a little (I was throwing stuff together for dinner and wanted to get it done before I worked on getting him down for a nap) and he started crying. He was reaaaallly tired. Too tired. Still took the same amount of time to get him down.

I'm just trying to cut down the prep time, if I can, so LO doesn't scream bloody murder at daycare. I'm sure she won't have 40 min to put him down while tending to the other kids, and one other infant. Suggestions? How long does it take you?

notkateanymore · March 2014

Takes about 20-25 to feed him and about 10 mins to rock him to sleep after he's swaddled.

August & After · March 2014

Yeah, the only time we feed and then go straight into sleep is bedtime/overnight wakes. He's milk drunk and usually has no issues going down. The issue is more when he's going from "play" mode into nap mode.

BoothBaby · March 2014

I could have written this post, almost word for word. Some naps he goes to sleep on the first try, but most involve multiple trips back to soothe him again (we also lay him down "drowsy but awake", then give him a few minutes...if he starts crying, we go in, rock him until he is drowsy, and lay him back down...rinse and repeat). Occasionally he will never get to sleep and will just fuss/cry until it's time to eat again. Lately he has been fighting sleep more than usual. I'm assuming (hoping) it's just a phase? The only advice I can offer is to keep trying and be consistent. They will eventually learn their schedule and will hopefully go down easier!

bty19 · March 2014

11 weeks tomorrow and lately - takes anywhere from 20 minutes to 45. Thats following an eat, play , sleep type routine. If she is just fed, she'd fall asleep faster though. Sometimes I feel I make it harder on myself but I dont want her always needing the boob to fall asleep.

August & After · March 2014

Exactly! Just now, it was getting close to when he would eat again, so I thought all the fussing (while obviously being tired) might also be from hunger. So I popped him on the boob and he was OUT in like 5 min. So he got a little milk to tide him over, but he's been down for a half hour now, so he obviously needed sleep. Obviously my daycare provider can't do that, but I suppose I can tell her to offer a bottle if it's getting close to feeding time and he's still fussing.

imrachellea · March 2014

...naps? What are those? Seriously, my kid sleeps great at night but during the day it's power naps, usually on me. I wish I could "put her down drowsy" but the only place she shows drowsiness is on the boob. Even when I fight to keep her awake for a full feeding then try and put her down...immediately awake in her crib and no matter how much I try to comfort her she just fusses and cries. I have no idea what will happen at day care in 3.5 weeks...

August & After · March 2014

Ughhhhh I'm sorry. I spent Monday and Tuesday like that, at the time we thought it was an extremely long reaction to vaccines he had on Friday. He was a mess Saturday and Sunday, but at least took some naps. Monday and Tuesday though, forget it. Was sleeping great at night, but maybe a hour total during the day. Fussed otherwise. It was awful and I'm sorry.

eggmankate · March 2014

My LO is 12 weeks and I have to say that around 11 weeks everything just kind of clicked for us. I don't know if I finally "read" my DD well and got the routine down by better reading her sleepy cues or what. Before that I would put LO in swing (between 8-10 weeks) and sing her to sleep and keep putting paci in her mouth every time she spit it out. Eventually she would go to sleep anywhere between 10-25 minutes after I put her down. Starting last week until now I can put her in the swing with a paci, keep my eye on her a few minutes to make sure she's comfortable and put paci back in if she spits it out, leave the room and come back a few minutes later to see her asleep. So now I think it takes between 5-15 minutes. This is all in the swing. The crib during the daytime I sometimes give up on. At my parent's house ("daycare") she goes right to sleep in PnP but I wonder if that's because it's really dark in there. I have yet to figure out what works "best" for her.

thebobloblaw · March 2014

imrachellea said:
...naps? What are those? Seriously, my kid sleeps great at night but during the day it's power naps, usually on me. I wish I could "put her down drowsy" but the only place she shows drowsiness is on the boob. Even when I fight to keep her awake for a full feeding then try and put her down...immediately awake in her crib and no matter how much I try to comfort her she just fusses and cries. I have no idea what will happen at day care in 3.5 weeks...

This is us too. If she will fall asleep in the swing then it might last a couple hours, but otherwise it's just quick cat naps. Can't complain though with the amount she sleeps through the night and that she doesn't get too fussy during the day.

August & After · March 2014

Yeah, where he will be sleeping at daycare is in a separate dark room in a PnP, so my other thought is that it'll just happen at daycare. He may be more tired there, with so much stimulation. Who knows.

synergy_gd · March 2014

I can't get him to nap during the day at all unless he's rocked in his pram or in his bouncer. That only takes about 10mins. He'll fall asleep while feeding but the second I put him in his cot he screams unless it's after 6pm. He's nearly outgrown his pram so not sure what I'm going to do then.

74dragonfly · March 2014

We have a good night time routine going but so far naps are random and kind of involve him passing out while we are out and about. I am a SAHM while I job search,

Cbowl · March 2014

Sadly this thread makes me feel better. I've really been struggling with spending upwards of 30+ mins rocking and soothing my LO to nap only to have her wake up the minute I put her down or to take a crappy 30 minute nap. She has been overtired and fussy and often the time it takes to out her to sleep butts right up to eating time. Ugh. Finally after battling to get her to sleep in the crib - I have given up and just do all naps in the crib. You have all my sorries!!

August & After · March 2014

Same, nights are great. So I suppose this is a trade off?

sabriel1 · March 2014

KateMW said:

Takes about 20-25 to feed him and about 10 mins to rock him to sleep after he's swaddled.

This exactly

August & After · March 2014

So you guys with the no naps baby, are they fussing the majority of the day, or do they just not sleep? Earlier in the week when mine was vetoing naps, he didn't feel well (had major gas issues, potential intestinal bug) and just screamed most of the day.

imrachellea · March 2014

Nope my girl is generally pretty content...but then again, she may nurse/sleep for 1.5 hours, I just sack out in front of the TV. By the time she finishes, we play or walk around the house for 30 mins or she sits in the bouncer on the counter so I can eat, then SHE'S ready to eat again. I literally get nothing done around the house ALL day. This is why part of me is looking forward to going back to work...it's driving me nuts not being productive.

August & After · March 2014

Totally. The naps help at least sort laundry or even just veg solo.

lilypienmessimy · March 2014

I'm in the same boat as you ladies! She hates being put down drowsy but awake and rarely falls asleep that way. I keep trying and hope that eventually it will just click for her and she will be able to fall asleep by herself. For now though, it's rocking and holding her or rocking then putting her down in the bassinet and praying she sleeps for a bit. It'll get better in time, I hope!

kelliskoviraWed244758 · March 2014

My LO had a hard time napping during the day in her crib, but once she went to daycare, she naps so well there. I think it's the stimulation.

KateVA · March 2014

I rarely put him down for a nap. They usually happen in the car seat, on me or in his swing or chair. I need to get better about crib naps but they never last long and I just don't have time with three kids to spend 30+ minutes putting him down

August & After · March 2014

Well I worked on him with each nap yesterday and this morning, it took much less time to get him down and asleep. I didn't clock it, but it seemed like far less of a fuss than yesterday's naps. I started slightly earlier than normal, as he seemed ready earlier. Just following the process of putting him down drowsy but awake, as soon as he cries, pick up and soothe, and then right back down. Start to finish was maybe 15 min? I'll have to clock the next one. I was pleased with the outcome and he's napping longer than normal right now.

synergy_gd · March 2014

My LO only got fussy at about 12weeks if he didn't nap during the day. Before that it didn't seem to bother him at all. But now you can see his eyes get red and he starts grumbling.

August & After · March 2014

Second nap took 15 min to go down! Little victories

linzy2202 · March 2014

I started letting LO sleep on her stomach for naps and she loves it. She sleeps so much sounder now. She's very active with her arms and would wake herself up. This way they can't move all around but she can move her body more to get gas out and moves her head from side to side. I am a SAHM while I'm looking for a job so I supervise her naps. She tends to eat every 3 hours so I feed her and then she plays about 30-60 mins. Then she starts whining and Then put her to sleep while in my arms: cover her head partially with Aden & anais blanket (she loves this and it signals sleep now), paci in, hold tight rock and shush. Usually takes about 15 max, sometimes instant. Then I lay her and roll her on tummy. Sometimes I'll have to pat booty other times she just goes to sleep. She was sleeping broken naps and was very cranky, now she sleeps up to 2 hours when I wake her to eat and is a lot happier! If we could just master night sleeping that would be awesome!!

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