Nap help! 8 weeks

Re: Nap help! 8 weeks

• angelinthepit23 member

  January 2016

  Anytime my LO goes down for a nap he's swaddled otherwise he will wake up. I also use white noise, his preference seems to be hairdryer. So I pull up a video on my old iPhone and set it next to his head and that will usually do the trick. We are getting better at naps in his crib. Right now about 2 per day. The others are on one of us or his RNP.

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• SJFTCA member

  January 2016

  At 8 weeks, I was swaddling (miracle blanket) for every nap in the crib. Now (10 weeks) we are using the Halo sleepsack swaddle w his arms out. I usually read him a book and rock him and he's out. I place him in the crib after he's fallen asleep, but he's usually in varied states of sleep (sometimes completely zonked out, other times not so much). I'm working on rocking for less time and perhaps eventually not at all bc I know I'm supposed to let him soothe himself to sleep at this point. But right now, we are working on the dropping the swaddle transition, so one step at a time!
  
  Also, he is starting to wake around 30-45 mins into almost every nap. He's napping about three times a day, so for two of the naps, I let him fuss and then soothe himself back to sleep. It takes about 20 mins, but he eventually settles.

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• ElleMF728 member

  January 2016 edited January 2016

  You're still in the 4th trimester don't worry about cribs or drowsy but awake.  My pediatrician doesn't even suggest starting to try until our 3 or 4 month visit.  Right now the most important thing is that he naps whether that happens in a swing, rock n play, bouncer etc.  Most 8 week olds only have about an hour or so of wake time before they need to nap and take about 4 naps a day.  Its also common for babies that little to have shorter naps, it happens because they often struggle to make it through that first sleep cycle and transition into deeper sleep.  This is a developmental skill that typically comes with age.  The reason he naps longer in your arms is because you are essentially soothing him through that transition.  This is also why a lot of babies will nap longer in swings or bouncers that also soothe and help them stay in that drowsy state until they settle into deep sleep. 
  
  When people suggest drowsy but awake they are hoping to avoid dealing with object permanence issues which set in around 6 months.  The goal is that by the time LO is capable of this skill that he or she is able to fall asleep by himself in his crib.  That generally gives moms and dads about 3 months to work on establishing a routine and teach their baby how to do it. 
  
  Babies also start to lose their swaddle reflex around 3 months or so, if LO isn't rolling over there is no problem in continuing to use it until he does.  
  
  ETA: Your means your, you're means you are.  Apparently I still struggle with this occasionally. 
  
  

  

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