Baby and Napping

I have an idea. When she sleeps, transition her into her crib. This way she wakes up and the crib becomes familiar to her with sleep.

good luck,
J.

Hi B.,

I highly recommend the book, Secrets of The Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg. It is a quick fun read and really helped me and my baby get on a good schedule with napping. Every child is different so it is hard to come up with one magic formula, but I think that it is important to keep trying to get them to sleep on their own. I've heard too many people being stuck sleeping with their kids all the time and then you are not getting the break you need when they nap. I used to rock my girl until she was almost asleep then put her in her crib to fall asleep the last bit on her own. As painful as it is sometimes, it is ok if they cry a little at five months. They need to learn to self soothe. Don't rush in at every sound, wait and see if they can put themselves back asleep. You just have to be persistent. There is nothing better than a good sleeper, but sometimes it takes a bit of work at first. Hope this helps.
K.

B.,

I let my son fall asleep while he was nursing and this was a very hard habit to break! My daughter (2nd child) didn't follow in his footsteps, thank goodness! For me a structured routine worked. The children were up around 6, had breakfast and playtime until 9 down for a nap, up eat lunch and play/take a walk, lunch, down for a nap, up run errands, play, dinner, down for the night at 7. I found, they were easier to put down when they were tired. Our nap routine is similar to our bed time routine, change the diaper, they would nurse in their room, I would read/tell a story/sing a lullaby, then put them down in their crib and walk out of the room. Chances are your daughter will not be happy with the change in routine, but I strongly advise you to stick with it, everyone will be happier in the long run. If you are adjusting your routine, I would start at the second nap, this way you've already been through the first one and if it takes a long time and you have a trying afternoon, you know that night time (and hopefully a little relief from Dad) are on the way.
All that being said you have to do what works for you and your child. Be flexible and do not beat yourself up too much.
Good Luck!

I agree that the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child is a great resource. As for how to put the baby to sleep once you notice the sleepy signs.... it's hard to explain what I do, but I'll try.
Hold your baby as if cradling her, but with one hand. Baby will be at a diagonal, not completely horizontal. With your free hand, pat the diaper so that the baby jiggles. You can hum at the same time. The pats and jiggling will help her to fall asleep. Then, when she is drowzy or just barely asleep, put her in her crib. Rub her back for a minute to help with the transition to sleeping on her own.
I would pat pretty quickly at first. Then, as the baby began to look like they were falling asleep, I'd pat slower, and then slower. When I was able to pat very slowly and the eyes remained closed, then I knew it was time to transfer to the crib.
Good luck!! I hope this helps.

trial and error. with my first, i would lay down or rock her, then put her down and leave. the key is to keep her alseep. i agree with the recommendation of the happiest baby on the block and the 5 s'. we used white noise (really helped), pacifiers, swaddling (till 9 months), swayed and most important not having her overtired but making sure she was tired. eat play sleep- always remember that order.
my daughter would eat, we would play, she would start to get tired. i would swaddle her arms down(she would startle with arms and wake her self up otherwise), give her a pacifier, have the white noise machine on, and rock her. she would fall asleep pretty soon, then the key would be not to put her down right away. babies take a long while to get in deep sleep so if you do it prematurely, and they wake, you will have to start over and they may think they had a cat nap. she was an extremely light sleep(if my foot cracked when i walked she would wake), the white noise really helped with this. we co-slept, and found her to sleep wonderfully in the day in her co-sleeper in our room, but horribly in her crib. imo, the difference in the crib mattress and her cosleeper pad may have been the reason. although, i could have moved her cosleeper into the crib, i just didnt bother.
i would also really suggest a good mei tai or soft structured baby carrier. you can put her on your back, she will fall asleep, and you will have your 2 arms free to do whatever you want. you could sit at the computer, vacuum, cook, etc. check out thebabywearer.com for recommendations.
i know you asked for detailed instructions, but if there was a sure fire way, you would already have heard of it. what works for one baby, wont work for another. just keep changing one thing at a time till you find the best scenario. also, my children sleep way less than the averages, dont go by those times as all kids are different and your daughter may need less. if she seems happy, she is fine. just dont leave her to cry, it will only be that she passes out from exhaustion, not that she just falls asleep. good luck, but when she is more mobile, she will sleep better.

The books that helped us most were Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child and Happiest Baby on the Block.
Health Sleep Habits tells you how long and when babies should sleep - I think it goes all the way to 2 years old. Happiest Baby tells of the 5 "s's": Swaddle, Suck, Sound, Swing, and I can't remember the last - basically wrapping them tightly like they did in the hospital with a pacifier to suck on will help tremendously. If that doesn't work, adding sounds to replicate the womb and swinging help. We read this when our first son was about 4 months old and he really took to it (we had the same issues with him). We started right away with our 2nd and he's always slept very well.
We also learned that while he didn't seem to like swaddling, we really just needed to wrap him more tightly. We ended up swaddling him like they did in the hospital, and then wrapped him again with a store-bought swaddling blanket that had velcro to secure the blankets - this way little Houdini couldn't get out and wake himself up with flailing arms and legs.
Good luck to you.

You could try lying down with her on your bed. What I've done with my daughter is lie down with her, close my eyes (so she gets the point about what she's supposed to do) and then either stay with her and nap or quietly roll away once she's fast asleep. Some days my daughter senses when I move away and wakes so you will have to try and see what works. I have been using this method as a transition between holding her while she naps to when I hope she will be able to nap on her own in her crib - which I will have to do as soon as she starts really moving and my bed is no longer safe. Good luck!

I have to say that in my case your situation was normal. All I can say is keep trying the crib. I modified bedtime, so I give her a bottle and rock her a little then put her down. I will let her cry. At first she would cry a lot, but now she may let out one little cry in protest of going down, but she goes right to sleep. I know this isn't detailed, but I wanted to let you know that my daughter only slept in the swing for the first 4 1/2 months, then only took morning naps in her crib and slept in my arms in the afternoon. Now she takes both naps in her crib. I don't really know how we transitioned, but I do know that I just tried everyday. If it didn't work, I would take her out and put her to where I knew she would nap. Eventually she just got comfortable enough with her crib. I also tried to keep her up a little longer to make sure she was REALLY tired. Good Luck, and be patient. It will happen.

I am a foster parent and only take infants. My foster babies have had various different issues (drug/alcohol addicted, premature). With each one I have done the same thing for naps and bedtime, I play the CD "Return to Pooh Corner" by Kenny Loggins and rock them. I sing along and give them a bottle and they are asleep by the 4th song, then I put them in the crib. If I have them longer than a few months I start putting them in the crib once they go limp and seem drowsy. When I leave the room I let the CD continue to play until the end. I have given this CD to friends who have had children and I send it with each foster baby when they leave, everyone loves it.

I highly recommend the book "On Becoming Babywise" - excellent instructions for getting your little one to nap on her own, and very easy to read/apply within a few pages.

One suggestion I can add to the discussion is to try letting your child nap in a sling if she wants to be near you when she naps. There are many great sling options available today. My second child enjoyed doing this and it was tremendously helpful to me because I could keep up with my oldest child's schedule of activities and sometimes even get some other things done around the house.

Sometimes, it's nice to nap too. Being able to think clearly is the best thing you can offer to your family. The dishes in the sink will get washed.

Just follow the child's lead and remember that the schedule will change again. You are a flexible and capable adult and are able to meet the needs of your child.
Peace.

I don't know if I can be much help, because I am in the same boat as you. I have three kids and I spoiled all of them at bed and nap time. With my two older kids (7&5) I worked part time, so I looked forward to falling asleep with them. I think my son who is now 7 fell alseep on me everynight until I was pregnant and too big with my daughter, my son was almost 2 at the time. he then went to falling asleep on the couch or next to me in bed and then I would carry him to his bed. I did the same with my second child, she is now. My little one is only 11 months old and I have to hold her to sleep for naps and at bed time. i am now a stay at home mom, but I watch a few kids during the day. I look forward to the time alone with my daughter. i know most people will tell you that what I am doing is wrong and will "damage" my kids, but they are my kid and I will do it my way. My biggest suggestion to you is if your schedule allows it, spend as much time with your baby as you can. they are only little enough to be heald for so long. It really breaks my heart now when my older two kids try to push off my hugs. if you have the extra time to sit with your baby than i suggest it 100%. My older kids go to bed on their own, in thier own beds and they sleep all night. They are not damaged!! there are many times tha I wish I could still curl up with them. My 11 month old loves to be held when she is going to sleep. She especially likes to be healdat night, but lately during the day she has been curling up on a pillow and blanket on the floor. I think it is a phase that all kids go through. I know I was the same way as an infant and child and i am now 32 years old and I too can go to sleep by my self ;) The best thing I can tell you to do is whatever feels right to you. I can't sit and listen to my baby cry herself to sleep, knowing that se only wants to be held. This is all my personal opinion and I know every child is different, but this is what works for me. Good Luck!! sorry I couldn't give you the answer to your problem, but I think that there is nothing wrong with what you are doing. If you are only looking to change her napping habits because "they" say that a baby/child should fall asleep on her own, then I would ignore what "they" say and do whatever feel right to you!!!!

A must to try is baby-wearing...such as in the form of a cloth wrap. My baby girl will be 5 months next week and I've come to find the closer (like swaddling) and the tighter I hold her against me she will nap like no other baby. Matter of fact I am wearing her right now and typing this. My baby has always liked motion, and she has outgrown her swing and kicks out of every swaddling blanket.
I just left for a few minutes since she fell asleep in the wrap and put her down in her crib. If she wakes up I let her try and soothe herself back to sleep and not bother her for at least 5 minutes. For some reason I think she is in a deeper state of sleep in the wrap because she is so cozy, warm and tight (which makes it easier to transfer to the crib). And best of all your significant other or grandma or anyone else can help with this too....especially if you are breastfeeding and your baby only knows how to sleep while nursing. It takes a few trys to get the wrap down to your likening, but once you figure it out you do it so fast. Sometimes I leave a hand out so she can suckle on...other times I secure them down in the wrap if she is overtired. This is a new method I've begun to try when I noticed everytime my baby is put down in the crib she would wake up/cry upon touching the mattress. If she is in dire need of a nap and hasn't taken one well in a while you might even want to just let her take her nap in the wrap, since you can pretty much still do all your errands around the house with it on. I've also noticed the better she naps (if they are short naps...than more frequent short naps are taken through the day) and if they turn out to be long naps...all in all she always sleeps better at night and goes down with minimal fussing. Best of luck!

I used to bounce my baby in the bouncer by actually boucing the back of the seat...worked every time. good luck!

Hi B.,
I recommend buying Baby Whisper solves all your problems. There are detailed step-by-step instructions for helping your child nap. I had an infant who only slept 20-40 minutes a clip ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT. I read every sleep book I could get my hands on, and she really responded to this method. It is not cry it out, nor is it rush in constantly. It's about teaching your baby to fall asleep on their own, and soothe themselves, while feeling safe, reassured and comfortable in their own crib. Again, it made all the difference for us. Our now 19 month old daughter, goes down for her nap and bed without a moment of fuss. Good luck!

if that's the only way try sitting on your bed nd shifting her gradually be4 she is totally asleep. few cries at first but I think you might be surprised.

Mich (holding sleeping DS :)