Napping in Car Seat

Hi D.,

You're right, laying in a carseat/ swing to sleep isn't the best. I would also be concerned that he isn't learning to sleep in his bed/ on his own.

I've had great results teaching kids to sleep in their bed by slowly reducing me time in the room with them. For the first few naps lay your child in the bed and pat their back until they're alseep, then you slowly walk away sooner and sooner. Eventually you'll be able to lay your child down without an issue at all.

I also must stress to lay your child down before they get tired. This sounds strange, but an over tired child cannot get to sleep. Tomorrow, try laying him down 10 minutes before his nap time. And watch for sleepy cues.

I recommend "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth all the parent I coach, (I'm a parent coach), because it's the best sleep book I've read!

Good Luck

R. Magby

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Our baby was very fidgity - kicked his legs a lot, rolled, etc. The lactation nurse told us it was a sign of gas, and recommended we give him gas tablets and always, always keep him elevated (head above heart, heart above waist, waist above feet) when sleeping. She recommended keeping him in . . . . a car seat! to sleep for a while.
Sleep is crucial! but there are other reasons he is more relaxed and sleepy in his car seat. And you are out driving him around to get him to nap - I strongly, highly recommend the book THE HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK by Dr. Harvey KARP. It helped our baby so much. It will help you so much to understand how you can help your baby. They probably have it at your local library - GET IT!! In hs car seat your baby is contained, there is the car noise and motion, is he sucking on a pacifier? The book will explain how these things mimic the conditions of the womb and that comforts and relaxes your baby - and it explains how you can help to do those things as well.

Good luck!

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Have you tried the nanny nap, I think it could really work for you.
Here's the link:
http://napnanny.com/
I hope this helps!

1 mom found this helpful

This is going to become a very hard to break habit. One I guarantee you will regret. Your baby needs to learn how to self soothe so he will learn how to eventually sleep through the night. A goal all new parents have. For the first three months this may not seem like a big deal but after 3 months habits form and get almost impossible to break.
I would worry less about his spine and more about this becoming a habit. Thirty minutes is not bad for a nap and once he gets moving he will sleep longer. Being a new parent can be tough, hope this helps!

my now 6 year old was the same way. he loved his car seat. he actually napped in it until he was 2 (yikes:) but he slept for sooooooo much longer and he seemed to like how cozy he was in it. eventually i just strapped a bigger car seat to a rocking chair and rocked him to sleep in it. as far as his spine he is a perfectly healthy, very tall, straight spined little man. i think sometimes you just have to not worry what other people think and do what works best for you and your family. if you are willing to put him in the car seat and potentially make a habit of it but get great naps out of it then do it. if you don't think you can handle having to put him in the car seat everyday and you are worried about his spine. then maybe you may have to suffer through some short nap days to get him to sleep in his crib. regardless he is still very little and napping is still a work in progress for him. it will get better. good luck to you and your little one!

I think some moms misread your question. As I understand it, you are referring to your child NAPPING in the car seat not sleeping in it all night. I see nothing at all wrong with it. As a matter of fact, what a blessing that your child enjoys the car seat (my son did, too, but my niece did not like hers). I can recall several occasions when I would be at a family member or friend's house and simply put my son in his carrier / car seat when it was nap time. People were astonished that he would fall to sleep on his own.
If you are like most new moms, sleep is a luxury for you...so napping is a must - do whatever works.

My DD was the same way... She would take short naps in her crib, but would only take long, refreshing ones if I put her in her bouncy chair. I just put her in the crib, and when she woke up I would put her in the bouncy chair, wait for her to fall back asleep, and put her back in the crib. The first time I moved her back once, then let her finish her nap in the chair after her 2nd wake up. after a couple times doing that, I would move her back twice. Then 3 times. etc. Eventually she stopped waking up. Now at 6 months, she has all but outgrown her seat, and hasn't even been put in it for over a month... been 2 since she has slept in it. She is also taking 2 naps a day, each about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. :) The only problem was that she started depending on the chair to fall asleep... but I did the same basic thing to teach her to fall asleep in her crib, putting her in it more and more awake each time... good luck!

Will your baby sleep in a stroller? This allows your baby to rest but also gives you exercise.
As for spine issues, I wouldn't be concerned about that. If your baby is uncomfortable he or she will let you know.

my friend had her baby nap in the car seat... but IN the house... and putting on white noise... and in a darkened room.

The trick... will be to get him to nap... in the house, without the car seat... and having to be riding around in a car... just to nap.
My other friend, they did that to get their kids to nap... and even when their kids were older... HAD to be riding around in a car, in order to nap. It became a real bad habit and a real pain for the parents... inconvenient to say the least, for them.

Or, perhaps try a sleep sack for him.... and white noise....

all the best,
Susan

My mom told me the only way my sister would sleep was in a car seat, so that is what they did. My son is doing the same thing, loves to sleep a nice long time in the car seat, so I have been letting him, here at home, he is a month old.
My sister is a tall, straight backed woman now, with no problems with her back. I think it is fine to let them sleep in the car seat, cause they need the sleep. You might try strapping him in and staying home, though, as gas can get expensive! =)
Good luck!
R.

Have you tried using white noise? At that age we discovered that our daughter slept longer when we had the radio playing very softly in her room. Sometimes young babies wakeup sooner when it's "too quiet". They have lived the first stages of their lives in your womb where it is very noicey. They hear people talking, sound of the cars, your intestines and stomach girgling, and you're constant heart beat. When it gets too quiet they can get restless. We just used the radio but there are white noise machines you can get at any store that carries baby products. We also swaddled her in a blanket till she was 4 months, but unless you have already been using one, I don't recommend starting this late.

You can also try using one of those infant swings that vibrate and/or sway. It never worked for our daughter, but every child is different. Good luck!!!

Some young babies are cat nappers.

Or you could try using a sleep wedge that fits snuggly under the sheet. They carry them at BabiesRUs. I suggest this since it seems as though he sleeps better in a more up position.

Also, babies as young as he is don't know how to self-soothe and can't be expected too. You can start teaching him a sleep routine but he won't "get" it for a few more months and he won't be able to self-soothe for a few more months either.

Dr. Sears Baby Sleep Book and The Baby Whisperer have great, great tips, tricks and info on baby sleep and routines. I can't recommend them enough. They were life-savers for me.

J had reflux and we kept him sleeping, daytime naps and nights, in a bouncy seat. It reclines about the same amount as a carry car seat so I think it is okay. It is made to give the support for the spine, neck, and head in case of an accident.

"they" say you shouldn't do this and you shouldn't do that. Sometimes its about survival and if this is what you need to do to survive then do it.