Naptime Problems

My daughter was the same way! She never took naps and slept in bed with us. That was the only way I could ever sleep! Doctors say you cant spoil them at that age. I held my daughter all the time. She hardly ever got put down. That was the only way she slept more than a few minutes! Now, shes 1 1/2 and never lets me hold her, sleeps in her own bed all the time and never lets me cuddle with her at all! So, let her be little. Shes only going to be that cuddly sweet baby for a short time! Get all the holding in now while she'll let you! Before you now it she forgets about mommy!

2 moms found this helpful

My son is a little older but we went through this with him too. My aunt told me to try using a heating pad - now for all of you reading this I DON'T mean while your daughter is in bed. I mean you put it in her crib and let it warm up the area then move it OUT of her bed and lay her on the warm spot. This worked most of the time for us. SOmething about going from laying on your warm body to a nice warm bed.

Are you swaddling? I would try that too. Some babies fight it at first but then become VERY relaxed.

Also I would suggest wearing her in a sling or holding her more often when she isn't sleeping. She might just want some more mommy time.

I know some people and "experts" warn you against holding your baby while they are sleeping but you CAN'T spoil a baby before they are 4 months old. So, lavish your sweet little one with your attention and hold her like crazy! I see that you stay at home so...take your time to just be with her. Before you know it she'll be older and not need you to fall asleep anymore and you'll wish she did.
Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

L.,

I used to have that problem with my son when he was little and would wake up in the middle of the night for a feeding - I would feed him and then when I would try to put him back into his crib he'd wake up and scream his little head off. Lot's of sleepness night.

When I had my daughter I finally deduced that the crib mattress was cold because she started doing the same thing. I started putting a fleece blanket down on the mattress for her to lay on and she seemed to like that and the problem was solved!!

I don't know if that was the solution or she just got used to me putting her in her crib, but I still keep a fleece blanket in her crib and I usually don't have problem with her naptimes.

good luck and take care,
Mel

Hi L., of course she will love her bed in the future. I let my son nap wherever he fell asleep (bouncer, bassinet etc.) We did not transition his naps to his crib until about three months and it worked very well. He naps all the time in his crib. Your daughter is very young and has no concept of the crib or the bouncer. Let her sleep where she wants for now she is too young to develop habits so this wont affect the future. Hope this helps.

Hello L.. Well, what do you have to do during the day, I guess the other mom means besides cooking, cleaning, laundry, paying bills, washing clothes, shopping, etc, etc. I had to get that out first off, Good Lord.
I do not think your baby is able to tell that during the day you are not in the bedroom and at night you are. My baby is six months old and we still go through it at times. Besically, when mine won't sleep in her bed for a nap it is b/c she didn't nurse enough before falling asleep. Another reason could be b/c of the sun light, see if there is too much in the room. When mine was wee little she took her naps on the couch, I would lay her down and lay next to her and cuddle with her till I was sure she wasn't waking up and then put pillows around her. Sleeping in the swing is also a good idea, my husband always worried about the baby getting a stiff neck sleeping in the swing, I said "I need my sleep too ya know". If you are nursing her, I suggest when she first starts to fall asleep wake her up and switch sides. With mine, If I hold her too long after going to sleep, she won't nap in her bed, If I don't hold her long enough she won't sleep. As unhelpful as that sounds; in time you will learn when to put her in bed so she sleeps better. On days you really need the break, let her sleep in her swing; I agree that even if you do it every night for a few months you should not have problems getting her to sleep later on. Congrats on the new baby!

My son was the same way. First of all, I read in a couple of different places that you can't spoil a baby before they are 3 months old. Also, my son slept pretty well in his crib through the night, but I had a hard time getting him to sleep there during the day. I let him sleep in his swing...for both of our sanity. I don't really remember when he started sleeping in his crib for naps, but I don't recall it being a particularly hard transition. His crib was always in his room, so I didn't have that issure either, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. When it becomes necessary, you'll be able to make the transition.

Now that I'm thinking about this, I think that I started to move him to his crib mid nap and did it that way.

I had this problem with my twins. What I did was put them to sleep in their car seats swaddled (they think they are being held) When they fell asleep, I would put the car seat and all in the crib. After a month or so, I would swaddle them and lay them on their side. when they woke up, I would then feed them, and put them in their carseat, and they would go back to sleep. They started to get used to their cribs that way, and I got some sleep. And then after a month of that, I started putting them back to sleep in their cribs not the car seats. It was a good way to transition. But I always swaddled them so that they felt the closeness of being held. Try it! good luck

L. -
I agree with the other moms ... you cannot spoil an infant by holding them too much. I held both my kids a lot and they are able to sleep fine on their own now. My son was a huge momma's boy (his dr even told me that) so I held him all the time. My husband and I are not in favor of the crying it out method. As a mom (especially when they were little), I could not stand to hear them cry when I could do something. That's not to say they can never cry but I think you would be much better off just cuddling with her to make her feel safe. I also let them sleep on the floor or couch if that is where they slept better when they were little. One thing you might want to try is to put a pillow in one end of her crib. I know that sounds strange but my kids did not like the "big" crib. Once I made it "feel" smaller they did better in it. Friends of mine have also done this with success.

They change too fast so don't loose this precious time when she wants to be cuddled. Enjoy this time and don't worry about holding her too much.

My daughter is 4 months old and I had something of the same problem. Every time I layed her down to sleep, she would wake up. By simple chance & my mom, I found that by wrapping her, she slept longer. Not swaddling, she hated having her arms constricted. I just wrapped a blanket under her arms. The same as other moms, so that when she layed down, the area was warm. I also found that white noise worked wonders. I just stuck a radio near her bed & found static. I thought that I could take it (the radio) out since she was sleeping better, but had to put it back. She also thinks that the blinking numbers are great. She is almost asleep & I put her to bed. If she starts to fuss, I make sure that she can see the numbers & she is out in a second. Oh yeah, I also use a fleece blanket over the sheet. I can't stand climbing into a cold bed, so I figure she can't either.

Hi I'm S. and I have 2 girls... my first daughter was the same way!! I actually did something I thought of...if it's warm in your arms...then make her bed a bit warm too...So it's not such a "cold sheet" shock..lol. I used just a hand towel and microwaved it for a little bit till it's really warm...then put it on her bed with a blanket to keep it insulated... then when she went back to sleep...remove them and her body still feels the warmth. Hope this helps!!
The other thing is try to put a couple rolled up tight towels along the sides of her crib (but tight so they don't unroll..use a rubber band if necessary) and that also helped mine with the transition from bassinet to crib...the crib seems like such a "bigger " space to them. good luck!

Try the Miracle Blanket!

At this age (and for the next two or three months) pamper that baby. Hold her and rock her and love her and let the chores go by the wayside - nothing matters but your baby at this point. And when you hit the wall and you need to go be a grown-up, and folding laundry seems like the best thing in the world, the swing will be fine.

My daughter was very cranky in the evenings, and the only thing that would keep her happy was a swing.

When your girl hits about 4 months, and can move a bit better on her own, then start putting her down...but DONT let her fall asleep before she's down. Put her down when she's drowsy, and at that age, if she cries, remember that it's her way of blowing off steam and relaxing for sleep. She can't do all the things we do ritually once we hit the sack (I change positions three times, crack my neck, crack my back, stretch my shoulders...), and crying is her outlet--it doesn't necessarily mean there's anything wrong.

But for now, cuddle and coddle. Enjoy that she wants to be so close to you, because once she starts cruising, she'll be too interested in exploring than to cuddle much!

You can't spoil an infant. In fact, you need to hold her, esp. if she is crying. Infants this young need you to answer their cries, that is how trust is built, so please don't allow her just to cry. As for the crib thing, most infants don't sleep in them because it is too big for them (same with pack n plays). Go with the swing, or a car seat. It is not going to be a bad habit you will need to break. My daughter spent the first FEW months in a car seat because it was the only way any of us could get any sleep. They need to feel secure, so if you can't hold her for a couple of hours straight, then let her sleep in the swing. You both will be MUCH happier. One thing I found interesting is that babies have to get sleep in order to grow. Their brain cells actually grow while they sleep, so don't prevent it. My daughter went into a crib with no problems at 4 months of age. Trust me, you can't spoil, or start a bad habit at this age. Worry about the transition later on. Most people are surprised at how little trouble there is when the time comes, so don't worry about it.

I agree that you cannot spoil them at this age - she won't remember tomorrow that you rocked her to sleep today. However, if you're really worried about it and want to try something, I recommend the book "The No Cry Sleep Solution" by E. Pantley. It really helped me with my 17 month-old son - we now rock and sing to him for about 10 minutes, put him down in his crib (while he's awake) and he puts himself to sleep. It took about a month of following this book, but it worked! BTW, he was sleeping thru the night at 2 months and used to be a great sleeper (on his own), but when I weaned him from the binky, I started rocking him to sleep instead. Created another bad habit to get rid of the first one! lol Oh, well - live and learn. Good luck with your little one!

Hi L.,

Because he had Acid Reflux, my son slept in his swing until he was 6 months old (naps and during the night). Then we started putting him in his crib and he made the transition with no problem.

Good luck and Congratulations on your daughter!

A.

I personally would not worry about it at 6 weeks old. My daughter slept in her swing at that age or in her basinet. As long as she sleeps I don't think it matters. Now, you may want to worry about it in a couple month but she's awefully young now. And you said she's sleeping at night in the crib w/no problems? That's awesome!

S.

Your daughter is way to young to understand any type of routine. Holding her while she is sleeping is not a bad thing either! Treasure this time because it goes by super fast and before you know it she will have her regular nap times. My kids both did not have regular routines sleeping in their cribs until 8 or 9 months. All I can say is don't get too worked up about it because you may miss all that holding, bonding time! I know it's nice to get a break once in a while, but just give her time. One thing I may suggest though is consistency. If you continue to do the same things over and over again (putting her down in the same place every nap time) she will get the routine. by the way...my kids slept in their swing for at least the first 3 months and they then slept in their cribs just fine, so whatever helps her to sleep just follow her cue. Enjoy this wonderful time...it doesn't last long! My youngest is 10 months and it seems like yesterday that I brought her home!!!! Good luck.

At 6 weeks of age, she can't be spoiled by bieng held. Up until she's 6 months old, she needs to have that security and comfort. Did you know that babies are used to being held 24 hours every day while in you, and now that she's out, there's at least a 25% cutdown in holding time even if you held her for 8 hours a day? Don't worry, if you hold her more often at this age than she'll be more likely to sleep alone in her crib later because she'll feel more secure in your love of her. Go ahead, hold her, enjoy her and you'll be glad that you did!