Question for Moms Who Sleep with Your Babies - Where Does Your Baby Nap?

I co-slept with both of my boys and they both would nap in their crib or pack in play but ONLY when it was padded. I kid you not...my mother in law made me a 'pillow top" type pad that I layed over the bottom of their mattress and they both slept great. My 1 1/2 year old uses it still. If you think about it, your bed is probably very comfy and squessy, the crib mattress is firm and hard. Try to make the crib as comfy (while staying safe, only you know your childs sleep habits) and see if that helps. My 1 1/2 year old actually sleeps with the pillow top mattress pad AND a fluffy comforter on top of his mattress ha ha. Along with 2 to 3 blankets, depending on his mood and always has since he's been sleeping in his crib.
Try it and see if it helps.
K.

J.:

Yes, I'm one of those mommies who cosleeps. I don't regret it at all...but naptimes ARE challenging! I've always had to lay down with her for naps. I also have a lot to get done around the house but just fit it in when she's awake (slings are a lifesaver).

When I had an au pair, she used the stroller for naps (thru 13 months - I didn't like it but had to pick my battles). Now that she's in daycare, she goes to sleep in a bed on her own for the daycare provider. But, she ALWAYS wakes up in the middle of her nap, comes out to confirm the daycare provider is still there and then is put back down for the second half of her nap.

At home, she's almost always had a tendency to wake up "in a panic" when no one's by her side, but, at almost 17 months, that's FINALLY starting to get better. I think that has to do with her experience at daycare.

I'm just now going to start to try to leave her after she falls asleep for naptimes....but know this will probably take some time for her to get used to. But, if we can't do it without crying, I'll just continue to nap with her. I tend to take books and my computer into the bed with me and can get some things done that way. Or, just watch some TV on abc.com or a DVD if I just need some down time.

Good luck! And, good for you for co-sleeping! I think it's great!

Cassie

I think that if she is used to sleeping with you at night, she will want the same during the day no matter what you do. My daughter used to have a little trouble with naps too at that age, but after trying and trying with putting her in her crib or playpen to sleep (she did perfectly at night!) I decided to try putting her in her car seat. So for the next couple months it went like that, the afternoon nap was in the carseat, she would go right to sleep! I would feed her, burp her, then she would go into the seat. I think she felt safe and secure, and the fact that she couldn't move around too much just lulled her to sleep.

My baby girl is 11 weeks old and has also slept with us in bed since day one. For the last month I have discovered the Fisher Price My Little Lamb Swing. It is amazing! She will stay entranced watching the mobile go around and when you activate the swing it is almost guaranteed she will fall asleep..and stay asleep! Give it a try!

Hi J.,
I have a 10 month old who sleeps with us in our bed at night. She has never slept in her crib. For her morning nap I take her out in the stroller -- I do a power walk so I get a workout in for the day and she falls asleep. I then bring the stroller inside and get my shower/do some work. For the afternoon nap I either hold her, lay down with her, stroll her again or take her out in the car. I don't bother putting her in a crib or pack and play because she never stays asleep that way. I hope you find something that works for you!! Oh, and in the early evening I do put her down on a mattress on the floor (surrounded with pillows) and give her my shirt or blanket. She will still wake up and hour or two after going down for the night, but usually goes right back to sleep. When it's time for us to go to sleep, we bring her into our bed.

Try putting her down while you are in bed, and then quietly slip out?

Hi Jen
I did the same thing and what I ended up doing was putting my baby in a swing where ever I was at the time and that seemed to work
Good Luck
Danielle Mom of 4

My daughter slept with us until she was 8 months old and had similar problems as you have described napping. I am sorry to say, but for me, I ended up napping with her too! It was great because I honestly needed the sleep. And while I probably needed to get stuff done around the house, all of that stuff had to wait. At 8 months, we shifted her to her own crib and used the cry it out method until she started sleeping on her own. Although she still mostly naps in our bed, she is able to do so now for 1.5-2 hours without me sleeping with her. So, at 18 months, I can get a few things done around the house while she sleeps. She really did not start napping well though until she was well past a year old.

Good luck!

we still put our 10 month in a large cradle for naps and early bedtime so we can rock him back to sleep. i love being able to lay down for bed by myself, which i never got to do with my first kid. i have a curved body pillow in the cradle to create a little nook and we use music for background noise. definitely, the kids sleep better if we join them, and that is good for everyone, but i am too high strung and want to get stuff done. also, when baby is in the big bed, i will lay him on his side. prop with pillows and heavy balnkets to create a psuedo-you. with my first son, i always layed down with him and nursed and slipped away. second kid is totally different and wants to rock. only similarity with the kids -- they love to cosleep. remember, whatever your solution, this is all really quite temporary so dont stress too much.

Dear Jen,
Co-sleeping is a wonderful and cozy thing, but I think it's best to get your baby used to sleeping in other places as well. The longer you wait to try this, the harder it is to get them to be comfortable sleeping in a crib or pack-n-play, car seat, etc. We always travelled a lot and my kids would sleep anywhere because I got them used to it from the time they were newborns. Of course your baby would prefer to have you sleep when she sleeps, but that's just not always an option. Just try some different places. She won't like it at first, but she will get used to it. It will make it a lot easier for her to transition when you decide you want your bed back all together.

Best wishes!

my baby sleeps in bed or i hold them

Hi J.,

We have co-slept with our daughter since she was born - Feb of '08. To get her to sleep for her nap, one of us lays down with her in the family bed and reads a little and she has her bottle. Once she is asleep, as long as I haven't fallen asleep, I am able to get up. We have set up the room so it is wall to wall mattress/bedspring, therefore there is no worry of her rolling off - not designer fabulous by a long shot but it works really well for now.
Hope this helps.

My son slept with me at night but did sleep in his crib for day time naps or I put him on the other couch near me for naps as well. This was a big couch and very low to the ground though and we put a huge pillow on the ground (just in case, which never happened.) Try soothing music in the room with the crib. This was so essential so I could clean or prepare dinner etc. Don't make the room super dark either.
Good Luck!!

We co-slept also, and our babies sometimes took their naps on the sofa or on a mat/blanket on the living room floor. I'm not sure, but I wonder if they felt comfortable just sensing my presence as I moved about the house and got stuff done, or even just sat reading or watching TV. They didn't mind at all (and maybe preferred) that they weren't secluded in an absolutely quiet room. It worked for us.

My little one napped in my bed. She's four now and still naps better on my bed than on hers. When she was really tiny (newborn to 2) we took a Boppy, used a receiving blanket and fashioned into a little bed for Baby. We wrapped this blanket really tight around it and fastened it on the bottom. So it was kind of like a circle or nest. The receiving blanket was tight so it would keep her raised up instead of sinking down into the circle.

I wanted to co-sleep but was also scared I'd smoosh her. So with our little invention we felt safer because it kept her raised up enough that no-one would roll on her. We used it for naps too. We'd just take it with us. If I was going to be downstairs I would place it on the couch or on the floor.

Hi J., We have had all our babies sleep with us. Our first daughter was just as you discribed. Nothing worked and I was never really able to use a nap time as a break to get other things done. I had to lay with her to fall asleep and than careful creep away and the sightest noise/movement would wake her.She gave up naps early and never was a good sleeper. The next 3 babies have all been good nappers. What we do is they have a little baby bed of a baby quilt that they would sleep on inbetween us that I move to the crib for a nap. Also their special blanket goes in the crib.With my second baby I would rock him to sleep and the last 2 I can lay down when they are tired. No tears ,they have been very happy to take a nap. I could never have done that with my first born. She would scream for longer then I could bare. I think it must be the right of the first born to be a diffucult sleeper. There's no one to compete with for your time. Best wishes

Does the nurse and roll work? If not I would say build up nurse and roll every day and see if the build up. Also if all else fails sometimes if I really need to get stuff done I just ergo her on my back and let her sleep there good luck