How to Do I My Newborn to Nap on Her Own.

My daughter is 5 months old and at about 3 months I started putting her in her crib with a pacifier and music....if she started to cry I would let her do so for about 5 mins. then I would go in and console her and lay her back down....at first i had to go in her room about 4 times before she fell alsleep....now I might have to go in once but usually not at all.....good luck! Its hard to hear them scream but if you dont break teh habit it will just get worse!

You may just have to let your daughter cry herself to sleep in her crib at nap time. You could try a music box or something when you put her down for a nap. My daughter will be 5 months on the 12th and we can't get her to sleep or take a nap without this one little musical spinning dolphin thing playing, she likes the music. It's soothing. Good luck.

Hi K.,
My kids at that age were the same way. You try the swing. While your daughter is sleeping your son and you could have one on one time. That's what I did. My older son knew that if the swing came out it was nap time for his brother and that he got mommy to himself. That way both kids were happy.
If that doesn't work you could get a sling. I also had one of those. That way you can hold the baby and have both hands free. Good luck.
Chris

Have you tried a baby sling? Those save my sanity when I have a newb.

no try moving her swing in the other room and tell your son that when his sister is sleeping he can only blow her kisses he can't touch her cause she will cry then find something spec with him color cars block or if that dose not work for you i love my sling i can do everything in the house i need to and my hand are free i even use to vacume while holding my sleeping baby they just sleep right thur it

I would try your hardest not to keep holding her to sleep, it will only get worse as she gets older!!! How long do you let her cry in her bed?? Its hard but let wait until she is real tired and lay her down, see what happens! Let us know what works for you. Good luck!!

Hi K.~
I think as long as she is sleeping well at night, just flow with the daytime as she dictates. Of course, you'll want to eventually work toward a schedule/routine but it will come later. A newborn is used to the sounds/feel of you so if she needs it to soothe her during the day, just remember that all too soon she won't want to be held! As she gets older, put her down to sleep while she is drowsy but not yet asleep and she'll get the idea. Right now, enjoy it while you can!!
~L.

Have you tried using a sling? It was a life saver for my little girls. You can do so many things with your other children when you don't have to worry about a baby waking every other minute. I put my daughters in a sling since birth. They essentially took their naps in the sling, breastfed in the sling, I really only took them out to change them in the beginning. Sometimes it just takes some newborns a little longer to get used to the outside world. Besides, other than being beneficial for the baby, baby wearing is very trendy these days. Some websites that you might want to look at: www.askdrsears.com, www.babyslings.com, www.adventuresinbabywearing.com

I didn't start trying to get my little guy to sleep on his own until recently, he just turned 3 months old. I honestly think you can't spoil a newborn by holding them too often.
My son is doing great with soothing himself to sleep, sure he cries but I let him cry it out for about 10-15 minutes and then go in his room to let him know I'm still there for him and he usually goes right to sleep after that.

Hi K.,

With my first, I held him for his naps for as long as I could! I was able to since I was a stay-at-home mom and he was my only one. With my daughter, however, I haven't been able to hold her as much. I just made sure she didn't need to eat, burp, be changed, etc., and I let her cry. She really didn't cry long at all (just a couple minutes). She would fall right asleep. We did this at night with her too, and she was sleeping 8 hour nights by the time she was 2 weeks old. With my son, I'd pick him up as soon as he'd squeak, and he was up every two hours till he was 6 months!

I had a hard time getting my son to not kiss his sister so much either when she was in her swing or bouncy! He woke her up many, many times.

I wish I could hold her all day, but it just isn't realistic. Good luck - hope it works for you.

A.

Hi K., I have 3 kidddos. 13, 2, and 6 mos. I put all of them in the crib at night from the first night that they came home from the hospital. As far as naps, I often held them the first several weeks. Maybe she needs to be swaddled a bit more tightly when you put her down. Try swaddling before you pick her up so that you don't disturb her when you lay her down. I know that it might be inconvenient, but maybe she needs to nap in her crib, or put the swing in her bedroom. If she doesn't have a separate room, then put it in a room that you can block off, either with a gate or a door. Your 15 month is awfully young to punish because you really do want him to show his affection for the baby. Maybe when she is down, make a big deal out of peaking in on her and tip toeing away so that you don't wake her, and do checks every so often so that you can compliment him on NOT bothering her. The idea of making it special time with his is great. But I definitely recommend the crib at night right away, this has always worked for me... no co-sleeping struggles. Good Luck.

Not to scare you or anything, but my second child, a daughter did this until about 6mo old!!! She only had this problem during the day and then would sleep normal at night by herself. She finally grew out of it, but I tried everything. I constantly tried putting her down and she would wake instantly. I breastfed her, so she usually fell asleep while nursing and then I would have to hold her for her to stay asleep. It was very exhausting to deal with while taking care of another child. Keep trying the swing and bouncy seat, but maybe put them in a differnt room away from her brother. I also tried using a shirt that I had worn to lay her down on, so she would still have my scent, but that didn't work either. I've heard it worked for other parents though. Try swaddling her very snug too. Newborns are too young to cry it out. Good Luck :)

Hi K.,

Sorry to make this so short (I NEED to go back to sleep, have been up all night with my 2 year old son)...but:

My kids are only 20 months apart, so I understand what it's like to have a toddler and a newborn. You said your 15 month old son would wake your newborn up if you put her in her bouncy seat...what I did for a long time was, I put my newborn daughter's bouncy seat inside her pack 'n play (in the living room)! That way, my son could not get to her there! I did this for about 2 months (she is now 4.5 months old), until he got used to her and he really does not bother her much anymore. Good luck! (P.S., I do agree with those who said that a newborn is too young to cry it out...I know it's tough, but hang in there, this is only a phase and it shall pass. The sling sounds like a great idea too, I have a friend who uses one and she says it's great! She also has a newborn and a 15 month old!)

I think she has colic. Try babies magic tea. I used this tea with great success.

Hi K. -

I did the same thing with my son. When he was a newborn, I would intentionally let him sleep on me or in a sling. IMO, I think the close contact is great for both Mom and baby. They need this! If your daughter is anything like my son, he slept pretty much the first few months of his life...so I felt I couldn't get close or be with him unless I held him while he slept. Of course I did not do it all the time or the entire time he was sleeping, but I did it a lot! But, I also did not have another little one to care for. I say for now, enjoy the cuddling, if you can.

That being said, I know it is important for little ones to learn to self soothe, put themselves to sleep and develop a routine. In all the sleep books I have read, most are pretty consistent in saying 8 weeks is the earliest that you can try ti get your child to begin learning to put themselves to sleep and start developing a schedule. But, they may not master this skill or the schedule for a few months...depending on the baby. Some books I loved to help soothe to sleep were "Happiest Babay on the Block" by Harvey Krap, "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child", Marc Weissbluth and "No Cry Sleep Solution", ELizabeth Pantley and and overall good one was "Baby Whisperer", Tracy Hogg. It was TRacy Hogg's method that helped me get my son on a nap schedule and able to put himself to sleep...I couldn't let him Cry it Out.

Give it some time. I think as she gets older she will learn to soothe herself.

GOod luck and congrats on the new addition to your family~!