Nap Time with a Belly

Your post sounds identical to what I was worrying about when I got pregnant with my second - and it looks like your kids will be about the same amount of months apart as mine (17 months).

It really is amazing how your LO will adjust to your changing body. At some point it is nearly impossible for him to sit on your lap and lean back comfortably. Ryan sat next to me when I got to that point.

As soon as I found out I was preggo with #2, I made it my mission to get DS1 to fall asleep on his own for naps/nighttime. I am soooo happy we spent the time to do that, because now, with a 20 month old and a 4 month old, I do not have the time to spend 45-60 mins getting DS1 to sleep!

We tried a lot of methods: Cry it Out, "The No Cry Sleep Solution" - which seemed like Cry it Out to me. No "method" worked for us, we did our own thing (gradually got further and further away from his crib until we no longer needed to be in his room for him to fall asleep). It took 6-8 weeks, but was so worth it in the end

Good luck!!

My kids are 2 years apart and we had similar naptime ritual. I held my daughter as long as my belly would allow. then we did two options. Either cuddle next to each other on the couch or I sat next to her bed while she laid down for a few minutes. When I was about 6 months pregnant we put her in a mattress on the floor so we could have the crib ready for the new baby so it was fairlly easy to sit on the floor on a pillow...just take your time getting up.

Transition him now to a backrub while u sing him a lullaby. (Have someone put rocker in garage with a tarp over it so it is "gone" he will grow to accept it quickly

If he will fall asleep at night time on his own when it's dark then why not try some black out blinds for daytime naps. Also probably not a bad idea to try and get him out of being rocked to sleep , you are going to have your hands full in a few months so with one less thing taking up your time will make your day a little less hectic.

You probably need to consider the option of stopping the rocking to sleep routine as soon as possible. When you have the baby it is going to be awfully difficult to do both. The sooner you get your older child in a different routine the better it will be for everyone! If he's doing it at night, he can do it for naps, he just doesn't want to. Can you move the glider into his room? That might be a start, to do something in his room instead of yours and progress from there. If not, maybe get some sort of chair or something so you can snuggle and maybe read a book and get him to start putting himself to sleep all the time.

my kids are exactly 2 years apart and I understand your feelings. Hang on to those days of just you and him. Find a way as your belly gets bigger to have him rock to sleep next to you with your arm around him. But mostly hold onto hugging just him.

I think you can rock both babies that way one on the side and one on the front.

Can you lay down with him on a bed? Once there's more belly, it might be more difficult to get up, but it all gets figured out. Depends on whose bed....do you have a bed that'll be easier to get out of without jostling and waking him up?

I know you will figure it out. Looks like you already got tons of great suggestions. You have the mom instincts working for you, too. Heck, I still snuggle my son at naptime, and he's four and a half. Sometimes, I get up, and sometimes I fall asleep with him, because he's just so darn snuggly!

I read to my 2 year old on my lap until i gave birth to my second kid. It worked, we just adjust position as i grew, and now as #2 grows.

But this might be a good time to work on changing your routine, anyway. After my second was born my 2 year old is having to spend more time NEXT to me on the chair or couch than ON me. You could try switching to sitting side by side, or to laying down next to him for a few minutes, or to having him lie down while you sit next to his bed and read a short book or sing a song.

I have a two year old and just had my second baby two weeks ago. We had the same ritual, I was able to rock him all the way through the pregnancy. Don't worry enjoy your time together as others have said. Getting him in and out of the crib might be challenging towards the end we transitioned our guy into a big boy bed but he was also older. Good luck and don't stress, everything works out.

Let your son snuggle with you. Your belly won't be a problem. It would probably be more comfortable if you let him face you when you rock him to sleep, he'll be able to accomodate the growing baby belly. Laying him down for his nap on your bed with you to take an afternoon nap together would be beneficial to both of you as your pregnancy advances.

Take care!!