Please share your nap time wind-down routine

[mrsmugoo]

I'm just at the stage with my 4 month old where he is napping in his cot (finally!) and self soothing with his fingers. However we are still using breastfeeding as his pre-nap wind down for him to be drowsy when I put him down.

How do others "de-boob" nap times? I would quite like to follow the EASY routine but I just can't seem to get him to wind down for sleep without boob first instead of him having it after.

I'd love to hear your examples.

[Littlef00t]

My 4 month is good at napping now, but when she needed more cues, I used to clock watch to see how long she had been awake for, so at 4 months it's about 2 hours, then take her up to the bedroom for some quiet play in dim light just before this time before she got too cranky. Making faces, looking at a board book etc, only 5 mins to calm her. I'd then put her in her gro bag and put the mobile on, stand and rock her for a minute or two looking at the mobile and put her in the cot leaving the mobile playing.

She used to cry, so I'd leave her for a couple of mins to see if it turned into a grizzle, if not, go in and soothe then keep popping back to soothe every min or two. I'd not battle for longer than about 20 mins before feeding to sleep if I were you. Keep trying though.

[smokeandfluff]

Gro-bag (stops him flying around the cot)
Short story
Cuddle and rock-I sing him a song
Into the cot with teddy and blanky
Pull curtains
Tell him 'nap time'
Leave the room
Sit outside praying he goes asleep!
Hes 8 months

[mrsmugoo]

Thanks littlefoot - yeah I'm pretty good at catching him and getting his wake times right - he can't quite manage 2 hours it's more like 1:45. I try to take him in the bedroom where it's quiet and dark after 1:30 but unless I get him on the boob he's never quite in that optimal drowsy state to put down.

[fuzzywigsmum]

Into a gro bag, curtains drawn, lullaby into the cot and then shhh her/rub her back. Perhaps if you introduce some alternative cues like a song whilst you BF before a nap you might be able to eventually drop the BF with just a little bit of protest?

[Littlef00t]

Forgot to say I have a comforter bear/blanket. If you give him something like that when you breastfeed it might help the transition from feeding.

Also, to be honest with you, my dd is often not drowsy for a nap, and does need to unwind with a bit of crying/grizzling even now.

[mrsmugoo]

I give him a little piece of muslin that he likes the scrunch up and rub against his face - he only has it for sleep times so am hoping it becomes a sleep cue over time.

I think I will try tomorrow to put him down without the BF and see what happens