To have naptime on my lap?

[Coops79]

16wk old DS has his afternoon nap in his cot but since we took away his dummy, he doesn't settle for long and will sleep for 30 minutes max. So I've taken to picking him up out of the cot when he wakes, letting him fall back asleep on my lap and using it as an excellent excuse to sit on mumsnet for an hour. This isn't really textbook parenting is it? (PS: whether you think I'm being U or not, don't tell my DH. I'd like him to continue to believe that I'm very busy and hardworking).

[VirginiaDare]

Why would you take away his dummy?

[MamaMary]

Might be better with the dummy than getting dependent on your lap for a nap - that's not a good idea long term.

[SlightlySuperiorPeasant]

No, I did this with baby DS. He didn't sleep through until we sleep trained him at 12 months though mind... He's now 2.9 and had a lovely nap on my lap a few days ago, which brought back some very fuzzy, cuddly memories :)

[Sirzy]

Do whatever you like but if the dummy helps him sleep why get rid of it?

I love the rare occasions DS falls asleep on me (very rare now he is nearly 3) but I don't think I would do it as a daily thing as nap time is so useful to get bits done.

[ZombTEE]

My son napped on my lap for most of his young life. Now at nearly 3.6 when he naps, he naps in his bed.

Do what you like.

Also wouldn't have gotten rid of the dummy, though.

[valiumredhead]

Why did you take away his dummy?

[Coops79]

Because we had never meant to use it long term and I was getting over-reliant on it (shoving it in his mouth at the first sign of noise/distress). Also, if it fell out in the night, he wasn't capable of self-soothing and getting himself back to sleep. It occurs to me as I type this that it's a bit weird that he now sleeps through the night sans dummy but his naps seem shorter because of it. Hmmm. (PS: not a dummy-hater; different strokes for different folks, it just wasn't right for us any more).

[Coops79]

You're right though; this is a bad habit, even if it is quite enjoyable!

[DawnOfTheDee]

My DD used to have all her naps on my knee until she wouldn't iyswim. Think it was about at 4/5 months old when she regularly started napping in her cot. I used to love it and am a bit sad that she won't nap on me anymore unless she's poorly [hsad]

[LolaDontCryOverSlitThroats]

If you want to get rid of the dummy do, DS is asleep on my lap now and he does everyday.

He is almost 23 months, my house is clean and my son is happy, it's no big deal.
People will say you should use that time to clean and get stuff done but it is possible whilst there eyes are open, DS 'helps' now.

[valiumredhead]

Ds always had his naps on my lap when he was a baby - lovely excuse for a cuddle of the sofa and I could have a power nap as well.

[LolaDontCryOverSlitThroats]

Also it forces you to sit down for an hour, i get myself a drink a snack and book/mn.

It is good to rest if you can.

[PrettyPrinceofDarkness]

My DS is 18 months and still naps on my lap. I love the extra cuddles and time to be lazy!

[belindarose]

I've instigated 'quiet time' for my non-napping toddler DD after lunch so that I can feed then cuddle napping baby DS at the same time. It's lovely. DD has to either being books for me to read, play quietly on my bed or play alone in her room. Occasionally she's fallen asleep!

[seeker]

This isn't really textbook parenting is it?"

Are you happy? Is the baby happy? Are you getting a rest? If the answer to all of these questions is "yes", then that constitutes textbook parenting.

The only improvement I can think of is a flask of tea and a tin of biscuits prepared earlier, and maybe a sleep instead of mumsnetting (heresy, I know!)

[Coops79]

seeker - yes to all of the above. Will bear in mind the tea and biscuit suggestion! :)

[MimsyBorogroves]

DS is 10 months. Twice a day he naps on my knee, and I enjoy some MN time. He sleeps well in his cot at night.

Does your DH work? I assume he takes some sort of break in the day - well, so do you. It's just that you get cuddles as a bonus.

[EverythingsNotRosie]

I so miss when DD and I used to curl up in bed together in the late afternoons. Buit now she is too wriggly and chatty and can't sleep after 3 or she won't sleep at night. Am very jealous!

[EnglishGirlApproximately]

Its fine! I do it deliberately. If I put him in his cot I'll find housework to do, if he's on my knee I get a chance to watch crap tv and mnet relax. I might be storing problems for later on but he won't be a snuggly baby forever so I'm going to enjoy it while he is :)

[CatsRule]

My ds naps for about half a minute in his cot during the day so I let him nap on me. It may be a bad habit but it won't be long before he doesn't want these cuddles so I'm enjoying them while I can! He is our first so dh doesn't know to get bothered that the house is messy

[maddening]

I did this - got all I needed to hand - ds still doesn't self settle though - if I did it again I would have had a mattress in his room and let him nap next to me rather than on me so I could have gradually removed myself as he wouldn't be on me - so initially being right next to him but a few weeks later I would have sat further away from him then eventually left the room.

But it isn't the end of the world and cosy on rainy autumn days :)

[BearPear]

I took a sneaky photo on my phone of my DD asleep on my lap recently - she's 18! She can fall asleep anywhere. I thought it was very cute, but she wasn't happy I got photographic evidence!

[ISeeThreadPeople]