I'm fed up of worrying about naps all the time!

[PrincessWatermelon]

My DD2 is 7 weeks. And she fights sleep all the time. I'm just fed up of trying to get her to nap and fretting about it all the time. She sleeps well at night so can't complain too much. But I'm surrounded by babies who sleep all day. And so far mine had 30 mins in the sling 9:45-10:15. Then was awake til she caved and snoozed for 20 mins in my arms at 2:10-2:30. I've spent the last hour and half trying to get her off again: swaddled, dark room, dummy, Ewan the dream sleep. I've thrown all I can at the problem! She's now asleep in my bed having been cuddled to sleep. And I'm meant to go collect DD1 from childcare in 10 mins.

Tell me I'm not the only one!! My DD1 was similar actually - 30 min naps only for ages. But it's draining. Sorry for the rant!!

[MummyBeerest]

My DD was the exact same way. 7 weeks? I didn't even know 7 week olds did that. Napping. ...plleease...

She's now 2 and naps very well and sleeps through. Bur for the first 8 months I felt like I was a zombie. Seeking sleep like a fiend.

Though she was more of a buggy baby by 3 months after I didn't religiously use the sling anymore. Glimmer of hope maybe?

[Heatherbell1978]

I know what you mean, at that age it felt like DS1 would only sleep in his pram or in the sling so I spent my days pounding the pavements and fretting that he wouldn't nap much at home but then I gradually clocked on to the fact that he wanted to nap little and often, not the 3 naps I was trying to get him to do. Now at 13 weeks he naps for 30 mins every 90 mins. Occasionally he'll do an hour nap. The minute he yawns, rubs his eyes or even whines (he's a fairly placid babe), I pick him up, put his dummy in and he's in his crib. Sometimes it's 75 mins after he last woke. But he's asleep instantly. I do wish he'd nap longer as it's not long enough for me to sleep myself but if I miss his cues, he won't sleep as he's overtired. So just check you're picking his cues?

[Thurlow]

I can remember clearly that at about 7-8 weeks I thought fuck it, this baby is never going to nap on her own in her room. And I either went for a walk with the pushchair, or snuggled up with her watching telly or reading a book, and got her to sleep that way. But independent daytime sleep never really happened with her until she was older. It felt liberating so acknowledge that, and it made life a bit easier.

[splendide]

I thought they were meant to nap in the same room as me until 6 months. Is that not right?

[PrincessWatermelon]

Thanks, it helps knowing I'm not alone! I do try and go with the flow....but sometimes it just gets a bit too much! I don't mind slinging her where practical. But as I have a 2 year old as well, I can't just accommodate the baby. I admit to starting to try her in her crib today and that was probably adding to the stress. If I curl up in bed with her she sleeps a bit better.

In regards to sleeping in the same room til 6 months...I think if she's asleep on my bed or (if it ever happens!) the crib, then I'm happy to leave her with the monitor. My 2 yo makes enough noise to prevent her falling into too deep a sleep!

[PrincessWatermelon]

And I probably am missing cues. But life keeps happening and I can't put her in her crib, or we've got to go out and move her. I don't feel like I'm quite tuned into her and how/when her naps happen yet. But I guess at 7 weeks we're only just beginning to get to the stage of a pattern.

[Heatherbell1978]

My LO sleeps in our room in his crib during the day. I have a monitor with a videocam plus I'm in a flat so I can literally pop my head around the door every time I pass. I really don't think he'd nap in the living room with the lights on, TV on etc.....

[PrincessWatermelon]

I agree about the lights and noise and tv. The last couple of days I've started putting her down for the night at 7 in her crib as she was crying and getting over stimulated in the evening and unable to drop off. So since that is working (can take about an hour before there's no movement) I'm hopeful naps will start happening in there at some stage too.

[Heatherbell1978]

Things definitely improved for me when I started putting DS1 in his crib for his daytime naps. Before that he'd just nap in his bouncer but I never felt he slept properly with stuff going on around him and it would take a while for him to nod off. Now that I stick (roughly) to his napping every 90 mins and put him down in a dark room, it feels more like a proper sleep. We've been putting him down at 7pm ish in his crib since he was about 4 weeks old. Means we have a night to ourselves as he'll sleep around 5 hours in that first stretch while we're eating dinner and relaxing!

[splendide]

Heather, did he then sleep much the rest of the night? I'm worried that if I put DS down early he'll do his biggest stretch while I'm up and I won't get any sleep!