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10 week old naps with school run/jobs etc

10 replies

wineapotamus · 17/05/2017 07:06

My lovely 10 week old dd has so far been a champion night sleeper. She goes down at 8.00-8.30 in sleepyhead with us downstairs, often self settling, I feed her at 10.30-11 ish and then she sleeps! The last two nights she hasn't woken up for her 3.30am feed so this is obviously really good. She's up for the day at around 6.30am.

Naps though. Oh naps. She's awake for way too long in the day, and a massive Velcro baby. If I get her to fall asleep in my arms after a feed she might stay asleep for an hour or so, but put her down anywhere and her eyes pop open. She won't self settle in sleepyhead in the day, although I find it impossible to dedicate time to it for morning or afternoon nap as I have ds (6) to get ready for / pick up from school. Yesterday for example, she woke at 6.30am but didn't sleep until 8.30 when we set off for school. Then she slept solidly for half an hour and on and off for a bit more but it wasn't the reliable hour and a half she'd been doing til recently.
I suppose my questions are; how do you get them to nap at tired signs and fit in round other children? I can't spend half an hour getting her down for a nap at 8am, that's when I have to be with my little boy.
Also, does it really matter if they don't nap that much if they seem happy and content?
Ds was a crappy napper, and I had a lot of anxiety around his naps, I swore i wouldn't do it this time! She's ebf if that makes any difference.

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welshweasel · 17/05/2017 07:08

Get a wrap sling? DS lived in his at that age and slept on and off all day. Slept well in sleepyhead at night.

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Cakescakescakes · 17/05/2017 07:08

Sling. I was much less rigid about DS napping as we had school run etc and he just managed ok.

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Biscusting · 17/05/2017 07:12

Sling!! We had the exact same situation. Little one then started getting distracted by watching the older one. Soon as older child was dropped off, little one would fall asleep. Drove me crazy! I just gave up.

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MadgeMak · 17/05/2017 07:14

A sling. My second child took all his daytime naps in the sling, made life so much easier.

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unapaloma · 17/05/2017 07:20

We had two things that worked , but i don't know if they both have been determined 'wrong' in the meantime:
-wind up swing - used to get mine to sleep in the day (I think there are battery ones too). Kept swinging for about 10 minsbafte asleep, he'd hen sleep for about and hour.

driving in car sent him to sleep, then could stop and read or doze in a layby for an hour - but I remember something about not leaving DC in carseats a moment more than you have to now, so check current advice.

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unapaloma · 17/05/2017 07:22

Also putting baby in a carseat liner (sort of nest) thing to feed, then putting whole thing down made him less likely to notice the transition

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wineapotamus · 17/05/2017 07:25

There's a consensus of opinion! I put out much beloved closer wrap on top of the car last week and drove off with it still on there 🙄; the eBay replacement is supposed to be arriving today!

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Marzipants · 17/05/2017 07:26

A baby carrier and just getting used to the fact that your baby will end up napping in the buggy most of the time. My third has napped in her cot only a handful for times and she's 18m. Sleeps fine through the night though.

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FATEdestiny · 17/05/2017 08:29

Bouncy chair is great for thd before school / after school time when you are busy with the other children.

I would aim for 90 minute awake time. Regardless of tired signs not being there, put baby down after 90 minutes awake.

So from a 6.30 morning, baby in bouncer at 8am. I may sit on the sofa myself, foot bouncing baby while I plait hair, assist with children getting dressed, eat breakfast etc. Or I might just put bouncer in kitchen as I whizz around cooking, washing up, sorting laundry etc.

Then on from the 8am nap, I'd wake baby out of bouncer to do the school run. Then continue the 90m awake time, manipulating the timings so that baby is likely to wake in time for after school school run.

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wineapotamus · 17/05/2017 08:45

Thanks fate, she is in bouncer from 7.30
Ish as we have breakfast, feed the dog, brush teeth etc. She doesn't drop off though! Today I took ds to breakfast club so she'd be asleep earlier in the buggy, and she managed to drop off by 8.10, so that's better. If i woke her at 8.30 to do the school run, I think she'd yowl for a feed, I'll try and get some bouncer naps today...she won't have a dummy!