To buy a new pram when I don’t want one

[AleaEim]

I have a 3 month old DD who initially hated the buggy but is slowly coming around to it. We have a travel system (I hate it just as much as DD) and it’s only been used a handful of times as I do most naps in the sling. Suddenly she’s become a really light sleeper and wakes so easily in the sling, I can’t sit down, have to constantly bounce/ walk, if I meet a friend she’ll wake while I’m talking etc so I’ve been thinking of trying to do her naps at home in the quiet, only problem is she won’t nap in the crib during the day so I’d have to use the dreaded buggy, I hate it, it’s too big for our tiny maisonette and I hate faffing around with it, it also doesn’t fit in the door without being taken apart/ folded (yes we are idiots for buying it without thinking of the size). I am debating whether it’s worth getting a smaller pram like a yoyo and I can do naps there easily( she’d still wake up if we went out but maybe not as easily?) I love baby wearing though and I’d be a bit sad to stop that. What I’m asking is the light sleeper a developmental thing/ a phase? I’d rather not spend more money on a pram I don’t want but seems inevitable. Will it pass so I don’t have to stop doing naps there? I suppose I could use the sling for her wake windows if out and naps in pram going forward.

Try a different sling. I bought three secondhand and found one I could sit down in without the baby waking up. (For us it was the manduca, but it might not work for everyone.)

Hmm yes I could do that but I think she will still wake up with back ground noise and that’s why I’m thinking to do naps at home in buggy, she even wakes up when I bite an apple.

I would stick with what you have and keep putting DD down for a sleep in her crib when at home and taking the pram with you for outside naps. Maybe also bringing the sling and alternating between the two as and when it suits.

She's only 3 months old, so plenty of times for her to decide she actually does like the crib then doesnt like it, then likes it again - 10 times over.

Can you get a secondhand pram so you don’t spend too much on it? There are hand me on groups with parents giving them away.

I totally understand, I love using our sling. I knew I needed a pram as I have to do school run and I was worried my C-section recovery worried would take longer than expected.

I asked around if anyone was giving them away and I got lots of kind offers. The pram was cleaned and has sat unused so far thankfully, and will be passed on again.

Yes I always buy secondhand where possible so will try that. I would try the crib but she likes movement. She sometimes naps in the crib but wakes easier in there. She loves the crib at night though or she is just so tired that time to notice where she is.

Get a white noise machine that you can attach to buggy or yourself

And get a rockit for buggy and a snooze shade

I’d try to sell the much hated travel system first and see what you can get for it. Then get something else.

Now the weather's getting warmer I'd stick with the buggy and just walk. Set up a nap route and walk, walk, walk until she drops, and then have a coffee in a café/on a park bench etc.

If you hate the buggy buy a different one, it will be with you for a long time. I'm on my second child who is 2 and I'm now on our 4th buggy (we had a bugaboo bee, have had a really light umbrella fold, have a running buggy and now a joolz aer which will be the last one). Even if you're only having one child you will need your buggy for years. Other than the Joolz they have all been second hand. If she's good in the carrier though you might want to wait until 6 months as then you could get a Yoyo or whatever to suit your smaller space without needing the bassinet.

On the sleep thing, I think sadly some babies are just very light nappers. DS1 would only sleep in the carrier at that age and woke at anything really. Or in the buggy he would wake at literally anything after about 25 minutes. It only really changed when he transferred down to one nap and started doing it in the cot with white noise etc. I thought I was going to deafen him with the level the white noise was required to work...
He slept for 12 hours straight last night, it has improved! I would just persist with the carrier, go about your business and roll with whatever naps they have.

My younger one stayed asleep longer in the carrier but also woke in the buggy if there was noise - nothing made any difference - portable white noise, rokit, sunshade - we had it all....

Never heard of a snooze shade. I think she would love that, she’s into the dark.

I was hoping to do this but with the sling she is waking up if I sit down for a coffee or even walking around places. This is why I’m
thinking naps at home and in a buggy, quieter and I can put a rocket on it. I wish she wasn’t such a light sleeper, I love the sling.

It’s a nightmare isn’t it? I’m such a deep sleeper, she gets this light sleep nonsense from
DH.

Get the yoyo. We did the same, our buggy was too big. The yoyo has been a lifesaver, easy on public transport, great on planes, easy for holidays. You won’t regret it!!

Get a different pram/buggy even if you buy second hand. I don't know why folk like slings. i hate them.

Keep trying with the pram you already have and see how you go. Your baby will probably get used to it. My baby loved sleeping in his pram for long walks. If I stopped moving in a shop or something for more than a few seconds he would wake up. I'd just put some headphones in and walk for hours. Such great exercise for me and he slept great.

She's 3 months. Persevere and put her in the crib! If you don't itll be far worse the older she gets.

Don't buy a yoyo they aren't suitable for under 6 months and it don't imagine they're comfortable for sleeping/ all her naps.

I’d get a smaller buggy if it’ll make life easier tbh (everyone goes for the YoYo but as a seasoned pram user 😂the cybex coya is far better IMO)

A yoyo is a good investment though as you will use it for the next 3 years at least. If your pram is already bulky and cumbersome you arent going to find it any easier when the baby gets bigger.

I had a yoyo and used to put DD in it to nap a lot and then push it from room to room if I was doing something noisy.

Could be the 3 months sleep regression? Give it a fortnight or so and see if it changes x

Is there there an NCT FB page or similar where you could propose a swap with another parent? I know from experience that you will not be alone in having bought a pram/buggy that didn’t work out on a practical level once your baby arrive. You just post that it’s a great system, but hasn’t been practical for your car/house and looking for something smaller?

I personally found the easiest thing of all (I'm two kids in) was to get a buggy with a bassinet that was safe for overnight sleeping and have the baby sleep in that for all daytime naps. Then it could be attached to the bassinet without waking the baby for going out/the school run.

I was very sorry when DC2 outgrew the bassinet and turned out not to be the greatest buggy sleeper (likes a comfy cot/bed) as it significantly reduced our flexibility. What I would always aim for with a baby/young toddler personally is to get them napping in the buggy for daytime sleeps as that gives more flexibility to go out without waking a grumpy child. DC1 had daytime sleeps until around 18 months in the buggy and it was great just wheeling them out the door whenever.

I don’t think there are any prams on the market that are advertised as safe for overnight sleep? Which prams are you talking about?

I’d sell the travel system and get something like the baby jogger city mini (look for second hand ones). It lays flat, folds small and will work when dd is a toddler.

https://www.madeformums.com/reviews/the-best-buggies-with-carrycots-suitable-for-overnight-sleeping/