Need nap advice please :(

[itsafig]

I have a 3-month old, and she's an awful sleeper. She is EBF.

At night, she wakes up lots. I've made my peace with this part for now.

During the day, she will only nap on me (fed to sleep) or in the sling. Sometimes in the pram after a lot of vigorous walking and pushing. Only ever 30 mins per nap, so we normally have 5 naps a day. I'd really like to work on the daytime, as I'm just shattered. I'd really like her to nap in her cot for one or more of the naps. I have tried transitioning her once asleep in my arms, but she wakes up immediately. I have tried feeding her on the side so that she'll drop off when the feed is finished, but she doesn't get sleepy this way. I have tried patting, rocking, laying her down and putting a hand on her - these methods bemuse her at first and then make her cry as she gets more tired. The room is always darkened. I make shush noises (she doesn't like white noise).

Anything else I can try? Or will it just 'happen' one day? My first was a shit sleeper too but at least would allow me to slip away some of the time. Thank you!

Anybody ?

At 3 months I think this might be normal sorry. Certainly it was for my DD who was also EBF. The sling was a lifesaver and I just accepted that she wanted to do her sleeping on me and she could do so in there.

Are you hoping to have a nap yourself when she is sleeping in the cot? If so would she sleep next to you (next to me crib or safe co sleeping)? If not, you can do most other things with the baby in the sling if you get the right one.

Sleep started to get better here post 4 months regression but it took a while to get to the long nap in a cot that the baby books promised me!

@ToffeeAppleCaramel thank you for your reply. She won't do the sideways feed then nap thing so I can't nap next to her how did your little one improve? Did you just keep trying to put her down and one day it worked?

It’s so tough and sorry you are struggling.

It was so gradual that it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how we got her to napping in the cot but I would say we built more of a routine around sleep - nappy change, sleeping bag, cuddle, feed and then transfer to her crib / cot. We did this at night first but now replicate it for day naps too. Sometimes the feed is all the way to sleep, other times it’s just until she is drowsy and calm. At first it only worked occasionally but now is pretty reliable.

And to get me through the worst when it just wouldn’t work I got my husband to have her whilst I had a nap. I’m not sure if you have anyone at home but if you do then do ask for help. My husband could work with her napping in the sling on him which was a lifesaver.

Thank you @ToffeeAppleCaramel my husband does take her a few days a week to give me a quick nap or a nice bath. I never fully appreciated these small pleasures before children!

I'll keep trying to pop her down once asleep/drowsy for naps. She does do this at night now, so hopefully only a matter of time before she does it for naps too