How can I get my baby to nap in the day without being held??

[Lauren5976]

My baby is 11 weeks old I feel like I'm trapped inside the house as though having 5 minutes to even brush my hair seems impossible. She won't nap anywhere else other than on me in the day. At night time she's a great sleeper goes down in her crib but in the day if I try and put her anywhere other than hold her she just wakes, won't settle or stay asleep for more than 10 minutes. I love cuddles but it would be nice if I could get ready and get out the house I'm finding it near on impossible and it's getting quite lonely being stuck in all the time and only seeing the living room walls 😔

Put her in the pram and go for a walk. Usually the motion sends them to sleep, and even if it doesn't at least you will have got some fresh air.

I always used a swing chair that also vibrated and played muaic, or as pp said go out with pushchair or out for a drive in the car

Motion so go out in the car at nap time or a walk with her in the buggy. Then bring car seat or buggy into the house. Once she is used to sleeping off you, try putting her down for a nap with you next to her so you can leave once she is asleep.

Buggy is good. Or a baby carrier. It will get easier!

If only I knew! My baby is 17 weeks tomorrow and still only naps on me. She doesn’t nap in the pram at all and hardly ever naps in the car! I just have to make sure that I am ready to leave the house when she is awake and then I just get on with my day and hope she’ll either fall asleep in the car or, for example, if I go to my mums, she can nap on me there while I have a natter and a cuppa

Time. Keep trying to put her down, mine was suddenly fine about it around 3-4 months.

This is how babies that age are.

At 11 weeks mine stopped being great crib nappers as their awareness of the world expanded,

What’s the alternative? Even if you get her napping in a crib etc right now it will take more effort than you can afford if you want to go out.

At the point you can start trying to put them down in a darkened room, white noise etc and mimicking nighttime sleep cues... but then you still won’t be able to leave the house and your getting ready might be interrupted by returning to the baby to resettle 🤷‍♀️

My twins are five months now. We’ve accepted that nothing can happen while they nap and everything has to get done during their wake windows 😅

Once they're asleep put them down with your hand on their chest.
As for getting ready in the morning, I started putting his mobile music on and him in the cot, he's perfectly safe there and sometimes he quite likes it.

I used to do laid back breastfeeding. When DS fell asleep then I would roll him off to sleep on his side on the bed. I have been doing this since he was 12 weeks old. He’s 14 months old now and it still fails sometimes but the 80% of the time it works is bliss.

My DD only ever napped on me until she started nursery at a year old. She slept amazingly at night and occasionally in her car seat - but only if the car was moving, as soon as we stopped she woke up. It never stopped me going out but I did keep to a routine so I was home ( or somewhere comfortable) for her usual nap times.

I took my DD out in the pram for her naps until she was about 4.5 months.

Like a PP said, I used a cot mobile to keep her content whilst I got ready. In fact I still use it at 10 months - it gives me 10-15 minutes in the morning to get myself up, washed etc and get her bottle ready.