Honestly when do they stop contact napping?

[Hope54321]

My DS is 8 months and wants to stay latched on during most naps and at bedtime. He wants me next to him. Luckily I don’t have other child to look after. When does this stop?

My 8 month old ds is just the same OP! But he's my 4th and my other babies weren't like this so much at this age. He'll sleep OK in his cot at night though, but want to contact nap during the day. I guess they're all different. I feel like I should start trying to get him to sleep in the cot during the day, but when it comes to it, I can't face hsvi g him wake up and having to do it a over again! Not much advice then, I suppose. But I empathise!

Sorry about the typos. I was writing while he's napping on me!

Is he happy playing on his own on a playmat or similar? Mine suddenly started falling asleep on hers if I left her to it when she was grumbling a bit (not crying). When I noticed she was doing that, I started just putting her into her cot at nap times and she grumbled herself to sleep. Now sometimes she doesn't even grumble!

With my first, when he was six months old and I went back to work full time.

I made sure that with DS2, he got put down for all his naps at 6 weeks old.

@LaMadrilena

Is he happy playing on his own on a playmat or similar? Mine suddenly started falling asleep on hers if I left her to it when she was grumbling a bit (not crying). When I noticed she was doing that, I started just putting her into her cot at nap times and she grumbled herself to sleep. Now sometimes she doesn't even grumble!

Mine wants me next to him all the time, even when he’s playing on his paymat.

Mine is nearly 2 and only stopped a few months ago. Having said that, she'll wake up, want a feed, and snooze on me for another 30 mins + most days still.
Audiobooks are your friends.

Honestly, when you've had enough and decide to get him to sleep somewhere else usually!

Naturally, small children want to be with their adult pretty much all the time for at least the first few years....

One was under 3 months for sure

One still wanted to do it when they were 3 years and still wants to now if unwell (age 10)

I let them all do it until they stopped of their own accord. I don’t think you can train babies out of needing their parents. I don’t sleep alone either

There are gentle sleep training methods you can use to reduce contact naps if you want to, otherwise it will very much depend on the temperament of your child when they are ready to stop contact naps

In my experience it can last as long as you let it… my 2.8 year old would still contact nap now if I let her. I am currently sat here with my 4 month old asleep on me with boob in mouth…

With my eldest I stressed about trying to get her off me and it just made everything more difficult. This time round I’m just going with it. If I need to get stuff done I will put her in the sling and she naps in there. If I feel like having a nice sit down 😂 then I will let her nap on the boob and I have drinks/snacks etc handy and then either faff about (mumsnet, Facebook etc) or if I’m feeling productive I’ll do stuff on my to-do list eg banking, ordering stuff, supermarket shop.

I’m going back to work at 8 months and if she’s still contact napping then well… it will be the childminders problem not mine 😝 what I mean is I’m sure she’ll adapt quickly! But I’m not spending my maternity leave going up and down the stairs and trying to do the “gentle put down” after they’ve gone to sleep like I did with my older one. She’d always wake up straight away and then I was back to square 1 anyway.

I didn’t really have this with mine, especially DC2 who had to deal with being put down while I attended to DC1. I don’t remember the details well but I think beyond the first few weeks I tended to put them down in Moses basket during day naps and they were short but doable. IMO at 8mo you can gently help them to learn that it’s possible to sleep without you. If you love it then no probs but I think in parenting it’s important you are happy too, and things like this breed resentment. Actually it’s coming back how we rocked DC1 to sleep for far longer than I wanted/could and it made me so grumpy - not good for her. I agree with going with babies pace where possible but only if whatever it is isn’t doing your head in.

By the way I’m just waiting for someone to come along and tell you how ridiculous you are for letting your baby sleep on you, and how theirs were all in their own cots and settling themselves to sleep from 4 weeks old etc etc. I’m sure some babies can/do this and you can also sleep train to get them to start doing this earlier than they naturally would of their own accord. But I just can’t be arsed 🤷‍♀️

I'm contact napping with my 2 year old as we speak

Don't worry, he will sleep on his own and in the car and buggy etc, I just wanted a lie down.

I found at about the age of 12 months both of mine started to sleep better for their naps on their own.

@NuffSaidSam

Honestly, when you've had enough and decide to get him to sleep somewhere else usually!

Naturally, small children want to be with their adult pretty much all the time for at least the first few years....

I wouldn’t mind this at all. Only problem with our situation is my baby had eczema all over except his face and nappy area. So he scratches constantly and I hardly sleep when he’s latched on and scratching. We are seeing a dermatologist very soon so I’m hoping the eczema improves. I’m also worried about my body heat making him too hot and making the eczema worse.

*has

My 14 month old still contact naps with me at the weekend (I like it though so haven’t encouraged anything else). She’ll sleep in the pushchair or sling at grandmas and happily goes in a cot at nursery (no chance she would do that at home and frankly I’m not prepared to put the work in to achieve it).

If I don’t fancy a contact nap for whatever reason she’ll go in the pushchair or car seat if we’re going somewhere.

Now I’m back at with the weekend contact naps are some of my favourite parts of the day. In the last month or so she’s let me have my nipple back for part of the nap but she doesn’t like it to be too far away!