Nap battles

[Tiredmum31111]

I'm mentally and physically exhausted.
I have a 10 week old (3rd child others 3y and 5y) I forgot how draining the nap battles are.

-She doesn't have a routine as such I try follow awake windows (poor thing is also dragged along with school runs)
-Hates the car and pram.
-Tolerates the carrier if I dance around like a mad woman.
-I have to walk around bouncing her to white noise most naps- takes longer than the nap!
-Can't put her down she instantly wakes up
-Shes breastfed and not that bothered about boobing to sleep.

Fairly content when not over tired.
Please say I've missed something I'm feeling a terrible mum to all. 3 at the moment!

Speaking as a mum of four, I empathise with the relentlessness of the situation you're in.

I found the bouncy chair (and dummy) as the main-stay on daytime naps when there's also a toddler to attend to.

Park yourself on the sofa, baby in bouncer at your feet and relentlessly bounce with your foot. This keeps your hands free and you sat down.

Yes, baby wil cry. Reinsert dummy as needed. Then just keep going. Non-stop, even tempo bouncing.

@FATEdestiny thanks for the response!
4 children you superwoman!
She loves her bouncy chair when awake and happy, when she's tied she just screams in it, do you just bounce through it and they eventually just conk out?
I wish the dummy was an option, she took one ish for about a week she now gags on it, I keep trying. She's also refused a bottle.
Don't think she got the memo on being the easiest baby in the world for me 😆

Everyone keeps saying well you have to put her down, she'll have to get used to the noise of a busy house which is making me feel worse like it's me stopping her being this "easy" baby but it all lands on me to resettle her x

If she generally hates lying flat have you considered silent reflux?

@lawandgin she's not bad on a night laid flat would she be if it was silent reflux?
Not sure what the signs of that are?

Could still be silent reflux or am allergy in my experience. Took a long time to diagnose my DD as she was fine at night! Now she's on prescription milk, omeprazole and movicol at 6 months and life is finally bearable (although we're off for a barium swallow at 3.30pm so that is not going to be the case this afternoon!)

Does she gulp, sneeze or hiccup a lot? Does she appear more comfortable upright? What are her bowel movements like? Is she often sick?

She's okay on the changing mat and if I'm honest she's in her bouncer more than the floor. She's got a cold at the moment so sneezing a fair bit, will see when that settles down. She's not a sicky baby.
My second had reflux and was sick all the time, coincidentally she also hated the car and pram for a long time.

do you just bounce through it and they eventually just conk out?

Essentially yes. Much less crying once you establish a dummy.

I wish the dummy was an option, she took one ish for about a week she now gags on it, I keep trying.

Defo keep trying. After 3 children who took a dummy easily, my youngest refused initially. Took 7 weeks of hard graft until she got it, but made a huge difference once she did. Some babies just need more practice and perseverance. I consider a dummy as essential rather than optional, so kept going for that reason

I'm going to be mission dummy. Just had a go again now and gagged and continued to spit it out, think I angered her more 😆 Will keep at it, I think it would massively help if she took one

Have you tried different dummy teats? Cherry teats are harder to find but being bulbous rather than long can make them more effective for newborns.

Also, aim dummy teat upwards to the roof of the mouth, not backwards to the throat. Aiming to the back of the throat triggers the gag reflex. Aiming to the roof of the mouth, as you do a nipple, encourages the suck reflex.