Is it OK for my 8 month old to nap in the living room during the day?

[Pugletpops]

I read that baby should nap in the same place she sleeps at night. My daughter only naps for half an hour unless I hold her. Believe me, I have tried every suggestion on the Internet to lengthen them and nothing has worked!

Anyway, I can get her to nap in her cot but it is a challenge to transfer her without her waking. The cot is an ikea cot bed with a high rail that doesn't lower, and I'm not the tallest person. Add in my c section scar that is still sore and it's a nightmare to hang over the edge of the cot as I slowly lower her down.

I have had success in tucking her up on the sofa and patting her to sleep. No lowering or transferring, it was pretty easy. But it's not the safest sleep spot, so I was thinking of using a nap mat or the mattress from our travel cot on the living room floor, so she'd be supervised. I figure she'll be napping at nursery soon so the rules about having the same sleep space won't apply, right? We don't have this problem at night, she is an excellent night sleeper. I can't lay her down awake during the day in her cot to avoid the transfer, I tried Ferber which worked great for night time but I don't see the point in putting her through those tears just for a measly thirty minutes!

It's fine. Just do what works for you.

My youngest napped in her travel cot in a different bedroom to night time for logistical reasons. Best thing I ever did, she would sleep anywhere in that travel cot.

Certainly a nap on a may or the TC mattress is safer than the sofa.

I’ve never heard that before. Babies nap anywhere they want don’t they? Prams, cafes, mine once at a baby rave….

Word for word what popped into my head! Exactly this.

I think it's something to do with sleep hygiene, or good sleep habits? I think i read too much into things. She's my first baby! 😣

I don’t see a problem, my second dc has hardly napped in the cot. It’s usually in the car or on the sofa. Eldest dc would nap for hours in the cot if I let them.
whatever works for you.

Better they learn to sleep in other places. Makes it easier if you want to stop at grandparents etc

My 8 month old is same just naps on me during the day. Sleeps in cot at night fine, it's not worth the fight and to be honest I like the quiet time and to watch him napping cuddled up to me x

This.

Mine when she use to nap would fall asleep anywhere.

Both of mine slept in the lounge but on a specific blanket that was padded and they associated that with sleep. At the nursery my children went to babies were in cots but then progressed to giant padded mattresses on the floor so no association with where they sleep at night.

I understand the thought process behind the whole sleep is in one place but mine slept on me, on Dh, in a sling, in a pram, on the floor, at Grandma's house etc. For a baby I would just make sure they are somewhere safe and you are close by especially if they can roll/crawl.

But I have said all that to reassure you, do what works for you. Go with your gut.

Absolutely fine, do what works for you. Mine had most naps in the pram at that age as I liked to be out and about, but sofa was fine if we were home. I would move to floor if I needed to leave the room, to be safer. I remember those days of 37 minute naps - it improved when he dropped the morning nap!

I used to use the travel cot as a playpen in the living room - would that work? You would probably struggle to lower in but it's a safer sleep environment?

I hear you. I have a 8 month old too and been reading too much and it has made me very insecure about my decisions. Just do whatever works for you.
Does your baby sleep 12 hrs uninterrupted at night? I've been contemplating sleep training but I'm still scares to do harm.

Get the Ferber sleep training book. It will give you lots of advice.

It is recommended to use a dark room for naps, as well as overnight sleeping, and to put down your baby while awake. That way they learn to fall asleep.

Just put the baby in the cot in the dark, swaddled. The baby will soon fall asleep, and for longer than half an hour, too.

Recent research says it does no harm. I did it with our first baby and it saved my sanity, and she is nearly 40 now - with no memory of it.

You cannot swaddle an 8 month old!!

I would try cot naps to get proper sleep, 30 mins is not a restorative nap really

I hope you're right..

You can if they've been swaddled since birth.

No you absolutely cannot. You must stop swaddling as soon as a baby can roll

If overnight sleep is fine then it’s fine. Agree with PP that sleep anywhere babies are far easier for getting out with. Of course it may change and you have to rethink but for now do what works and don’t overthink. Nursery will probably have naps on a floor mat anyway. As an aside, have you seen a doctor about your c-section scar? I’ve had 2 and it’s definitely not normal for them to hurt 8 months post partum.

No. They can suffocate. There was even a warning on my swaddle to only use it until baby learns to roll over

OMG no you definitely can’t!

We did Ferber for night time and it worked brilliantly. For naps we didn't have much luck, she cries so much just for a half hour nap that I don't think it's worth it.

Crying a lot before naps usually means a baby is overtired, undertired or hungry.
do you want help with the routine? If so post what happens on a typical day (including feeds)

@Helena1993 hardly any 8 month olds sleep 12 hours uninterrupted overnight, it’s a pretty unreasonable expectation. My 2yo has never slept 12 hours uninterrupted overnight and it’s a minority of infants that will ever do this. Really not something you need to worry about.

@TheShellBeach what research is that then?

OP let baby sleep wherever works for them and you, you really don’t need to worry about it. You don’t need Ferber or any kind of sleep training either, you’ve just got a normal baby doing what’s developmentally appropriate.

I'm with you on the half hour not being enough, but believe me I have tried everything. Lengthening wake windows, shortening them, a set nap schedule, following her lead. Ferber, wake to sleep, shushing and patting her 28 minutes in, cot hour. White noise, blackout curtains, sleep suit, dummy. Nothing has worked to lengthen those naps, and I have recently decided it's not worth my mental health, because I was getting very upset and had to leave the room angry when I couldn't lengthen her naps.