Tips on baby sleeping independently

[Summertime1998]

Hi all

I know this is controversial, but would like some tips regardless.

my LO is now 6.5 months old. She has only ever contact napped and only does so in a sling as it’s the easiest way for me to get her down. Otherwise it’s quite a fight.

over the last few weeks she has struggled to go down in the sling and when she does she sleeps for 30 mins max. On the odd day I have managed to get her down in the pram or by rocking and then laying in the crib, she would sleep for over an hour. So I know that she is far more comfortable lying down in her own space. (And when I said ‘odd day’ I genuinely mean the two occasions it has happened were flukes and something I haven’t been able to do since).

I want to help her transition to sleeping laying down. I have no problem with her sleeping next to me and needing me to stay with her, I don’t mind being nap trapped lol, but she won’t go down without the motion of me rocking and also never without a fight.

she has never been the best napper and no matter what I try she gets overtired (that’s with watching wake windows and sleepy cues) so inevitably is hardly to get down. The health visitor suggested I lay her in her crib, lay next to her and just talk to her to help her fall asleep: the problem here is that she knows she isn’t on me or being rocked so she will just fight the sleep until she is really upset and I then feel bad and rock her down, to which she is uncomfortable in the sling and will then only sleep for 20-30 mins and the cycle of overtiredness continues.

I understand it’s developmental in terms of self settling and the need to contact nap. However, as the contact naps are clearly leading to overtiredness I would like to help DD get a good sleep during the day and I think that will only be by putting her down but really need some
tips on how to proceed with that without making our lives too difficult. The health visitor explained that babies thrive on routine and currently naps are all over the place and I really want to help DD establish happy napping.

many thanks in advance.

Bumping - with the hot weather I am struggling with the rocking down! x

If shes used to motion to soothe her off, if say the pram is probably a good idea.

Any particular sleep cues? When I was getting my eldest used to the pram (in preparation for my mum taking over when I returned to work), i did the things id usually do before a contact nap, but 15 minutes early so she wouldn'tnod off. Then pop her in the pram for a walk. Mostly she'd nod off after a little while. The time got shorter and shorter the more we did it.

My eldest always napped in the pram for my mum. Never bothered to transition her to cot sleeping as she'd often not off while mmum was getting her shoes on by the time she was a toddler! My other children have all done a mixture of sling/pram/car/cot as convenient! I've found that the trick is getting the routine in place so they expect sleep, then you can do the sleep however suits you.

We did some sleep training using the 'pcik up put down' method at 11 months for same reason, it worked to get LO sleeping in his cot all night although he still naps in the pram during the day!