Too young to nap upstairs?

[Boymamaoftwo]

I have two under 2, and my oldest (20 months old) is a big ballllll of energy, constantly on the go. He doesn't tend to nap anymore, he isn't interested and it's a BIG struggle/fight to put him down for a nap so I'm just kinda going with the flow at the moment with him and it seems to be working. But I have a 3 month old also, he tends to take a morning nap and an afternoon nap, these aren't set in stone, but I've noticed a pattern of these two nap times in particular)

but anyways, my point of the post is my youngest gets woken up sometimes by my oldest - so is 3 months old too young to put him up in his cot for a nap?

Yes. They need to be in the same room as you for all sleeps at that age, as a SIDS preventative.

When mine were babies they always slept upstairs for daytime naps with a video monitor, I just checked on SIDS & it does say 6 months this was only the advice for nighttime when mine were young.

They're meant to stay in the same room as an adult at all times under six months according to the SIDS advice.

But we found this was almost impossible to follow in practical terms as DD would get disturbed by the slightest noise or light if one of us was in the same room from about 12 weeks on! So we tried doing the afternoon nap with her in crib upstairs and checking on her frequently. That worked a lot better.

I can understand the risk reduction for SIDS aspect but the risk reduction is infinitesimally tiny and the implication was that the adult would stay in the same room in total silence and darkness at the same time!

It’s not something I would worry about if you are lucky enough to have a baby that will nap in the cot and you are keeping an eye on them.

In Scandinavia babies nap outdoors in the pram by themselves from quite a young age (maybe 2 weeks according to someone I know) and they don’t have a higher SIDS rate than we do.

Mine didn’t like napping in the cot but she did go to bed upstairs an hour or two before I did from about 3 months when she would no longer sleep with the TV and light on.

Mine,(both now in their fifties,) slept outside in a pram, even when it was cold.

Mine are both under 3 years. I did put them down to nap upstairs quite early on, definitely by 3 months. At the same time I also started to put them down for nighttime sleep upstairs too (at around 7pm and I would go to bed in the same bedroom 2-3 hours later). I used the video monitor and checked on them frequently.

It’s against the guidance, I understand. Nonetheless it is still your decision to make, once you have understood and weighed up the pros and cons.

The official advice is same room as you until six months. I followed this religiously with my first. With my second, I didn’t because it often wasn’t practical or possible.

Wow! Thank you everyone for your advice and insights! I also do have the owlet sock monitor thing which I would put on my little one if I did decide too!!

but my little one does seem to get disturbed by my oldest xx

The official advice seemed to be based on having one adult available at all times who had nothing else to do but focus on one child!

Totally impractical. I remember the HV suggesting going to bed at the same time as the baby so DD wasn't on her own at all (we had started putting her to bed at 7pm and we had been going to bed at 10pm). This would have meant never seeing DH when he got in from work and for someone with severe PND suggesting they spend 11-12 hours in darkness and never seeing their partner utter madness!

This , they aren't to be left alone to nap until 6 months .

The official advice is based on research and saving babies' lives. Yes it can be a juggle - I had to do school runs with a tiny baby in tow - but it's perfectly possible. I used a sling a lot so baby slept on me while I was able to get on with things.

No I didn't, it just wasn't practical during the daytime and my DS needed a dark room and a bit of peace which was just not possible with his two year old sister bulldozing around the flat. He was on a baby monitor, he was fine.

@ Mikuna if you look at the actual research (I recommend Emily Oster's "Cribsheet") you'd find that it's far less clear cut than this.

There is good quality and strong evidence for a big risk reduction in SIDS rates by putting baby on back to sleep, not smoking, keeping the cot clear of toys, bumpers and blankets and not bed-sharing, especially after drinking or taking drugs. And it is a higher risk again for premature babies.

There is much weaker and poor quality research for room sharing being a risk, so it isn't anywhere near as clear cut as the risks above. Plus 90% of SIDS deaths occur in the very first few months of life, so not room sharing after 3 months old for a nap or two a day is really not going to make much difference, especially when the other guidance is still followed. Ironically room sharing is associated with a much higher risk of poor quality sleep for baby and parent(s) alike!

I ignored the advice and left mine napping upstairs. Also wrapped up baby warmer than recommended as they felt too cold, and left toys in their cot as they liked to see them if they woke in the night. And co-slept with duvets for a period, and went on 5 hour drives without stopping while baby slept. DCs are primary aged now so obviously they were fine with it. Don't think anyone realistically sticks to all the guidelines, you just need to judge what suits your lifestyle and needs.

I have a 20 month gap, youngest currently nearly 7mo. She doesn't nap in a cot so moot point really, but I wouldn't have left her alone under 6 months. She naps in the pram in the hall with us pottering about or in my arms, if toddler is also napping, but when he's not she's in the sling for naps. She sleeps about 30 mins morning and late afternoon and then longer at lunchtime when he also naps.
There's absolutely no way he'd nap in a cot or bed now, I have to push him in the buggy, which I am quite prepared to do as I really need his naptime for sitting down!