Does the location of naps really matter?

[commanderprimate]

My DS, 6 months, generally has two naps a day, one at about 11 for 1/2 hour or so, and then a longer one at around 2.30, 3ish.

Often he'll breastfeed for a couple of minutes before dropping off. My partner holds him until he goes limp and sleepy if he's looking after him. I've been in the habit of then laying him in a fully reclined baby chair, with a blanket over him, in front of the woodburner in the nicely heated living room. I'm quite happy with this, he's a sound sleeper and I can bod around doing my bits and pieces without disturbing him.

Now, today I was told by a Nursery Nurse who came round to advise me on something else that he should always be put in his cot to sleep. So I tried that today and he didn't go to sleep at all, just got overexcited then started crying. I should add, he'll go to sleep in the cot at night without any problem.

So, what does anyone else think? Am I laying myself up for some future daytime sleep horrors by doing this? Does it really matter where he has his naps or is this something I don't need to worry about? Interested to hear your thoughts.

Where I don't think is important but please be careful of overheating.

No.

If what you're doing works (and the baby is sleeping in a safe place) then don't stop doing it!

Of course it doesn't matter. It's working fine for you, carry on.

People sleep in a variety of different places depending on what works for them and they do this through their whole life.

You have found the place that works for your baby.

The only trouble I had was when my DD would only nap in her pram whilst being pushed (woke up the second it stopped moving). In the end I got fed up of having to do 3 pram walks a day (in all weathers!) and decided to tackle the sleeping in a cot thing.
However, it sounds like what you are doing works for all of you so I would ignore the nursery nurse and carry on!!

Teleaddict I have the same sort of problem - how did you break this as I cannot face all the pram walks?

Thanks very much everyone, great to have the reassurance. But, I'm still a bit baffled - what is the supposed advantage of always making babies sleep in their cots meant to be? An NCT acquaintance was told the same thing by some sort of baby sleep/behaviour/routine counsellor she got in.

Mind you, it does drive me mad when my DP has a kip on the sofa rather than going to the bedroom.