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Sleep

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Original poster

Is it really THAT important for them to take their day naps in their cot?

26 replies

greeneone12 · 07/04/2011 12:05

Hi All

Sorry this is my second thread! At my NHS first time Mum's group (which I ended up going to when DD is nearly 6 months!) they said that daytime napping in the cot is really important.

My DD is having none of it and we went down the route of putting her in her cot at night first rather than do day naps first. She sleeps so much better downstairs with me in her chair.

Any comments/thoughts would be appreciated. She sleeps in her cot fine at night.

Greeneone12

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fifipink · 07/04/2011 12:13

my 3 month old DD sleeps on her changing mat (on the floor), in her chair, on me during the day and in her cot at night. She sleeps through the night in her cot so i wouldnt want to put her in the cot thru the day now in case she becomes confused!

Iv never put her in her cot thru the day - i like her in the room with me! when she was younger she slept in her moses basket which was also in the living room with me

why is it so important for your DD to sleep in her cot thru the day? i say do what's right for you and your DD, don't be dictated to!

HTH

notcitrus · 07/04/2011 12:21

I'd say the other way round - having a child that will drop off in a pushchair is invaluable as you can take them anywhere!
Ds was totally anti-routine but when he wanted a nap would just fall asleep on the spot. Aged 2.6 he will go to the pushchair if we're out, or to his cot at home.

BoobopTallullah · 07/04/2011 12:30

Whatever works best for you. If she sleeps at night in cot thencant see a problem. Ds used to sleep on a sheepskin rug in the living room floor when he was tiny. He sleeps in the cot now or the car sometimes.

sayanything · 07/04/2011 12:33

DS had all his daytime naps in his buggy in the living room for the first five months or so, but had no problem sleeping in his crib at night (in our room). We only started putting him down for naps in his cot now that he's moved to his own room and that only because he's outgrown the carrycot in his buggy. I wouldn't worry about it - do whatever works for you.

AliSheedy · 07/04/2011 12:34

Oh FGS, where do these 'experts' get their 'facts' from? It's just preying on first time mum anxiety and it really pisses me off.

My two slept on me or in a sling or in their buggy (although when they are very tiny this isn't ideal for long periods, as they can get overheated. Ditto for car seats).

They slept in a moses basket in the front room where I could keep an eye on them (couldn't bear to put my newborn upstairs in the early days) and took catnaps in their bouncer chair (although I would never leave a child sleeping in one of these for a long time or leave a child alone in a room sleeping in one).

My personal belief is that as long as they are safe and comfortabe, they can sleep wherever their eyes shit!

AliSheedy · 07/04/2011 12:34

eyes SHUT! LOL

AliSheedy · 07/04/2011 12:34

You can tell how worked up I am

CharlotteBronteSaurus · 07/04/2011 12:37

what notcitrus said
my 5mo dd2 only naps in her cot
dd1 would nap in a buggy, and so I had much more freedom

Cattleprod · 07/04/2011 12:37

Your friends sound quite anal to be honest. DS has never slept in his cot during the day. I have a couple of friends like yours, whose babies had to sleep in their cots at a specified time of day. They are the ones that never got invited out anywhere because they were so inflexible with their timings. They lost out on a lot of opportunities because of their stupid cot rules.

Secondtimelucky · 07/04/2011 12:37

No - it's not important. It's a personal preference.

Basically day time cot napping is about routine. If you are someone who wants their baby in a very clearly defined routine, then napping in their cot, with curtains closed, tends to be part of establishing that, as it means that there is always a familiar way of doing things.

If you are more of the 'play it by ear, sleep when you're sleepy' school of parenting, there's no need for sleeps to be in the cot.

For what it's worth, I found with my daughter that, as she got older (proably about 10 months), she started to seem to actively like napping in her cot, and from about 18 months found it really difficult to sleep anywhere else (except a moving car, when she'll nod off, much like her mum!). I think that that's probably just moving to an adult pattern - if I was having a daytime nap a nice lie down on the bed would suit me just fine, and in a busy cafe wouldn't.

nobodyimportant · 07/04/2011 12:39

Mine always slept in the pram/buggy, usually while I was walking the dog but it was very handy for out and about. When they got to an age where they were having one long nao in the day I'd put them in cot/bed if I was at home. Being flexible with naps is a great thing. Stops you being tied to the house which can make life tricky if you have older siblings that need to be somewhere!

BertieBotts · 07/04/2011 12:40

Actually having their naps in the cot is against advice until 6 months because they should always sleep in the same room as you. So keep doing what you're doing :)

piprabbit · 07/04/2011 12:40

Mine never napped in their cots.
I tried.
They would fight me for so long that it was time to get up again - I was getting nothing done and found it a miserable experience.
So we gave up on scheduled daytime naps, they slept when they were tired and we have got through it all more or less intact.

CharlotteBronteSaurus · 07/04/2011 12:41

can i just emphasise that some babies are cot nappers regardless of parental preference? it's not necessarily about being anal, and my dd2 certainly sleeps when she's tired, rather than on routine, but will not do so other than in her cot. just like some will only sleep in arms, or on the move, or co-sleep, or whatever.

CaurnieBred · 07/04/2011 12:45

DD always napped in either buggy (outside or, if weather was totally disgusting, in the garage with the back door open) or car seat depending on what we were doing. Fresh air is good for babies, isn't it

This gave me loads of freedom - none of this having to be at home malarky. She only stopped napping in her buggy when she was about 2.

She would always nap in the cot at nursery though (started there when she was 11 months old) then progressed to mat on floor when she was about 18 months.

AliSheedy · 07/04/2011 12:51

Totally get that, Charlotte.

Different babies sleep best in different environments. My firstborn would only sleep if the room was dark and quiet, or in his buggy with the cover pulled over and a blanket draped over to block out noise and light. My second born would sleep wherever she dropped.

It doesn't make you anal if your baby only sleeps in one setting, but it is wrong for a new mum to feel that she should be putting her baby down in his cot or she is 'doing to wrong'.

AliSheedy · 07/04/2011 12:51

doing it wrong.

FGS, my typing is gone to pot

Rhian82 · 07/04/2011 12:53

Actually, our lives got much, much easier once we borrowed a Moses basket and used that for daytime naps, and the cot for night. (Plus napping in the buggy when we were out, of course)

It could have been coincidence, but we really noticed it, he slept better both for naps and at night. I think the differentiation between the two helped.

rookiemater · 07/04/2011 12:57

Dear goodness no. DS had his nap generally in the pram or the car seat.
I would also say that it is very important that babies mother retains an element of sanity and is able to go out during the day so take advantage whilst they are still able to sleep in different locations.

MooMooFarm · 07/04/2011 13:01

I think it makes life sooooo much easier if your DC will nap anywhere. Who wants to be restricted to having to be at home every afternoon anyway?

Cattleprod · 07/04/2011 14:04

Fair enough, if you've tried to be flexible and take your baby out and about, and after lots of trying they are unable to drop off on your lap, or in a buggy, or in the car, and you just end up with a tired crotchety baby, then you will have to resign yourself to the fact that your baby is very fussy regarding sleep situations and your life will be restricted because of it.

What is anal is saying 'I've read x parenting book, and the author says that routine is important, therefore Tarquin will sleep in his cot from 12.36 until 2.04 each day, and I will turn down any social engagements which might aid his development (and his mother's sanity) in many other ways if they require us to be out of the house between the above times.'

thefirstMrsDeVere · 07/04/2011 14:08

It doesnt matter does it?

My DD and DS1 slept in their cot in the day because I lived in a flat.

DC 3, 4 & 5 didnt/dont all the time because we live in a house and my OH finds stairs very difficult.

So they sleep in their big buggy or on a triple cushion thingy from ikea. When they were little they slept in their Moses.

delicatequestion · 07/04/2011 14:11

As long as you LO safe when napping does it matter? I think it is best to keep cot for night times to have that demarcation between night and day.

And as others have said napping elsewhere during day allows you to get on and do stuff without being ties to one room in a house!

If you baby is sleeping, eating and developing - generally healthy and kept safe I dont think it matters - stick to what is working for you and your baby.

I would got to costa instead of them meetings, everything/option about parenting is right here on MN unless you need to be around other mothers!

Pancakeflipper · 07/04/2011 14:12

My DS2 used to sleep anywhere... Usually on the school run in his buggy or on his play gym mat. Unlike the PFB who often had the 'luxury' of his cot, he had to just slot in a nap where and when.

Original poster

greeneone12 · 07/04/2011 17:58

You know so much about parenting is common sense but then you go to an HNS first time parents group and they say cot during the days which leaves me thinking.....oh I really should be doing that then!

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