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Original poster

Daytime naps - Gina Ford routines

15 replies

LittleMunch · 20/12/2005 09:54

Little Munch is 8 weeks old. He has always been quite a wakeful baby during the day but gets tired and grumpy with it, although he fights going to sleep. Have been following Gina Ford routines for about 2 weeks now but cannot get him settled enough during the day to have his morning, lunchtime and afternoon naps. Not so concerned about the morning and afternoon naps as he will catnap in his bouncy chair or when having a cuddle if he needs too but really want to get him used to having his lunchtime nap as feel this would be beneficial for all his toddler years too. The longest he has settled in his cot at lunchtime is about 20 minutes. He managed one lunchtime nap of about 2 hours but he was lying on my chest the whole time as soon as I moved etc he would wake so I had to stay put for the 2 hours too. I've tried cuddles, dummies, rocking, allowing him to try to settle himself but I don't like to hear him cry his heart and soul out. Any ideas on how to tackle this issue?

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Holymoly321 · 20/12/2005 10:11

Have you tried swaddling him? A friend gave us a Kiddopotamus ready made swaddle - you just wrap them up and velcro them in! It was a godsend. DS would always find it hard to nap as his arms moving around would always wake him up - but now he goes into his swaddle and willsleep from 12-2pm every day. HTH

dandycandyjellybean · 20/12/2005 12:52

Ditto the swaddling thing - my ds is 8 weeks old and I have swaddled him from birth, just using a fleecy blanket or flannelette cot sheet, keeping him tightly wrapped with his arms by his sides. When he starts to get fractious during the day and is obviously tired, I will swaddle him which is an indication to him that it's time to sleep. He too fights sleep, but this really seems to help. HTH.

RachD · 20/12/2005 13:01

I did a rough version of GF.
Ds loved being swaddled too.

KVGIsComingToTown · 21/12/2005 16:33

This reply has been deleted

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gingernutlover · 21/12/2005 17:24

Hi

my dd is 15weeks and hates naps, she will cry for up to 15 minutes before finally going to sleep - albeit for about 30minutes. But I found that leaving her to it is the only thing that works and quickest too, if I hold her, rock her, pat her sing, even stay in the room, she will just cry and cry until she passes out which normally takes about 30minutes so I figure that 15 mins crying is actually not cruel.

She has a tired cry so I normally know if she is crying for something else - took me a whole to tune into this though.

I have been doing this since she was about 8 weeks and the HV told me up to 20 minutes would be okay, I set a limit of 15mins and have never looked back, the first couple of weeks it took 15mins every time, now can take as little as 4!

I always do a little routine as well, picture book - sounds silly but she smiles when I show her - then cuddle, into cot, tuck in with thin blanket, mobile on, tell her "naptime darling" and quick kiss before leaving.

I was not in favour of letting her cry but it really has saved my sanity.

gingernutlover · 22/12/2005 09:43

oh dear killed the thread - I am such a bad mummy

Holymoly321 · 22/12/2005 20:10

KVGI - I too was very nervous about letting DS continue sleeping in a swaddle - didn't want to set him up for a life of only being able to sleep swaddled up! So for the past few days we've been putting him to sleep at night in a sleeping bag and only putting the swaddle on him for his daytime naps. He slept fine in the bag and I'll be trying him in the bag for his daytime naps soon too. He does still move his arms round, but not as much as we thought he would and tbh, he has to get used to this at some point - he does wake up more often than in his swaddle, but hopefully he'll get more and more used to it.

Original poster
LittleMunch · 05/01/2006 20:01

Little Munch sleeps fine at night without the swaddle, so should I try swaddling during the day and night or just the day. Also advised not to swaddle by HV because of risk of cot death

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tribpot · 05/01/2006 20:16

What?! Sorry but babies have been swaddled for literally thousands of years. The important thing to ensure baby can't overheat and, when bigger, can't get him/herself all wrapped up in the blanket by thrashing about - it was at this stage that we stopped swaddling ds.

I would say it's definitely worth a try. I know if we had struggled to wean our ds off it as KVG has with her dd, I would probably also feel that we should never have started it, but to be honest there are loads of things we have done to get ds off to sleep that we probably shouldn't - out of all of them, the one I regret least is swaddling. It really helped him for quite a long time.

Try it just in the day and see what happens, that would be my advice. On the other hand, I (well, me and dh) had 11 weeks plus of having every single sleep being taken lying on one or other of us, it was a flipping nightmare (reflux). If he will only sleep on you, I would just live with that for the time being - I'd rather deal with that than an overtired baby.

Having said that, my situation is v different as both dh and I are at home (or were, I'm back to work part-time now that ds is 27 weeks). Also don't try and get too hung up on Gina, it doesn't sound like you are. Ds has had three naps a day for months but babies do vary tremendously.

vicmum · 10/01/2006 15:10

Little munch - I have similar problem with my 10 wk old.. he doesn't sleep at all in his crib during the day... he might do the odd 20 mins on me after feeding or in my arms. I take him for a walk in the pram every day - for 2 hours (around 12-2) and he sleeps all the way round - but as soon as we come home he wakes up... so maybe you could try this ? I am on Maternity leave so going for a long walk is a pleasure anyway, but it may not be that practcal for everyone...

Original poster
LittleMunch · 13/01/2006 12:03

Will try the lunchtime walk as the fresh air would do me good too. Will try the swaddle for the morning nap and lunchtime nap when a walk isn't practical.

Am I right to worry about him not sleeping for about 2 hours etc at lunchtimes or am I fussing too much?

OP posts:
peaches27 · 01/04/2006 13:54

It is lovely if they do nap for two hours, but many babies dont and some start doing this when they are a little bigger and more active - as if all the odd 20 minute naps suddenly get condensed into one. I suspect this has solved itself over time and he has evolved a routine.

Tell us if this has happened.

jambot · 01/04/2006 21:47

My DD, now one, never slept well in the day until nearly 4 months. Apparently this is quite common and it takes about this amount of time for the day time naps to develop. I know some children never sleep well in the day, but mine went from almost nothing to nearly four hours every day, spread over 2 longish and one short nap. Also wish I had started off putting her down for her naps in her cot in a darkened room. Would often leave her in her bouncy chair or in the pram, but the slightest noise would waken her. From 4 months her naps were always in her bed with the curtains closed and I've never had a problem since.

nulnulcat · 01/04/2006 22:17

i followed gf too and it took us ages to get the daytime sleep thing she slept at night no problem but she was about 5 months before we cracked the daytime sleep just keep perservering and it will happen but i am heartless did controlled crying with her and it worked for us in 2 days! it was only the lunchtime nap i really had a problem with

nulnulcat · 01/04/2006 22:18

sleeping bag also really helped!

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