Nap time routine

[stargirl1701]

DD is 25 weeks old. She has reflux - on meds. She has extreme difficulty napping during the day - she will nap if moving.

But, I am exhausted.

So, I need help developing a nap routine. Any suggestions?

Mine went to bed well at night. I developed the nap routine by making naps more like bedtime. I was a bit worried that this would disrupt bedtime, but it didn't.

I found music a powerful tool. In the evenings I played the same music everynight during the final feed. She was going to sleep well in the evenings, so this music became her "sleepy tunes". Then, I played it at nightime. It made me feel sleepy too after a while.

Sorry, that should say, "Then, I played it at naptime", obviously.

Sorry no experience of reflux but is she napping better when on the move cos she's in a more upright position? We used a rocker for a while for our DD when she seemed to have trouble falling asleep on her own, it was battery powered and a sanity saver!

Otherwise I think at that age we were putting DD down 1.5-2 hrs after she'd woken up in the morning, then in the afternoon at whatever point she was starting to show sleeping cues (staring ahead, rubbing her face/eyes).

Good luck, it's hard when all you want is for them to sleep!

Also she slept in the same sleeping bag, had blackout blinds, anything to make it seem more like "bedtime"

We have a successful bedtime routine so I can use that, thanks. We do:

Massage with eczema cream
Into sleeping bag
3 stories
Medication
Music
Food
Sleep

So I could use:

Sleeping bag
Stories
Music

The cot is elevated at one end. I think the movement distracts her from the pain. I can't keep walking though. I am so exhausted. She wakes frequently in the night too.

Good luck! Here's another napping rule that I followed scrupulously once I'd got some sort of pattern established - leave the room confidently telling dd to enjoy her sleep. If she cries, put kettle on. Go back if still crying by the time a cup of coffee made, open to the possibility of abandoning nap, doing a feed in bed instead, pramming it, whatever. Just knowing that I had a decision made in advance about what I was going to do helped me stay calm. Of coure this rule only worked for me because dd was rarely still crying by time coffee made, but you get the idea!

Hmm. I'm not sure that'll work. She will scream for 3-4 hours a day anyway. Worst day was 10 and half hours of continuous screaming. She doesn't easily give up!

She will fall asleep without fuss. She just doesn't stay asleep unfortunately.

Music might still be good? Some babies listen to talk radio...

She got up at 3am. I did the routine at got her down for a nap at 9am. Off to bed too