11 week old nap debacle!

[Littlefloss]

Hello!

I would love any tips or advice on how I can convince my 11 week old that she wants to nap during the day!

She currently sleeps really well at night where she goes down between 7.30 - 8pm I dream feed her at about 10.30, then she wakes around 3.30 for a feed, usually goes back down without any fuss and then wales about 7am.

However she does not like to nap during the day at all. I have dogs so will wear her in a carrier whilst I walk them in the morning where she usually sleeps for around 45mins and then if I go out in the afternoon she will sleep in the car seat/pram for a couple of hours but when I am at home she's not having any of it!

I am bf exclusively and also feeding on demand so find the idea of a rigorous schedule quite daunting. We are also trying gentle parenting which so far is suiting us all but I would like a couple of hours to get some bits and bobs done at home!

Sorry for the long message!

Have you read anything about fourth trimester? Maybe wait a few weeks (crap advice sorry) have you got a bouncy chair for her? Pram in kitchen?

Is she only having two naps in the day? The max amount of time she should be awake is for 90mins at a stretch. Is she getting overstimulated? I found with my second if i left him in a bouncer or moses basket he would grumble a bit and then would fall asleep if ignored. With my first i would be there the instant he made a noise and couldn't get him to nap in the day without walking in the pram for hours. However the nighttime sleep is good so well done.

Redken24 - I haven't read about forth trimester. I will have a little look. I do keep thinking maybe things will get into a rhythm naturally but don't want to wait too long and get into bad habits. I have a bouncer which she used to nap in but now she doesn't want too!

Silver horn - she does sometimes cat nap on me but not really enough for me to class it as a nap. I think maybe she is getting over stimulated. In the last week she has really loved looking around and playing on her mat. I have been considering trying putting her down for naps upstairs in her cot but then I worry that she needs to be in the same room as me when she naps until she is 6 months!

ds is 8 weeks and i occasionally put him in his cot, then either lie on bed in his room and nap myself, or put his laundry away etc, which for the 30 min or so he naps for, fills the time

The dummy is the single best tool for no crying independant (at not on you) sleep, in my opinion. I would work on getting a dummy accepted while baby is still small.

You could feed baby to sleep lying down and cosleep for naps.

You could shut the dogs out the room, feed to sleep with you both lying on the living room floor, then extract yourself to the sofa

You could try relentlessly bouncing baby with a dummy in the bouncer (with your foot while say sat on sofa watching tv)

You would try pushing pram baby and forth in the kitchen, with dummy of extra help is needed

You could try having baby in a sling and dancing/jigging/swaying - with dummy if extra help needed - if you have longer term plans to hold, carry or cuddle baby for naps

You could try putting baby in the cot/crib swaddled and with a dummy, lying in your bed with your hand on baby's chest to settle.