9 week old napping

[Finla]

Hi everyone

I'm having a lot of trouble getting my 9 week old to take a proper nap. I feed her, then play with her for half an hour or so, then put her down in her cot. She often cries halfheartedly then falls asleep but she won't stay asleep! She wakes up at the slightest thing and then just chats to herself and will do so until it's time to get up, even if that is an hour and half later. By the end of the day you can see the lack of sleep is making her really grumpy and I am just wondering if anyone has any tips for getting her to actually stay asleep longer!

Any help welcome x

This is really normal. How are you actually getting baby to sleep? Not sure how you feed baby but do you rock/sing/use dummy? Mine slept on me for all naps until ably 3/4 months. Look up the 4th trimester. Baby just wants to be near you and feel your heartbeat/feel the natural rocking that she has been used to for 9 months x

Have you tried getting her to nap on you or in a pram or sling? At 9 weeks neither of mine would nap in a cot and didn't until they were a bit older.

Mine is only startling to nap on his own since he was 4 months old. Before that he was on me or dh. 9 weeks is too young to try and have any routine. I also did a lot of skin to skin using kangaroo tops which was lovely! Enjoy

I'm on dc3 who is 12 weeks. All 3 have taken naps either in moses basket /cot / carry cot from a few weeks old so it isn't an unreasonable expectation. However ,they have all been different! Dc1 did as you describe to begin with. By 12 weeks she just learnt to resettle herself by herself and extended her naps. She never got hysterical when she woke early so it was easier to leave her to it. Dc2 was a sleepy baby so it wasn't ever an issue. . But dc3 is a real cat napper. He needs swaddling. And when i put him down, I stay with him for at least 10 minutes and often have to pat him back to sleep as he startles himself awake, for a while I used to stay with him until past a 20 minute startle point and catch him before he woke. We have white noise and sometimes a darkish room. I can't leave him when he wakes at 45 minutes as he is hysterical. So we now usually do 3 short naps in the cot or carrycot during the day, and plan one long sling nap at some point during the day, so he gets enough sleep. Hoping it will pass soon as I miss those long sleeps!

Finla

When you put her down, try putting your hand firmly on baby's chest and give a dummy. Make shushing noises if needed, otherwise just wait for her to comfort suck on the dummy to sleep and then gradually move your hand away.