How do people get babies to nap?

[SnuggyBuggy]

The sling is out of action today so I decided to give putting my 3 month down to nap a go. Nothing works. I tried putting her down tired but drowsy and patting her but she ends up waving her arms and eventually crying. She's fed, burped, clean nappy, rooms a reasonable temperature. I don't know what I'm missing.

Have you tried swaddling? Stops them from waving their arms (it’s a reflex I think) and waking themselves up. My dd has slept on her front from 3 days old (dreadful I know), after 3 days of no more than 20 minutes stints of sleep, so we’ve never really had this problem but the longest she ever slept for during that 3 days was when she was swaddled.

It may be the position. My DS won't nap in the day flat on his back in Moses basket (but will at night without an issue!) so he either naps in his beanbag, swing or (shock horror!!!) on his tummy in his Moses basket. Obviously none of these are ideal but I check on him regularly if I'm doing bits around the house and he gets a good nap from it.

Face down! Didn't do it til DS was 12 weeks and sat by him most of the time (apart from loo break type activities). It was the only way he'd sleep during the day bar the sling and I was really, really tired of that.

I thought 3 months was too old for swaddling, I've tried it before with a muslin but she always wriggles out.

She does sometimes fall asleep on her tummy during tummy time. I might try that.

It's just all a bit pointless if you have to spend more time getting them to nap than them actually napping. I need to sort out laundry or else DD won't have anything to wear but I guess that won't be happening.

@SnuggyBuggy i did controlled crying same as night time. Put her down, leave her for a minute or so, go back in if needed.

At bedtime she is in a grobag with dummy, but i do it differently for naps in cot, she just has her dummy and a blanket. Normally takes her about 10mins of grumbling/crying to fall asleep on worst day, thrn she sleeps for 90mins or so

Buggy? Car? Mine didn't really do naps in beds at 3m. Maybe for that first morning nap that is always really solid, the one at sort of 8.30am, when you've been up since 5 and just when you need to leave for the school run. Most of mine slept angelically in their cots at that point.

She wants your closeness not to be put down that is what you’re missing. Sling, on your chest or buggy (movement) is best at that age.

I ended up getting comfy, giving her a breastfeed and letting her sleep on my boob. Doing the same now.

Part of me feels I should be trying to get her into better habits but feeding to sleep and letting her sleep on me or in the pram while I'm having a nice walk is just easier for now. I might rethink things once she's 6 months and doesn't have to be in the same room.

At 3 months old it was either pushchair, car or baby bouncer for daytime naps. At night she generally fell asleep whilst feeding at we were just lucky that she accepted the transfer and stayed asleep in her cot all night! Naps in her cot didn’t happen for us before 4 months, at that point (perhaps something to do with the sleep changes around that time) she started needing it dark/quiet.

crazycat but by 12 weeks I was really, really tired and my back was a mess, DS was getting heavy and had only napped in the sling up to then (so me standing up)...I think at 12 weeks it's fair enough to want to move on a bit.

At 3 months he was either falling asleep on me while feeding or while moving in the buggy - I got nothing done! After about 4 months I could stop pushing the buggy once he was asleep so would walk laps of our close then push him back into the house and do jobs.
He’s never napped in the cot at home although nursery managed it and he now sleeps on a mat there. He’s now nearly 2, we are on holiday and I’ve just walked about 20 laps of the apartment with him in the buggy to get him off to sleep - DH managed to get him down in the cot yesterday!

Luckily my other half managed to sort the laundry. I can do some stuff with her in the sling but not everything. That said she is able to do short periods in her bouncy seat which is giving me the chance to do the odd job.

I did controlled crying with my first. He literally wouldn’t sleep in the daytime until I did (at 10 weeks old, interestingly once I got him napping he started sleeping 12hrs a night which he wasn’t doing before even though he always went down well at the start of the night). I don’t remember what I did with my second even though it was more recent weirdly.

Where does she sleep at night?

I don't think controlled crying would work on DD. Ive not tried it but judging from how she gets if I have to put her down to use the toilet at the wrong time I think she would just go purple and clammy TBH.

Dd is 3 month also. I close the curtains, wrap her in her blanket, put her in the carrycot which has a wedge at one end so her head is higher than her feet, stick some music on youtube and pray.

If that doesn't work, I sit on the sofa with my knees up, pop her on my raised legs facing me, hold her hands and sing whatever songs are on youtube to her until she falls asleep. Then move her to the carrycot.

If that doesn't work, it's the pram for a wander around the village.

White noise really helped with mine. You can download free apps. I liked 'heavy rain' sounds the most!

Sorry if I'm repeating another post, but my top tips are:

• baby sleeping sack / bag
• musical box that attaches to cot and goes off by itself, projects moving image onto ceiling
• dummy for comfort (I resorted to this due to colic issues and couldn't cope with the 2 hours solid screaming!) My little boy just went off his naturally around 12 months old xx

3mo twins here. DS swaddle, dummy, pat bum and white noise in angled bed for reflux. DD rock in dim room (gets furious with props). Buggy ride if above fails. Both would prefer bf to sleep but I am going back to work soon so we need other methods. I do bf to sleep at night.

Controlled crying at 12 weeks

She sleeps in one of those side car cots most of the time. She usually drops off after a feed and I transfer her when floppy. Sometimes I cosleep if she is unsettled. I think she has started her sleep regression early.