Day Naps only in Sling - help

[hilybit]

Hi there,

I have a 9 week old baby and she will only sleep in a sling during the day. I am fine with this for now as she is getting good sleep and I have free hands so can get everything done - and she is so small at the moment she needs to be close to me - but I am hoping for some advice on how to transition her from the sling to her bed or other sleep space for day time naps in the future as she gets bigger - ? I hope for a gentle transition - not interested in cry in out methods at all.

Where is best for LO's to sleep for day time naps anyway as they get bigger ? Cot in a room alone seems mean especially as we cosleep at night? Where do people 'put their babies down' when they go down for these daytime naps ?

Perhaps I don't need to worry yet and it will just happen organically for us but I just want to have a sort of idea of what to do in the future when she has her solid day time naps (atm she sleeps for an hour at a time about 6 times a day - in the sling only) ...

Night times are working just fine - we are co-sleeping in a side car crib and she falls asleep just fine in her little bed with me right next to her. She is EBF.

Thanks mamas !

Hello,
Mine initially slept pretty much only in a sling. Has never ever been happy napping in a cot, but will happily snooze for hours in his pram. It lies down flat, so is suitable from birth, and if he falls asleep I just leave him outside (I live in the middle of nowhere) or in the porch. Worth a try?

Mine is five months, used to nap in his cot but from around 12 weeks would only sleep in sling, car seat or buggy or on my lap. I spent many hours trying to get him to nap in his cot and getting stressed out and anxious when he wouldn’t settle.

Eventually I gave up and just went with what worked and I feel a lot more relaxed and happy as a result. He is going to nursery in September and they are happy for him to sleep in his buggy (it reclines backwards so it’s comfy for him) so no problem if he won’t sleep in the cot during the day.

dd went from 100% sling naps to cot naps from 10-12 weeks. started with just first nap as that one she was most willing to be put down for, just cuddled and transferred as many times as it took. did in hall for dd1 so more background noise, but quiet bedroom for dd2.

lots of people say naps in bouncer chair work for them, pop in when tired and bounce with foot til doze off.

See if you can loosen sling and gently ease her out onto a suitable surface next to you. I'd wait about ten mins after she drops off to be sure she's fully asleep.

Sleep is all about associations, she's tiny now but eventually you'll want to give her the idea that a cot is a good place to fall asleep. A tiny bit of crying is not the end of the world, sometimes it's just the baby having a little grumble rather than being very distressed. Over time you work out the difference in cries.