Fatigued - How did you go from contact naps to cot naps

[ScreamingDribbleBibble]

My 5 month old DD has always contact napped in the day and I've just about almost had enough of it. I'm going to miss the cuddles of course but I really need to have my space now, the 4th trimester ship has sailed but she doesn't believe me 😂

Please tell me there's hope and what you did to break the habit!

We currently bounce on the birthing ball and shush in time with the bounces. We don't use a dummy because she just chews it and it's a distraction. It worked for a fortnight before she started to teeth 😣

I'm interested to hear on every method going!

I'm not sure this really counts, but I used to feed to sleep in the middle of our bed and then when deeply asleep, I would transfer to the cot. Or sometimes I just left them on the bed and kept an eye on them waking up.

My DD never napped in the cot, but we were able to move to the pram. We push it back and forth until she’s asleep, and then we can leave it and she’ll stay asleep.

There'll be lots of crying without the dummy.

Is baby sleeping independently at night?

@BendingSpoons my LO is a nightmare with feeds so this isn't possible unfortunately. Lots of issues and feeding her required amount is a struggle. We're under a dietician though and I'm doing what I can.

@Knittingupastorm I need to try this still

@FATEdestiny yes night sleep is good, in the next to me but bounced to sleep downstairs first.

Sometimes my DD wakes up because the cot is too cold. Sometimes I’ll put a blanket around her to warm it up, then put the blanket on the cot and lie her on top of it. A hot water bottle would probably work too but I’ve never tried it.

She’ll also wake if she feels like she’s falling when being put down. I hold her close and then lean forward over the cot. I put her down butt first, then move that hand to hold her arms close to her chest. She’ll wake about half the time, but shushing her and lightly pressing on her chest puts her back to sleep most of the time.

Sometimes I’ve left her in the cot with a white noise machine or read her a story, gone to the bathroom, and she fell asleep on her own.

She loves sleeping in her car seat too.

I used to cuddle / rock to sleep and do a gentle put down. After a few weeks of success, did it awake after a bit of rocking. Now I hand him a bottle and lay him down - but this started after 1y old

I'm going back to work just before her first birthday so need to really get this sorted out for her childminder or nursery!

@ScreamingDribbleBibble

I'm going back to work just before her first birthday so need to really get this sorted out for her childminder or nursery!

Ah, I said upthread that DD never napped in her cot, but nursery is the exception to this. They have magic powers to get babies to sleep so I wouldn’t worry about that side of it.

@Knittingupastorm They have magic powers to get babies to sleep

This is my fear, like letting them cry it out?! I'd like to adjust her before dumping and running though Xxx

Don’t worry OP, they don’t do cry out! My 9mo just started at nursery - he tends to feed to sleep or go in the swing at home, but he’s sleeping in the cot at nursery. They’re so stimulated and tired that nursery is like a magic place for them. Apparently they shush / pat him for 5 mins while he cuddles his favourite toy and then he falls asleep.

I’ve been building on their good work and he’s now having his naps in his crib, using the shush / Pat method.

@ScreamingDribbleBibble you’ll find nursery will sort it themselves, don’t fret too much.
Mine was contact naps at home and they got him from a bouncer to lying independently on a cushion to sleep in nursery! They’re magical!

@CelloYouveGotABass & @MalFunkshun oh that's really reassuring Xx

[quote ScreamingDribbleBibble]**@Knittingupastorm* They have magic powers to get babies to sleep*

This is my fear, like letting them cry it out?! I'd like to adjust her before dumping and running though Xxx[/quote]
They didn’t do cry it out, none of the other babies would have slept if they had one they just left crying.

My ds would only contact nap until he was about 6.5 months old. He was a great sleeper at night. I tried everything from white noise, a t-shirt that smelled of me, in his pram parked in the living room, in his moses basket, in the cot upstairs. He would allways wake after 25 minutes.
Then one day he just got it and napped great in his cot upstairs. It wasn’t anything i did it just happened. I think you need to give your DS more time 5 months is still very little.

Dummy, and lots of rocking in pram, in kitchen, cafe etc. Had to keep popping dummy in. I have to cover buggy while doing it as she's too nosey and stimulated by the outside world and white noise. Just did it one day once I sorted/attempted the night sleep with independent sleep x