7 w/o only contact naps in the day

[B65]

I have a 7 w/o baby who will sleep in her next to me at night. We swaddle her and have a little night time routine & she sleeps well. However, in the day she won’t sleep in the Moses basket or next to me and will only sleep on someone. If she is put down she cries and it can take a while to settle her again. Has anyone got any tips to help please?

No tips other than you’re very lucky she sleeps in her crib at night at 7 weeks old, and it is totally normal for her to want to sleep on you. She is still tiny and you are her comfort, it’s a short season and won’t last forever x

At 7 weeks you’re doing well to get her to sleep in the cot at any time of day or night so take the night sleep as a big win. 7 weeks is teeny tiny and they really just want to be close to you all the time at this stage so don’t put pressure on yourself to get her sleeping independently. Enjoy the sleepy cuddles, they are over in the blink of an eye. If you’ve got older children and finding it hard being so tied up you could try a sling so she can sleep on you whilst you can move around. You can keep trying the cot, maybe trying blackout blinds and white noise but really she is so little I’d try not to put too much focus on it.

Totally normal (mine was like this for the full year) but sadly not easy when you had a particular expectation of what it would be like (it did drive me round the twist… Covid and I was desperate for something in my life to go by the book. Baby had not read the same book as me…)
so
(a) adjust expectations (don’t read Gina ford or baby whisperer, don’t speak to people about how their babies nap- just work out what your baby needs)
(b) baby wear safely (get to a sling library for advice) for naps if you want to get a bit done here and there
(c) baby may sleep in bassinet in pram while you have a walk as the white noise of the wheels rolling and the gentle movement can be hard to resist. Can be a way to reclaim something that feels like control for a tiny portion of your day.

having babies is hard, it does get easier, it can take time to get easier. Sending love ❤️

My DC was the same and he actually only stopped contact napping when he was 8 months old.
Would your DC sleep in a sling? I’d try that and see how it goes.

Yep sounds normal, my dd was like this both night and day for over a year. Couldn't nap at nursery unless her key worker lay down next to her until she dropped off.

Some babies are just like that

She is doing well.

a few things to try:

a nap routine so she can start to see what’s coming - swaddle, dummy, white noise etc but whatever you do, do it consistently.

settle her in a bouncy chair so you don’t then have to put her down - this is usually when they wake up!

Baby wearing so she can nap on you but you can still move or have hands free.

Try holding her for 20 minutes before you put her down.

Swaddling helps for the startle reflex if that’s what’s waking her.

pushchair naps are worth persevering with so you’re not trapped. I tried to do this as the last nap of the day as routine.

It changes really quickly and I known it can be frustrating when you're nap trapped but it's normal at this age.

I spent so much time and effort trying to put my 1st down and now I'm on my 3rd I'm just taking it as it comes, it's much more enjoyable- just make sure you have snacks and drinks in reach.

My first was like this, the only way I could get him to sleep without being held during the day was in the pram. We would go for a long walk and when we got back I’d pop the pram next to the sofa and sit and have a cuppa next to him while he slept.

He just gradually started to be able to be put down more once he was old enough to have more of a routine (around 6 months)

I do miss his contact naps though, my youngest baby is 11 months and he has hardly ever had a contact nap so make the most of the snuggles!

Thankyou so much. She will sleep in the pram or car so I often get out and about. It’s just when I’m in the house, I feel like I can’t do anything - even going to the toilet 🤦🏼‍♀️ & when I wake her to do something for me (make food etc) I feel bad when she cry’s & feel like disrupting her sleep! I know it’s just a phase but I’ll try a sling like some of you have said. Even one nap a day would be nice to get stuff done!

Go to the toilet when she's awake. Put a changing mat on the floor in the bathroom so she can look up at you and chat/sing to her.

You'll be pooing with an audience for a few years, best get used to it!