8 week old won't nap

[CS86O]

I am demented! My 8 week old will not nap in the day at all. I've tried all the tips, dim room, white noise, carrier, follow sleepy cues etc, she just lies there kicking and cooing and eventually starts crying once she's bored! I'm now worried about maintaining this in her crib as she sleeps okay-ish at night (3ish hour stints) and I'm scared of her now associating her crib with crying after being put down for a nap! She also feeds every 2 hours minimum (expressed breast milk) so all this 'follow this sleep pattern' is out the window because there physically isn't enough time for her to feed every 2 hours and have 1.5hr wake window and sleep for 1-2 hours all in the same time frame 🤣 It's really stressing me out. She will eventually sleep in the pram but the other day it rained the whole weekend and I can't walk the streets 4-5 times a day so she will sleep! I can hear her now with my husband crying and screaming because she's so tired but is now massively overtired she is too stressed to fall asleep!

Sorry to say this but that’s exactly like my first son. The only thing that worked in the day at that age was walking the streets with the pram. He’s a winter baby but I basically had to go out in all weathers. It did improve with age though and also when he started to suck his thumb. Then he chilled out in the crib and eventually fell asleep. Hang in there as it will improve!

How stressful

things to try -

a snoo
a rocking Moses basket
swaddlinf her and rocking on rocking chair or bouncing on gym ball with her
car drives
dummy

Ps with a rain cover wellies and a good rain coat you can do pram walks in all weathers!
also try a sling she might fall asleep in that

Swaddle your baby!
Good and tight.

Mine is 4m and still doesn’t nap in crib - all naps are contact naps (especially after feeding) or in buggy or in a carrier/wrap! Hoping to get her napping in crib at some point but have prioritised her actually sleeping so far….
Ky baby has also never done the standard wake hours - always awake longer! But she is a healthy happy baby. I’d take those with a pinch of salt! Easier said than done as I have stressed out about wake windows a lot!

She also cries before falling asleep in carrier so we have to push through! When she starts getting agitated is usually just before she falls asleep

I used to put mine (winter born) in the pram and walk up and down my hall, in to the kitchen, 3 point turn and repeat. Followed by sitting on the sofa shoogling the pram wheel with my foot.

I was pretty demented by the end but like everything with babies, it will pass soon enough although that's no comfort while you're in the thick of it.

I remember the first time I gave my screaming baby a dummy my mum didn’t even finish her sentence ‘I don’t think that’s going to w…’ before he was asleep

My 12 month old has only had a handful of cot naps in her life - stop trying! Baby wants to be on / near you, not in a cot. Get a good baby carrier or do contact naps. Or bring the pram in the house, and use a Rokit.

Will she sleep in her pram / or in the car? We bought a rockit for the pram in an attempt to keep her asleep when we got back from a walk, just so I could have a wee or make a drink.

Mine always slept best when she was swaddled but I completely understand how frustrating it is!

She sleeps in the car straight away but I want to get her used to the crib if possible! I thought of swaddling her but then read i would have to do it for bed too and I'm too anxious to do that when I'm asleep and not watching her.
I'm going to carry on with the contact naps for a week or two to get her into a better nap routine and then try all of the above suggestions! Thank you!

I swaddled all of mine, for naps and bedtime.
What is making you anxious about it?

Just incase she got too hot, she was born in the August heatwave and I was so worried for the first few weeks that she would over heat!! For about 5 nights she only slept in a sleeveless vest it was so warm 🤣 and now she's 8 weeks it seems pointless as I won't be able to keep swaddling once she starts to roll over!

Why?
I swaddled mine for many months.
If they roll over, the swaddle just gets a bit looser, but starting the night off in a swaddle really helps a baby to fall asleep.

sling? Ergobaby embrace is a really comfortable sling

I did contact naps with DS1 until we sleep trained at 6 months. I breastfed and would feed to sleep then snuggle on the couch and watch tv. The only alternative was putting him in the wrap and going for a long walk. I walked 8 miles a day for a long time getting him naps, including over winter, it was awful

Sorry this sounds stressful.

They do drop naps relatively rapidly in the first year so she's on 4 or 5 now but this will drop down to 3, then 2. To be honest they do stay at 2 for a while until they drop to 1. If you can get yourself some wellies and a good raincoat it will help with the all weather walking. I would put them in the sling and pace up and down my house. Or if you can get yourself a rocking chair they would go off to the motion of that.

Sleep does improve and they will drop naps. This will get easier.

It's pretty normal for them to not nap in the crib. Most people use prams, car seats, slings or just hold them. The priority is safety so just be very careful about falling asleep on a sofa or other unsafe place.

It's so hard to explain this to new mums but if you can stop worrying about routines it all gets so much easier.

Put her in the pram, walk round the block, hopefully she'll sleep.

You've all been so lovely and helpful thank you!!!!! It's getting a tad easier now that I'm more aware of her wake windows and the sling/carrier idea has been brilliant as she's at least chilled and I can get things done 🤣 I've also tried her in the next to me and lay right up next to it with my arm around her and she's drifted off and I can move away for a bit.....doesn't last long but I can at least shower 🤣

Just want to say my daughter was like this at that age. The only way she'd nap was in the carrier or moving pram and only 20-30 mins. Her naps really lengthened at 7/8 months and now she does 1 to 2 naps in her cot. There's a lot going on with them developmentally when they are so tiny and they can find it hard to wind down.