Nap Training 10 week old

[marathongirl]

Any suggestions for nap training a 10 week old?

Lie down and have a cuddle.

repetition- always use same routine. but at this age it isnt training- they are too young.

My DD has only just started napping in her cot at 3 months (& only for 45 mins). At 10 weeks I was using a sling. She'll sleep for ages in it and I can get things done. Still use it if I need to go out etc

Don't. She's 10 weeks old. Let her feed when she' hungry and sleep when she's tired. You have to follow her lead at this stage - anything else will lead to frustration and unnecessary worry - and failure.

Oh and have a sleep yourself when she does.

as eachpeach says - start a routine, something simple like change nappy, read a story, cuddle then into cot - if they cry then maybe shh-pat for a couple of minutes before picking them up. Don't stress too much if it doesn't work at this stage, just set the foundations for a good routine/sleep cue and hopefully it will work soon. My DS only started to go down for naps easily when he was about 4.5 months and we had a routine from about 8 weeks.

Good luck, HTH

Agree with what ChocOrange has to say. Establishing a very short nap routine with DD (nappy, into grobag, blackout blind down, gentle song and a cuddle, then into cot) has got her from taking no naps or only in the buggy, to happily going down for a nap 2-3 times a day in her cot when we're at home.

Consistency is really important so even if it doesn't work for the first few days keep trying. And on the days it's a struggle, try taking LO out in the buggy for naps to make sure overtiredness doesn't set in as once they're overtired it's so much harder for them to settle down to sleep.

When I started with DD, I worked on achieving 1 nap a day in her cot to begin with (the morning nap), then built it up from there so it's not too much or too exhausting for you all at once.

You might find the naps are short to begin with (30-45 mins is typical). TBH I wouldn't expect much more from a 10wk old, but will probably still be tired which is where the buggy or a sling will be very useful).

Once LO is doing well with settling for naps, and a bit bigger, then you can work on extending them using something like Pick Up Put Down (Baby Whisperer).

But seriously don't stress if it just doesn't work for a while. It took until 12 weeks for my DD to be ready to start learning to nap in her cot. Best of luck x

p.s. forgot a crucial point...(placenta brain) - watch your LO v closely for signs of tiredness so you know when to try for a nap. At 10 weeks, within 1 1/2 to 2 hours of waking they're typically ready for a nap, but some babies can go longer and some less.

Having said that, my DD for example is quite hard to read on that front, so I do watch the clock a bit too, and if she hasn't yawned or started rubbing her eyes after 2 hours I take her through anyway and start doing the nap routine very slowly. 9 times out of 10, she's ready for a sleep but was just otherwise distracted by something exciting and not thinking about sleep!

I agree - repetition and he'll soon start to nap, but might take a while.

My 4 month old has only just started napping the the day. Up till 2 weeks ago would only sleep in day if out walking with pram. Tried to put him in pram in lounge and push it back and forth - did NOT work in the slightest!

Normally a night he settles himself really well after a bath and feed. When he gets over-tired (which can happen very quickly) and then the only way to get him to sleep is to walk or swaddle him & rock!

Watch out for those signs your LO is getting sleepy and put him down before he gets over-tired. Mine starts to winge and gets more floppy. (normally quite strong on his legs for 4m age and wants to stand)
Learn your LO's signs and it'll make life easier for you.

Its surprising what you can achieve once your LO sleeps in the day!