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Sleep

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Original poster

Is it safe for baby to nap in garden

21 replies

NK23f9169fX1275e3afdf3 · 14/03/2010 20:32

I was strugglying with my 13 weeks old naps, only getting 3 x 45 mins naps which meant he was tired and miserable in the afternoon, he (and I!!) needed a longer lunchtime nap, both my Mum and mother in law put all their babies outside in the garden for naps.

It is like magic!! He sleeps beautifully and is now a lot happier (me too!).

I am clothing him correctly and pram is placed under tree right outside our patio doors which i keep open so i can hear him if needed and he can be seen clearly.

Although it seems to be the answer I can't help worry (!!??)I am a new mum and at times be classed as anxious!!

Does anyone else allow their baby to nap in the garden?

Advice and honest answers please!

OP posts:

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FiveGoMadInDorset · 14/03/2010 20:34

Absolutely as long as he is wrapped up warm, I did it with both DD and DS.

blametheparents · 14/03/2010 20:35

He will be fine, of he is sleeping well then he must be happy.
As long as he is dressed suitably for the weather and you can hear him if he cries then he will be fine.
Enjoy the peace and quiet and your happy baby!

peggotty · 14/03/2010 20:35

I think that's absolutely fine! My ds (2years) only naps in the car so I leave him out there on the drive, which I can see from my seat in the living room.

LadyBiscuit · 14/03/2010 20:35

Yes of course

MegBusset · 14/03/2010 20:38

Sounds fine to me, in fact on one occasion both DS1 and DS2 fell asleep in the P&T on the way to a friend's house so I left them both sleeping in the garden!

oopsandbabycoconut · 14/03/2010 20:39

DD slept out in all weathers summer and winter and as long as she was appropriately dressed she slept well. Initially I kept hte door wide open so I could hear her but gradually I closed it slightly (esp. in winter) or left the window open to hear her.

Blomkvist · 14/03/2010 20:40

Catchy name NK23f9169fX1275e3afdf3...

I know it was common for our parents/grandparents to do this, but I absolutely could not do it. Maybe it says more about me than how safe it is (I am pure helicopter in parenting style), but I just could not cope with baby not being in the house with me. I have childsnatcher visions.

cat64 · 14/03/2010 20:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

shatteredmummy · 14/03/2010 20:51

Thanks for reassurance, I knew in my heart of hearts that if baby sleeping then must be ok!! Just wanted to make sure not alone!!

As for childsnatching, never crossed my mind and not something I am about to worry about as you would find it very diffucult to access my garden without coming thru our house! As for my name mumsnet created it for me as I hadn't created my own! I have now changed it!

shatteredmummy · 14/03/2010 20:54

I was concerned about cats etc so use the rain cover and have ordered a net for the summer months, thankfully baby is sleeping thru till 7am so I thankfully am not needing to nap in the afternoons anymore

cat64 · 14/03/2010 23:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

BertieBotts · 14/03/2010 23:51

DS slept from 11-7 at 8 weeks.. lasted until the 4 month growth spurt...

BertieBotts · 14/03/2010 23:55

Gah sorry meant to say yes, totally safe to nap in the garden, why would it not be? DS used to be quite calmed by putting his pram outdoors so I did it quite a lot. It is good for their vitamin D intake Just don't do what my elderly neighbour did when her DD was little and leave your baby out in the winter, not noticing it had begun to snow, until her neighbour tapped on her window quite gingerly and said "I don't want to intrude, but your baby is getting buried!" (Baby was fine BTW and quite warm and happy apparently!)

Raincover fine, but watch out on sunny days like today (well was sunny here anyway) as they can create a bit of a greenhouse effect. TBH I never really thought about cats etc getting into the pram!

lowrib · 15/03/2010 00:29

This may be unpopular but - if he's under 6 months then the advice relating to the SIDs risk is to never leave a baby sleeping on its own.

The back-to-bed massage seems to have got through to lots of people, but this one hasn't so much - IMO because people find it convenient to leave their baby sleeping for an hour or so while they get on with stuff. But it is a SIDs risk. Some info here

If I've misunderstood and you're out there with your baby then great! I'd bet good money that it probably does him good to sleep outside (and if he's sleeping longer that say it all!) But if you're not there, then I'd say you need to be aware it's a risk, the same as putting babies to bed on their tummies is a SIDS risk. Of course some people choose to ignore this, but you should make an informed choice.

BTW it's irrelevant if people say "I did it and it was fine" - the point is that it's risky. If the chances were - say - 3 in a 10000, then 99997 people would be able to do it and say "it was fine". That doesn't make it safe though.

lowrib · 15/03/2010 00:32

By the same token, it's a risk for babies under 6 months to sleep in a room on their own, I think a lot of people aren't really aware of this or choose to ignore it.

If you want to follow the medical advice, one way is to have your baby in a moses basket, and move him . her around with you as you go.

Another way is to let them sleep in a sling (especially when really little).

We had a great crib attachment on the buggy. DS slept in that in the daytimes, and I just took him with me wherever I went.

lowrib · 15/03/2010 01:31

Oops my maths is totally screwy! That should have said 9997.

(Although I plucked 10000 out of the air in the first place anyway)

lowrib · 15/03/2010 01:34

And that should be back-to-bed message. Gah!
Must be my bedtime!

zebedeethezebra · 15/03/2010 13:33

It must be because one of the nurseries I visited (with an outstanding OFSTED report) does it practically every day except in extreme weather they said.

They put a fly net over the prams and use a monitor, with frequent checks on the babies every 10 minutes.

Trudi2009 · 15/03/2010 16:00

I think napping in the garden is wonderful just as long as the pram is covered and you feel your garden is safe enough. I live in a major city and would love to do that but don't have the outside space.

Your baby is clearly benfiting too.

LIZS · 15/03/2010 16:11

ds used to love being outside in his pram. He was sheltered by climbing plants under the pergola on the patio and was fascinated by the light and shade. Didn't do it so much with dd as we lived in chilly Switzerland when she was a baby, even so it was a tradition .

shatteredmummy · 15/03/2010 18:52

Thanks for everyones advice, i have taken the view that i have a content and happy baby who slept for 3 hours at lunchtime (!!) and even then I went out and woke him up for his feed, he is still going down nicely at 6.30pm and then being fed at 10.30pm and sleeping thru to between 6-7am so until this changes I am going to continue!!

He is well clothed, checked every 10 mins or so for temperature and I can see him from both my kitchen and lounge and after everyones comments I now feel very relaxed and happy about it.

Thank you

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