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Original poster

what does your baby sleep in during the day?

21 replies

frodob · 01/05/2010 16:56

My baby is ten weeks old and im puzzled as to what to do with him for his naps during the day. He is increasingly fighting sleep during the day and am reluctant to take him upstairs to his cot as he is sleeping quite well in at night and dont want to ruin this. im thinking the best thing would be some kind of travel cot he can nap in downstairs? what do you all do?

tia

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APassionateWoman · 01/05/2010 16:57

Moses basket?

dingdong3 · 01/05/2010 17:05

I would stick to the upstairs cot and just leave the curtains open to signal to him that it's a nap and not night time. If you don't do this, you will end up having him preferring to sleep in one place over another or outgrowing a downstairs sleeping arrangement (like a cradle or moses basket).
I don't think him not sleeping well during the day in the cot will make him sleep less well at night. Maybe the fact that he's sleeping well in it at night might make him settle better in the day? With my three, I've found that it's hard to get the naps established but if you stick to the same time every day when he's fed, winded, changed and showing signs of being tired, and allow him to cry a little initially, he should eventually get the hang of it - it's all about giving them the signals that it's sleeptime, then they always associate going to the room upstairs and the cot, with sleep...hopefully!!
The other thing I found with downstairs is that although the noise of the house doesn't really disturb them too much when they are tiny, it can do so when they get older (over 3 months) Certainly, they do get more interested in the noises and may struggle to settle. Not sure if any of this will help - hope it does..good luck!

Trikken · 01/05/2010 17:08

mine sleeps in the travel cot, as I dont have a baby monitor at the moment and so wouldnt be able to hear her otherwise.

Original poster
frodob · 01/05/2010 17:08

thanks dingdong - will try that re keeping the curtains open. he's just gone to sleep downstairs now (bright, noise off tv) and he had cried 5 mins earlier when i put him down upstairs (dark, quiet)
passionate - he's getting a bit big for the moses basket hence the need to think of something else

OP posts:
PixieOnaLeaf · 01/05/2010 17:19

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BertieBotts · 01/05/2010 17:26

He should be downstairs with you - they need to be in the same room as you for all sleeps, including naps, until 6 months if you are following the SIDS guidance.

A travel cot would be fine, or maybe in his pram?

PixieOnaLeaf · 01/05/2010 21:15

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TulipsInTheSunshine · 01/05/2010 21:21

couch.

we have a huge couch that has a massive big cornery bit (more than twice the width of the other end) on it that's sloped a bit towards the back. Hard to describe! ds2 sleeps quite still during the day so i'm not worried about him coming off... he's 15 months and has never once moved an inch. We stay in the room with him and he gives a shout when he wakes up.

when he was little though he slept in his bouncy chair during the day... it laid quite flat and meant i could keep an eye on him.

sometimes i pop him in the cot (if there's alot of noise downstairs or i have to do something) but as he and ds1 share a room it means ds1 can't get at his room which is a nuisance.

belindarose · 02/05/2010 07:16

Mine sleeps in her pram during the day.

SheWillBeLoved · 02/05/2010 10:00

DD is 9 months and as always had her daytime naps in one of these which is in the living room. Although she is starting to outgrow it now, her head is only a few inches from the top when her feet are touching the bottom so I'm on the hunt for a travel cot.

InmaculadaConcepcion · 02/05/2010 13:32

DD tends to kip in the pram (useful for rocking) and sometimes in the sling... I don't want her to only be able to nap in her bed as I need her to be more flexible...

CrispyTheCrisp · 02/05/2010 13:39

Mine mainly slept in the cot (in the dark) once they had outgrown the moses basket. But were equally happy to sleep in the pram/car if out and about too. Not all babies are rigid in their sleeping patterns.
I would say, wherever you put him down, just be confident and say night night and make sure he has familiar 'things' with him which he associates with sleep time (mine both had muslins which they cuddled/sucked)

AnAngelWithin · 02/05/2010 13:41

ds1 would only sleep in his bouncy chair (reclined) ds2 would only sleep in his cot, dd1 used to sleep anywhere! dd2 would only sleep in her basket or pram, or in ds1's beanbag!! This baby is going to have a right choice of places to sit/sleep this time around!!! Bought a swing, baby beanbag, bouncychair, travel cot, pram......

Bena1 · 02/05/2010 19:32

Everyone sounds like they are putting their babies down to nap. Feel like I'm doing something wrong

I have to hold my 11 week old in the day otherwise he doesn't sleep at all. At times I've put him down but just on top of a soft duvet in the living room. I'm planning this putting down for a nap thing in the cot after 6 months as the guidelines say.

BertieBotts · 02/05/2010 19:33

Bena I used to hold DS too He did grow out of it at some point... can't remember when exactly!

upset0808 · 02/05/2010 23:40

DD (5 mths) sleeps in a rocking chair (the one that rocks itself) and loves it, best thing is it keeps her quiet during the day, best £45 I ever spent!!!!

lowrib · 03/05/2010 00:10

We used the crib bit that came with our push chair (not a car seat - like a modern moses basket). I put DS down when he fell asleep, and carried him around with me wherever I went.

We carried on as we were in the daytime, so he slept around people talking / music / TV / whatever. At night we put him down in a darkened room. He can now sleep through anything, and he developed his own routine after a while.

You're not meant to put such a young child in a room of their own to sleep BTE. The SIDs advice is to always have them in the same room as you, until 6 months I think (is this right - anyone?)

If I was to do it again I would use a wrap sling too. I wish I'd discovered them sooner. I think it's a lovely way for your baby to sleep, and being close to you helps them in all sorts of ways e.g. it helps in regulating their breathing.

belindarose · 03/05/2010 06:53

Sorry, didn't notice your baby was 10 weeks. At that age mine was always in a sling to sleep, or occasionally swaddled and in reclining bouncy chair. From about 5 months she happily went to the pram.

NonnoMum · 03/05/2010 06:59

If you have a lie-flat pram I'd try to use that a bit during the day... (i.e NOT a car seat on wheels...)

GColdtimer · 03/05/2010 08:22

Bena me too. Dd2 is 9 weeks and has to be close to me or moving to stay asleep (day and night). Dd1 was like it too and did grow out of it. Not sure how or when tho!

Bena1 · 03/05/2010 11:22

Phew, good to hear things are "normal" when my DS doesn't want to be put down to sleep. At night though he goes straight in his cot, in our room, in the dark and he actually sleeps, waking up for feeds of course plus a few cuddles at times

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