Hi Mamas. I have a question about naps for you. My 13-week-old son, who seems to require a LOT of sleep, has decided he doesn't care to nap until he's on my lap. This would be okay, except that I have a very active four-year-old son to look after as well! The 13-week-old wakes up the minute I set him down in his bed after nursing. And if I try to just put him down awake but drowsy (after nursing but while still awake), he starts screaming. I am NOT a fan of cry-it-out, so that's not an option for me. (I don't mind letting him mildly fuss for five minutes or ten minutes while he attempts to self-soothe, but if he starts full-blown crying or screaming, I'm not okay with leaving him to his own devices. And he can't hold in a pacifier, so that's not an option. We've been working with one for weeks, and he can't keep it in.) If he falls asleep in his swing, he wakes after 15 or 20 minutes. If he falls asleep in the car, he wakes after 10 minutes or so. I need to get him a good chunk of nap-sleep a few times a day, but in the past three weeks, that has become nearly impossible--and he's VERY cranky and overtired as a result. What methods have you all tried successfully--when you have an older child in the house, so you don't have time for sit for an hour at a time trying to get your younger child to nap? (I do have a consistent, relatively quiet sleep environment--his bassinet in my bedroom, with the room dark and a bathroom fan on for some white noise.)
I should mention that my 13-week-old has Down syndrome. I don't think this really has any bearing on his sleep, but you never know--if someone out there has a kiddo with DS and knows a good nap trick that seems to work well, I'm all ears! I think the DS is part of why he requires a lot of daytime sleep. He's very clearly tired much of the time--but he just won't fall asleep and stay asleep. Up until three weeks ago, he was sleeping about 20 hours a day. Now he's suddenly awake (and EXHAUSTED!) for seven hours at a stretch. I know his need for sleep will decrease as he gets older, but this is pretty drastic, and he really seems overtired. My older son wasn't a good napper either, but since he was my first, I was able to just "go with the flow" more and adapt my schedule to fit his napping whims. With the new baby, I need to get him napping fairly easily and regularly so that I can care for my older son as well--can't just plop him in front of the TV all day while I let the younger one nap on my lap. Oddly enough, both boys have been great night sleepers--just terrible nappers!
Thanks in advance for any help, Mamas!
O. idea--make sure the surface you're putting him on to sleep is warm.
Like transfer him AND a small blanket to the bassinet, etc.
A cold surface always woke my son right up immediately!
Be a ninja!
I nurse my son to sleep, then slide him into his carseat. For some reason that is the only place he will nap.during the day.
I agree with Sarah about trying to swaddle him. I had one who would be so tired and seemingly sound asleep. When we would put him down it would wake him up just enought that he would start flailing and wake himself up the rest of the way. Swaddling help him still feel secure.
Swaddle him before you start feeding but leave on arm out that you can tuck back into the blanket right before you lay him down. A lightweight blanket works well in warmer weather and they don't get over warm.
Do you have a noise machine or one of those bears with a heartbeat sound? I found these to be very helpful when my daughter was young (we still use the noise machine). I also agree with One and Done about the bassinet being warm. Can you wrap him (swaddled) in a blanket?
You can try waiting a little longer before putting him into the bassinet to make sure he is completely asleep.
Good Luck.
He may not be tired, but the nursing is lulling him to sleep. I think my son was about 8 or 9 weeks when I stopped nursing him to sleep during the day. Instead after nursing him, I would change his diaper to wake him up, then we would do tummy time for awhile and maybe spend some time in the bouncer if I needed to get things done. He would get fussy after about 45 mins to an hour, so I would rock him (it would only take 4 or 5 rocks) to sleep.
My three month old likes the sleep sheep by cloudb. I turn it on everytime she goes down for a nap and it helps alot. I also agree with swaddling. I think it is to hot to do a full swaddle, but what about swadling under the arms?
I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned so just thought I would throw in my vote for baby wearing. I am a big believer though I also can appreciate putting a kid down. It is nice to have a go-to for napping on cue and you. An use the sling as a tool for transfer. For that I recommend the "maya sling" style ring sling. Invaluable. Of course the moby is awesome for snuggling close and secure too. I know dr sears has specific reasons why downs kids benefit extra from this closeness and he really is still a little guy. Congrats on your good nights sleep.
