How to get baby to take daytime naps away from me

[colsy]

OK, I have a query re daytime sleeps. Over the past week I've realised that we have absolutely NO daytime routine at all. Lack of routine really doesn't bother me, but I've realised that the only time my LO sleeps in the day is if he happens to fall asleep in the pram, or after I've BF, or if one of us is holding him in the sling or on our laps. Then we sometimes transfer LO to his crib, and he will either carry on sleeping or he'll wake up and yell until one of us picks him up. LO is eight weeks old.

But talking to other girls, it seems that some mums know when their baby is tired in the day and put the baby down in the cot immediately he shows signs of tiredness, and then baby has a lovely nap. Other mums have a strict routine and always put baby down for a nap at certain times.

So what about you? How do you KNOW it's time for a nap? Are any of you doing what my OH and I are doing and waiting for baby to fall asleep on us? I think half my issue is that if I simply pop LO into his crib BEFORE he is asleep during the day, he will almost certainly scream blue murder, which is not conducive to a happy baby or a happy mummy, and in the end nobody gets any sleep or relaxation. So are you using crying techniques and simply walking away from your crying babies? Or do your babies all quite happily go to sleep during the day? Or something else? Thanks for any advice xx

 

[aimee-lou]

To some extent we have a routine, but I also just let Earl get on with it. I will go for a walk every day at the same time pretty much and this will usually get him off to sleep for at least an hour if not more (as close to 2pm as poss, always after a feed). If he's still asleep at 5pm for any reason I will usually wake him up (with some gentle persuasion, feed him, have a bit of a play then we get ready for bed at 6.30pm. He seems to like this way round....those are the only two rules I have, and he seems quite settled in them. The mornings can be a bit haywire but with hubby working shifts I'm never going to get a concrete routine!

I would say (and I know it sounds odd) just see what suits you and try to mould your routine around you. My walk is at 2 as that's the time when hubby has just left for work, or just back from work. It's like a cross-over so makes sense that we vacate the house lol. I just tried to make it so that Earl (and the dog! lol) understand that this will happen and this is the best time. Sometimes he doesn't sleep but that's usually because he's slept all morning, in which case the fresh air is good for him!

Today however he did not sleep apart from the time in the car (we went shopping) and he's knackered. Hubby is at the moment trying to persuade him to sleep and it sounds like he's having fun! lol

 

[polaris]

I normally try to keep Thomas up for about an hour to hour and half from when he wakes up, I keep an eye on him and when he looks like he is getting tired (yawning, eyes going droopy, head lolling a bit), I will either pick him up and cuddle/rock him until he goes to sleep or else put him in his bouncy chair and rock him till he goes to sleep. Very very occasionally, if I'm sure he doesn't have any wind, I will put him in the Moses basket to see if he will settle himself to sleep, I only do this if he is obviously falling asleep but not overtired, and if I am not bothered if he doesn't actually go to sleep, because he will only actually get to sleep this way about half the time. In the morning, I usually bring him out for a walk in the pram when I see he is getting tired cos I know that he will sleep. But I don't have any fixed time for naps and sometimes he just wants to go straight to sleep again after he feeds (he's been having a really sleepy week this week!)

 

[// arcadia]

Ive noticed skye cant stay awake for longer than 2hrs at a time .. so i know when to put her down, she used to sleep lying on the sofa, then it was on her playmat and now its strapped into her bouncy chair .. reason being i figured when she was older i cudnt jus place her on her play mat and expect her to stay there .. cas she'll be crawling rolling etc.

I dnt know how practical the bouncy chair idea is though .. cant see it working that well when she gets a bit bigger.

 

[Kimboowee]

Josh would never sleep during the day. I made a few threads on here about it, I think it was more I wasn't 'letting' him sleep. I started put him down in his cot after lunch and he would play quite happily and then drop off to sleep. Since then he's slept for a couple of hours in the afternoon.

I've found if I don't put him down for a nap, he simply won't. Even in his bouncer or pram he won't go for a proper nap, maybe 10 mins or so but nowhere near the 1+ he does.

I do let him cry, only for a few mins at a time but I leave him to it because I know he's tired not upset/hungry/cold etc