AP Parents - PLS help me with baby naps!

[Tohru]

My dd is 6mo old.

I know she needs a nap.

I know when she needs to nap.

 

But I can not figure out how/where to put her down for a nap!

We have a family bed, no crib. Right now to force her to nap, we go for car rides so she can fall asleep in the car. It really messes up my day!

 

I've tried wearing baby and laying down with her, but the other two are so loud and bicker if I'm not in the room - it keeps baby awake (oddly she'll sleep through noise if we're in the car.) I've tried bribing and/or threatening the other two to keep them quiet, but that doesn't work all the time either.

 

We're not buying a crib. Please, give me some ideas or suggestions.

[Mommy_of_4]

Can you buy a cheap pack and play and put her down in a quiet room? Maybe get your daughter entertained with coloring or something and then go in the room and rock her to sleep. DD2 takes naps in her pack and play in DH and I's room. It is the only part of the house that is quiet during the day.

[TexasRachel]

Start punishing your 15yo every time he does something that wakes up the baby. Lose tv time, etc. he's old enough he can control himself. I tell my 4 yo to go play/watch tv somewhere else. He could come in and ask something as long as it was quiet. My dd is good about helping with this. They knew when I was down with ds(2) not to bother me. Now he's down to one nap a day and ds(4) has to have quiet time then too. Maybe have family quiet time when the baby's napping.

[Shellydon]

How about a pack and play with a white noise machine? Remember, the king of AP, Dr. Sears, says that if an aspect of AP is not working for your family change it. When you have several kids, the world cannot revolve around the baby like it did when you just had one.

[Ellie]

ITA with getting a pack-and-play.

 

When you think it's time for her to take a nap, make sure she's all hugged and cuddled and clean and nursed, and put her to bed, preferably in a room where you can close the door. Walk away. Do NOT allow the other children to wake her up. Let her wiggle around and even whine a little. Do this every day until she figures out how much better she feels when she gets her sleep. :)

 

In general, I'm pretty AP, but there are some thngs which just Must Be Done. Naps and bedtimes are two of them, especially naps.

 

Oh, and do not bribe or threaten the others. Tell them what they need to do, and require them to do it. You can read aloud to them while baby naps (unless you and they also need naps!), or do other warm fuzzy things, but do not bribe or threaten when you want them to have certain civilized behavior. :)

[Mommyof4ks]

How about a pack and play with a white noise machine? Remember, the king of AP, Dr. Sears, says that if an aspect of AP is not working for your family change it. When you have several kids, the world cannot revolve around the baby like it did when you just had one.

 

:iagree: I had to do this with my boys when they were little. I felt awful for making them them dependent on me for comfort and then tossing them in a pack and play, but it was the only way they would sleep during the day while my dd needed me to keep an eye on her too. They got used to it.

[butterflymommy]

I don't CIO with my baby. I nurse her until she's drowsy then put her in a pac n play in the guest room and close the door. She sucks on her fist and drifts off to sleep-- easy baby!

 

It's really hard to do naps without a crib/ playpen and a quiet room with a closed door.

 

You could also buy a white noise machine to put in the room to drown out outside noise.

[indigomama]

If you don't want to buy anything could you put your bed or some type of mattress on the floor?

 

My oldest only slept in our bed- no crib. When we finally transitioned to his own bed, we just put a twin mattress on the floor. He never moved much- so he never fell off, but if he had, it would not have hurt hum to roll off the mattress.

 

We also have a white noise machine. #5 is 7 months and she sleeps in our room but we got her used to sleeping in a pack n play next to our bed and she nurses and gets laid down when awake but drowsy. She occasionally fusses (never really cries), but usually just goes to sleep.

 

Also, unless he has significant special needs, your 15 should be able to be quiet and maybe you could spend the time reading to your 4yo or have her listen to books on tape.

[cassiemc]

Will she sleep in a sling? You can wear her while she naps. Or nurse her and sit on the sofa while she naps, maybe you can get a quick nap as well. The 15 year old should be able to entertain the 4 year old for a little while. Maybe it can be the 4 year old's special playtime with a new toy/movie, etc. It's beena while since I had a baby. I hope some of this helps you.

[lewelma]

Will she sleep in a sling? You can wear her while she naps.

 

How strong are you? I use to carry my little ones for their entire nap (3 hours). I had a sling that I could put on my back so I could get all my chores done. I used to call it my "portable gym." Lost all that baby weight in no time.:001_smile:

 

Ruth in NZ

[Donna]

I rocked/nursed my babies until they fell asleep then laid them on their backs on a pillow on the floor.

[happypamama]

We have no crib either, and I'm too short to lay a baby down in a pack-n-play, so we don't have one of those either. My current 3yo was a great sling napper; I'd wrap him in the sling, and he'd sleep for several hours that way. Not so much with my current 9mo; he falls asleep in a carrier (front or back) but only sleeps for half an hour or so that way. You'd think he could sleep through anything, being the fourth child in a noisy household, but not so much. He will, however, sleep for a good couple of hours if I lay him down on our bed (which is upstairs, out of the flow of traffic), so that's what I do for his big nap in the afternoon. I got a baby monitor so that the second he starts moving around, I can get him, before he rolls/scoots himself off the bed. I nurse or wear him to sleep and then lay him down.

[mommymilkies]

I am AP and I bought a pack and play for the other room for easy naps for #5. Your older kids are old enough to know better and should be held accountable for waking baby. I recommend a good back carry sling or a pack and play for another room. Even just a sheepskin on the floor will work. Use a monitor or stay where you can hear her and make being quiet a game. Use headphones or something for the other kids and separate them.

[misidawnrn]

I have no words of advice for you. My 3yo DD slept every.single.nap being held for the first+ year of her life. We tried to put her down but it didn't work, the slightest movement would instantly wake her and then it was WAR!!! She was sooo grumpy as a baby that I wore her in a Moby wrap a lot. Luckily, DH is self employed at home and so when it was nap time, I gave him the baby and he happily complied with the job of being the human napmat for DD (he would fall asleep, too!) Here's proof! (cute proof at that!) The last picture is from Feb of this year....still has to touch daddy to sleep!

 

Edited April 13, 2012 by misidawnrn