Do you nap during the day when you have a young baby?

[Heart_Mom]

My new baby is 3 1/2 weeks old. I'm getting some sleep at night, but it's less than normal, and punctuated two or three times by nursing her (big shock, I know! ;)).

 

I really want to skip taking a nap during the day so I can so schoolwork with my older children while it's quiet, but I'm not sure I can handle it while I'm still waking several times in the night.

 

So I'm just curious ... when you've had a newborn/infant still waking in the night, do you nap or just push through?

 

Thanks!

[RebeccaS]

Whenever I have a baby that wakes for feeds in the night, I nap during the day. I try to get through the morning and take a short nap in the afternoon. If I'm tired and crabby the kids aren't learning as much anyway, so I might as well nap.

 

I got lucky this time around-this foster baby starting sleeping through the night at 3 months old. I never had a baby sleep through at that young of an age.

[ErinD]

When I had a newborn, my life was a bit like a Venn diagram. I napped when the baby sleep/older children not needing me circles merged....in other words, rarely but I kept my eye out for them!

[TammyS]

Yes, definitely. But I'm one who really and truly needs seven hours minimum to function, and my babies tend to get up 3-4 times per night for almost a year.

 

If I were you, instead of focusing on school work with the baby napping, I would do it with the baby up, because the newborn isn't likely to interfere too much. Then, when the baby is ready to nap, get yourself to lay down for a little bit. If you want the kids still learning, pick that as a time of day to have them watch a documentary or something that doesn't require your attention. Or even let that be their TV time (unless you are a TV-free family, they are watching at some point, so it might as well be at a point that is helpful to you).:grouphug:

[Heart_Mom]

Right now I take a nap after lunch when my older children do independent work and my younger children either do quiet time or take a nap. It works to do it that way, but I really don't like giving up the time! (I napped during most of my pregnancy, too.)

 

My babies usually take around 6-9 months to sleep through the night, so it will be a while. Once it's just one waking in the night, I think it will really not be a big deal to skip the nap.

[Jennifer3141]

As far as I'm concerned, the naps alone are a valid reason to have a baby!

[Gentlemommy]

No, only because when I just had dd1, she slept in 20 minute increments for her first year. Day or night. Just when I would settle down enough to fall asleep, she'd wake up. :glare:

When dd2 came along, I couldn't leave dd1 alone, as she was only 3, and rather...precocious. ;)

When I had dd3, same thing with dd2, she was only 2.5 and I couldn't trust her. Only now, that dd3 is 2, and my other dd's-are 7 and 4, can I lay down and snooze on the couch for a few minutes when the toddler naps.

 

If I could have, and my kids would have been safe, you bet I would have! All three of mine have been ridiculously horrid sleepers for the first year. :glare: And I needed all the extra sleep I could get. I wouldn't worry about doing school during that time if you have the option to rest.

[Heart_Mom]

As far as I'm concerned, the naps alone are a valid reason to have a baby!

 

This gave me a giggle!:lol:

[Pamela H in Texas]

Where is the option for "I take a nap whether my babies are young or teenagers"?????

[Jennifer3141]

Where is the option for "I take a nap whether my babies are young or teenagers"?????

 

:iagree::iagree:

 

I took a nap yesterday and my baby is 7. :lol:

[Ellie]

I was never good at napping when the dc were little. Now that I'm old, I have no problems with it. :lol:

 

I co-slept with younger dd, and after a few weeks neither of us woke up completely when she needed to nurse. I just plugged her in the other side and we went back to sleep. :) But I also took a shower in the evening while Mr. Ellie was home so he could take care of the dc, and got dd ready for bed, and any time after, oh, 9 that she wanted to nurse, we just went to bed together. Older dd slept until around 8, so our day didn't start as bright and early as some folks', and I'd had several hours of good sleep. I just didn't need a nap.

[LittleIzumi]

I WISH. My kids won't nap at the same time or let me nap though. :tongue_smilie: It's like there's a magnet to wherever I am.

[Heart_Mom]

I was never good at napping when the dc were little. Now that I'm old, I have no problems with it. :lol:

 

I co-slept with younger dd, and after a few weeks neither of us woke up completely when she needed to nurse. I just plugged her in the other side and we went back to sleep. :) But I also took a shower in the evening while Mr. Ellie was home so he could take care of the dc, and got dd ready for bed, and any time after, oh, 9 that she wanted to nurse, we just went to bed together. Older dd slept until around 8, so our day didn't start as bright and early as some folks', and I'd had several hours of good sleep. I just didn't need a nap.

 

Co-sleeping worked great with my 2nd born, but not so well with the others. I'm hoping this baby can get into that groove because it really makes it almost feel like your not waking at night. We'll see how it goes!

[Heart_Mom]

As of now, about 70% of poll responders *do* take a nap when they are waking at night with a little one. That's helpful to know ... and it makes me feel less like a slacker for napping right now! :D

[Mommyof4ks]

I napped with my first, but with my other two I had older kids to watch and no one to help me, so I had to make it through the day. It was brutal, but we made it.

[Rosie_0801]

No, but not from a lack of desire!

 

Rosie

[FO4UR]

When you have a baby waking at night, a nap during the day is a life-preserving act. Better to nap now and miss a little school (mommy-led school anyway), than to function on sleep deprivation and hit complete exhaustion and burn-out. That hour of school-without-baby will be a waste of time at that point anyway.

 

 

I'm due in Dec. I am napping an hour after lunch now, and I plan to continue with that nap until *my body* doesn't need it anymore. Once mine take a 5-6 hour stretch, I am usually good as long as I go to bed early. That has been anywhere from 8wks-12wks with my big 3 dc.

 

 

I am just going into the birth planning on modifying normal school lessons until we are past the 12wk mark. I'm looking at Time4Learning and lots of reading.

[razorbackmama]

My babies typically don't sleep through the night until they are several months, if not years, old. I do not nap. No time. I have learned to live off of VERY little sleep. It irritates me, but there's no one else to share the workload with, so it is what it is.

 

I don't think I even nap when I have a brand spanking new newborn. If I do nap it's when things have REALLY piled up. I remember once that I literally could feel my brain vibrating.:001_huh: I took a nap. LOL

[LaxMom]

Where is the option for "I take a nap whether my babies are young or teenagers"?????

 

:iagree::iagree:

 

I took a nap yesterday and my baby is 7. :lol:

 

No kidding! My babies are 8 and I still nap pretty much every day.

[melissad2]

Nap?!? What's that? I haven't been able to nap while a child naps since my first was a baby. Pitfalls of having 3 kids 5 years and under ;)

[JudoMom]

Right now I take a nap after lunch when my older children do independent work and my younger children either do quiet time or take a nap. It works to do it that way, but I really don't like giving up the time! (I napped during most of my pregnancy, too.)

 

My babies usually take around 6-9 months to sleep through the night, so it will be a while. Once it's just one waking in the night, I think it will really not be a big deal to skip the nap.

 

If it makes you feel better, I take a 20-40 minute nap most every day, and my baby is almost 7. Like you, I hate losing the chunk of time, and I do take it over lunch hour, but it's either take a nap or be cranky and fuzzy headed during the afternoon.

[freeindeed]

I took naps only when we'd had a rough night.

[momma aimee]

My new baby is 3 1/2 weeks old. I'm getting some sleep at night, but it's less than normal, and punctuated two or three times by nursing her (big shock, I know! ;)).

 

I really want to skip taking a nap during the day so I can so schoolwork with my older children while it's quiet, but I'm not sure I can handle it while I'm still waking several times in the night.

 

So I'm just curious ... when you've had a newborn/infant still waking in the night, do you nap or just push through?

 

Thanks!

 

if you can safely nap when the newbie does DO IT, leave the dishes, leave the laundry -- leave that math lesson -- SLEEP. Sleep is a biologial need, math is not. you have to be kind to yourself -- a happy momma makes a better life for everyone.

 

mine are 23 months a part and i slept when ever they slept as babies. with #2 big brother and I slept with him his 2 big naps of the day, though not all the little sleeps. with #1 I slept all the time he slept (should not he was / is SN and woke screaming every 45 minutes around the clock for 4+ years).

 

i know you have more olders, and 3 yo too boot -- bvut if you can do it safely I'd let other things go to sleep

[sgo95]

I took a nap everyday while pregnant and during the 1st year for each baby. I still take a nap 3-4 days a week even when not pregnant or with a young baby :D.

[Mommie_Jen]

My rule when mine were babies was that as long as they were waking in the night, I got a nap. No questions asked. Heck, even now sometimes I will let them rot their brains on Netflix while I take a short snooze on the couch!

 

(and neither one slept all night until close to 2)

[LibraryLover]

I tried. It really only worked with my oldest and youngest. With my two middles, I used the napping time for walking (double jogger.)

 

I do remember gathering all of the children in my room, latching the door, and putting in a movie. My oldest was great about waking me with concerns.

 

When the middles were tots, I rarely slept. But I did do the latch thang as often as possible.

 

I love the photos of that time, but I often feel pulsing in my head when I look at them. I have had to take pain relief. lol It was lovely to have so many children, but my body seems to recall the physical toll in a way my lovely memories do not.

Edited October 21, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Alte Veste Academy]

After each baby, I took an afternoon nap every day for the first 6 months. I don't know that I would have survived without that nap. :tongue_smilie: I did not ever have a newborn while schooling though. Still, in your shoes, if I could take a nap, I would absolutely do it. I would also be going to bed as soon as the baby went down for the night and let DH deal with the older kids. I did that for about 6-8 weeks, until the mama/baby routine nighttime routine was running like clockwork. After my second baby, I figured out very quickly that it was to my benefit to "sacrifice" any alone wake time in the name of being asleep...and sane. :D

Edited October 21, 2012 by Alte Veste Academy

[MissKNG]

I didn't nap when my girls were infants.

[PeacefulChaos]

Well, for me, I napped if I was tired. I usually wasn't.

Granted, my kids slept through the night relatively early - 6-9 weeks of age - so I didn't have long, drawn out months of having to get up at night.

[elegantlion]

Where is the option for "I take a nap whether my babies are young or teenagers"?????

 

No kidding! My babies are 8 and I still nap pretty much every day.

 

Yes, I napped when ds was napping. I gave it up after he quit napping, now I enjoy my down time. In the summer I nap almost daily, during school at least two - three times a week. My family is better off. My son is 15.

[JoLuRu]

Yes, I nap. Over the summer, the older kids had quiet resting time for an hour in the afternoon while me and the baby napped. They didn't have to sleep, but they had to be quiet in their beds -reading, looking at a picture book, playing a quiet toy, all fine, but they couldn't leave the room except to pee. It worked really well - and they often fell asleep. I am a much nicer mommy to be around after resting time!

[swellmomma]

Not since I had my first. Since then if a child is awake so am I, so no naps during the day with other kids up. I never like what I find when I get up if I do. As far as night waking, only my 2nd slept through the night before 3 years of age, she started sleeping through at 8 weeks. My other 3 woke in the night at least once every night until after their 3rd birthdays. My 14 yr old still has issues with night waking, I certainly could not have taken a nap daily for years like that.

Edited October 21, 2012 by swellmomma

[Sara in AZ]

My youngest is almost 2 and still waking multiple times per night. I often find myself unintentionally falling asleep with her when nursing her down for her afternoon nap. Usually I rest for 45 min. or do before I get up. She sleeps a couple of hours. It's really nice to have that downtime.

[Kathryn]

Yes, ODS had quiet time reading or watching tv while I napped. If I woke up before YDS and we still had work to do, we'd do it then. YDS is just now outgrowing naps but I still make him take one on days that I need one.

[Shellydon]

I didn't nap. I never felt like I could safely leave my 2-6 yo children alone.

[2squared]

Oh, my gosh, YES I NAP!!! I had five kids in 8.5 years. I was either pregnant or nursing someone for over a decade straight. I napped when pregnant and I napped with babies. So I guess I napped for nearly a decade. :001_smile:

 

I have been so exhausted for the last 10 years. I would not have survived without my naps. None of us would have survived.

 

Now that my youngest is almost 2, I have finally dropped my nap....most days.

[jelbe5]

When I was a new mother a wise, older mother advised me to take a nap when baby napped. With a new baby I think you should implement a nap/quiet time and take care of yourself with a little extra sleep. This stage will not last for long. Congrats on your new addition!

[ChristusG]

I will only sleep during the day if I'm sick. No naps here.

[Heart_Mom]

When you have a baby waking at night, a nap during the day is a life-preserving act. Better to nap now and miss a little school (mommy-led school anyway), than to function on sleep deprivation and hit complete exhaustion and burn-out. That hour of school-without-baby will be a waste of time at that point anyway.

 

 

I'm due in Dec. I am napping an hour after lunch now, and I plan to continue with that nap until *my body* doesn't need it anymore. Once mine take a 5-6 hour stretch, I am usually good as long as I go to bed early. That has been anywhere from 8wks-12wks with my big 3 dc.

 

 

I am just going into the birth planning on modifying normal school lessons until we are past the 12wk mark. I'm looking at Time4Learning and lots of reading.

 

This is really helpful. Thanks so much! I think you're right that I'll burn out if I try to drop the nap now ... and that's not good for anyone!

Edited October 21, 2012 by Heart_Mom

[Heart_Mom]

if you can safely nap when the newbie does DO IT, leave the dishes, leave the laundry -- leave that math lesson -- SLEEP. Sleep is a biologial need, math is not. you have to be kind to yourself -- a happy momma makes a better life for everyone.

 

mine are 23 months a part and i slept when ever they slept as babies. with #2 big brother and I slept with him his 2 big naps of the day, though not all the little sleeps. with #1 I slept all the time he slept (should not he was / is SN and woke screaming every 45 minutes around the clock for 4+ years).

 

i know you have more olders, and 3 yo too boot -- bvut if you can do it safely I'd let other things go to sleep

 

You're right ... sleep is a biological need, isn't it. (I think sometimes math seems like a biological need to me!:D) My three year old still naps, my 6 year old does "room time," and my older two do independent work ... so it can be done safely here. Also, now that my oldest is 11, he would certainly alert me if someone was doing something they shouldn't be doing.

 

 

 

Oh, my gosh, YES I NAP!!! I had five kids in 8.5 years. I was either pregnant or nursing someone for over a decade straight. I napped when pregnant and I napped with babies. So I guess I napped for nearly a decade. :001_smile:

 

I have been so exhausted for the last 10 years. I would not have survived without my naps. None of us would have survived.

 

Now that my youngest is almost 2, I have finally dropped my nap....most days.

5 kids in 8.5 years! Wow! My five children came in 11 years (and I've been nursing or pregnant for that long too!) ... and I still feel overwhelmed.

 

When I was a new mother a wise, older mother advised me to take a nap when baby napped. With a new baby I think you should implement a nap/quiet time and take care of yourself with a little extra sleep. This stage will not last for long. Congrats on your new addition!

 

Thanks for the congrats! She's a sweetie. :001_smile:

 

I think that some people are just wired differently as to how much sleep they need and how much they can do. I really don't do well with less than 7 hours or so. (8 is really nice!)

 

I have to remember that taking care of myself is really taking care of my family (indirectly).

 

Thanks, everyone, for all your input! :)

[imagine.more]

Absolutely I nap most days while I have a newborn waking at night. I also nap during the entire first trimester and the last month most days (usually not a choice, I'll literally pass out on the sofa if I sit down during those times, lol). I don't like napping, feels like wasted time, but I have realized during those phases it's just necessary.

 

I've already got YDS trained to stay in bed for naptime and call me when he wakes and ODS trained to take a quiet time in the afternoon during YDS's nap in preparation for the new baby coming next month :) I figure everyone can use some downtime and my 4 year old is very reliable and responsible about staying in one room with books/trains to play. His worst habit is waking me to tell me all about his train expedition of the day, lol!

 

I knew a mom who saw a distinct difference in her milk supply when she got a nap in the afternoon vs not and that helped remind me of the importance of sleep. Later when I had my second and had to exclusively pump for him I noticed a big difference in my output if I let myself get too tired/hungry during the day. I know it's tempting to feel great while nursing and want to get back to normal right away, but nursing uses a lot of energy really so I think it's important to get a short nap (20-45 minutes seems ideal) and eat lots during that phase.