So, it would make sense that it's the hardest for us to achieve.
LM has become really bad about naps lately. The last 2-3 weeks he will only nap for a solid length of time when held. Even our old friend the swing still isn't a lock for a long nap. We've tried letting him play/fuss/put himself back to sleep...it just results in red-faced screaming. As a consequence...his night sleep has been suffering. He's tired early but overtired to the point he can't go to sleep. He goes down, wakes up, etc etc etc It's been taking hours---which is a new thing for us :(
Now that he's in daycare--the problem is exacerbated. He'll take little catnaps, but only if he falls asleep in her arms. He wakes up when she puts him in the pnp. He did conk out in the mini swing for her..but only for a short time and he was cuddling his burp cloth.
So again...overtired baby who wants to nap in the evening at home.
How can I help him nap better---here or daycare? With work really truly starting (early morning alarm clock and all), I am terrified at the idea of bad nights and having to get up and function the next day.
On a similar note--the burp cloth thing got me thinking...he does always grab my hand (or DH's) and pull it to his face to snuggle when he wakes up (but really isn't awake..kwim?) in the middle of the night and we go in to pat him or give him a paci. I feel like he's too young to take his monkey-blanket to bed. He still pulls it over his face....but he does love to snuggle with it in his swing. How old are they normally when they can be trusted with one? Because I'm thinking it'll help....just like being able to stomach sleep when he can eventually master all his rolling moves (and I work up the nerve for it).
I'm just really feeling lost about it all. Now that he's not home with me all day, I just feel anxious about him really getting enough rest so he's happy and healthy. Plus (selfishly) I don't want him to be uber-cranky when we get to see him in the evening.
Thanks for listening to me ramble...there's just a lot on my mind and I'm exhausted...ugh and real work hasn't even started yet.
I don't know about how old, but I will tell you this: Cole already sleeps on his stomach. There is no way to keep him from doing so without putting a ton of padding around him and THAT's not safe. So...as long as he turns his head, which he does, I'm letting him...and it's been going for 2 weeks. Last week we let him take his Eeyore (which is an Eeyore head attached to a blanket) to bed with him and then took it away just before WE went to bed. He can pull things away from his face and LOVES to put things ON his face, so if it makes him happy, I'm all for it!
ReplyDeleteHow to get LM to nap otherwise, I have no advice. Cole sleeps in the swing at this point, and in 19 days he's going to have to learn how to do something else because *I* go back to school and he goes to a friends!
sleeping issues can be so hard, i think they all go through phases though. i wish i had some great advice for you, but babies are also different, maybe he's starting to teethe? louise has been sleeping with a blanket for her whole life, we generally don't leave the house with it, but she does use it to comfort herself when she's not sleeping sometimes as well. good luck, wish i could be of more help to you.
ReplyDeleteI gave bug a stuffed monkey maybe around 9 months or so. She always used to want to be held to nap. Getting into a routine helped that immensely. She still isn't the beat dapper but much better than before. We always tried to keep the time consistent and just kept working on the crib. The first couple weeks were hard but then it got better.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Thanks for the suggestions/stories. The not napping during the day has helped a little bit with going to bed with less of a fight..if I let him nap (usually on me cuz I miss him!!) after we get home, it seems to help the overtired thing.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like all I can do is wait it out to see how he progresses as they establish a daycare routine. Hopefully this helps him...I just feel icky knowing he's so tired and not getting the sleep he needs. He likes to hold my hand when he falls asleep so maybe I'll help him learn to hold onto his clothes or rub his cheek until he can sleep with his monkey blanket. We may try letting him snuggle with it until he falls asleep. I'm just over-cautious these days.
Thanks again ladies for all the comments--I appreciate your support and ideas. It's such a big help to not be alone.
Check out the book Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child. The book has helped us alot, both in getting him to sleep and keeping him sleeping. Good luck. I know how worrisome the sleep habits can be.
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