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MrsKelly
just hangin' around...
Member since 11/06 6305 total posts
Name:
Krista
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10 weeks old... nap advice?
dd is 10 weeks old. when is appropriate to start imposing a nap "schedule" on her? not necessarily that it has to be a certain time of day... but that she actually takes one? and how do you even make that happen? is it something that i just have to wait until she's old enough to try to CIO?
she goes to bed without a problem - we have a "routine" and she pretty much STTN. i *tried* a nap routine... when i could tell she was exhausted and needed one, i would swaddle her after that feeding, and put her in her crib with the white noise of her mobile on. if she woke up, i'd go in and give her the paci quietly. but she's just not having it. she won't do anything more than cat nap... and i KNOW she needs more sleep than that. i can see it in her little face, it's all red and her eyes get puffy, she rubs her face, and gets cranky/cries from being overtired.
i don't know what to do. i tried bathing her every afternoon but that is like TORTURE to her, so i stopped implementing that as part of our routine. yesterday she took almost a 3 hour nap... and it was a glorious day, she was in a glorious mood - but she only slept like that because i walked her for almost 2 hours and had her in the car for errands. i cannot do that everyday!
i wouldn't even be asking if she was happily going throughout her day with just cat naps. it's just because i can tell she needs sleep but she fights it. she'll eat, cat nap and then wake up cranky because she's still tired - nothing makes her happy.
also i had been hoping to get her into a nap routine in her crib, so that i could transition her into her crib at night. she's still in the rock & play, but i was hoping at 3 months, to get her out of that.
any advice or suggestions? am i doing something wrong? or should i just let it go? sorry, new clueless mommy here.
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Posted 1/15/13 10:11 PM  |
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Long Island Weddings
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Strawberry2468
It's summatime
Member since 3/09 4739 total posts
Name:
Christine
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Re: 10 weeks old... nap advice?
My girls are 3 mo. and still don't have a set nap schedule. They have an eating schedule pretty much but sometimes they fall asleep right after eating. Other times they play a bit the sleep the get up for awhile before their next feeding. I don't stress it. I let them do their thing. If I hold them after eating and they want to sleep they will get cranky and I put them down. Either in their swings or crib. They cat nap. They might sleep more set times if I swaddled but I just let them be. If they are fussing and want the paci but keep spitting it out and I have stuff to do, I let them whine it out. Our ped said we could CIO now if we want. If they are upset and really crying I get them because its usually a burp but they usually whine a bit and fall asleep. I check them first to see what they are doing.
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| Posted 1/15/13 11:13 PM |
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iluvmynutty
Mom to E&M
Member since 12/08 1762 total posts
Name:
D
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Re: 10 weeks old... nap advice?
I highly recommend the book healthy sleep habits happy child. The book has sections according to age so you dont have to read the whole thing a once, just the begining that covers newborns. Make sure you are putting her down for a nap an hour and a half to two hours after she has been awake. Look for subtle "sleepy" signs and don't wait until she is exhausted. That is too late and she is probably over tired. She shouldn't be awake for more then 2 hours at a time.
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| Posted 1/16/13 4:22 AM |
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alli3131
Peanut is here!!!!!!
Member since 5/09 18388 total posts
Name:
Allison
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10 weeks old... nap advice?
My DS is 12m and I never imposed a schedule. He is now on a schedule but he put himself on it. I was not going to fight him for naps and it has worked out great.
It is too early for CIO.
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| Posted 1/16/13 5:53 AM |
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debgoody
LIF Infant
Member since 10/10 82 total posts
Name:
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Re: 10 weeks old... nap advice?
I did the same as alli3131 below with both of my kids and its worked out great. i imagine each child is different but my 2 kids have just created there own schedule
Posted by alli3131
My DS is 12m and I never imposed a schedule. He is now on a schedule but he put himself on it. I was not going to fight him for naps and it has worked out great.
It is too early for CIO.
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| Posted 1/16/13 7:33 AM |
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MrsT809
LIF Adult
Member since 9/09 12167 total posts
Name:
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10 weeks old... nap advice?
Sounds like she's overtired. Don't wait until she's exhausted to put her down. As soon as she gets a little fussy, one yawn, rubbing the eyes or nose, put her right down. DD would eat when she woke up, play for a little while, and then get tired and go for a nap an hour after waking at that age. She slowly increased the time she stayed awake but we still follow this routine at 8 months.
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| Posted 1/16/13 8:40 AM |
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BeachMom
Love my 4 kiddos!
Member since 11/08 8346 total posts
Name:
Kristie
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Re: 10 weeks old... nap advice?
We're at 10 weeks also with no set nap schedule. At the 2 month appointment the ped asked abouts naps and i kinda laughed. He's up most of the day, cat naps here and there, but I can't complain because he STTN.
What i've found is that his naps are usually on the floor on the play mat or in the swing, not exactly a set nap time or place, but when he's tired he just passes out.
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| Posted 1/16/13 9:14 AM |
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Hofstra26
Love to Bake!
Member since 7/06 27915 total posts
Name:
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Re: 10 weeks old... nap advice?
This is just my *personal* opinion but I feel like too often parents drive themselves insane trying to impose their will on their new babies only to find it doesn't work and they are causing more stress for themselves (and their baby) than anything.
Your LO is 10 weeks old. Just 10 weeks old!!..............I know YOU would like something more routine but I think the BEST thing you can do is follow HER cues and lead. Sometimes it just takes them a while to work out their sleeping, just 10 weeks ago she was in your tummy sleeping whenever she wanted. And I know it's hard because you see they are tired and you KNOW they need to sleep but sometimes, they just won't give in. That's normal. I've been there too!
When my DD was a baby I never tried to force anything. I really just tried to follow her lead.........if she needed to sleep I let her sleep, if one day she was more hungry than the last I would feed her, if one day she needed to be held more I held her and so on and so forth. At 8 weeks she was STTN, her eating fell into a predictable routine quickly, and eventually she worked out a napping routine too. That took longer than anything. I think the naps are more all over the place because they are growing and changing so much that the sleep they need on a day to day basis is constantly changing too.
Eventually my DD fell into a predictable nap pattern too. I would just watch her and pick up the cues she was giving me. I saw that she was always rubbing her eyes and getting sleepy about 2 hrs after waking up so I would rock her and lie her down and she would fall right into a nice sleep and nap for two hours. Then she would wake up and after another 3'ish hours awake she would do the same thing and I would get her down to nap and again, she would sleep for a few hours. By 7pm she was ready for bed.
Every baby is different though and your DD might not be so predictable. I think the least stressful thing you can do is give her time and follow her lead. She's still so new, it's going to take some time. And also keep in mind, some babies might never be great nappers. My sister's DS is the ultimate cat napper, even at 6 months old. 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there. He never really settles into a good, long nap even though he's exhausted and needs one.
Hopefully your LO finds her routine but in the meantime, don't stress too much about it. 
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| Posted 1/16/13 9:17 AM |
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Eireann
Two ladies and a gentleman!
Member since 5/05 12165 total posts
Name:
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Re: 10 weeks old... nap advice?
Posted by iluvmynutty
I highly recommend the book healthy sleep habits happy child. The book has sections according to age so you dont have to read the whole thing a once, just the begining that covers newborns. Make sure you are putting her down for a nap an hour and a half to two hours after she has been awake. Look for subtle "sleepy" signs and don't wait until she is exhausted. That is too late and she is probably over tired. She shouldn't be awake for more then 2 hours at a time.
Yes! I always recommend this book to all my new-mom friends. And I agree with everything written above.
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| Posted 1/16/13 9:19 AM |
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TheDivineMrsM
2 girls 4 me!
Member since 8/08 7878 total posts
Name:
Mama mama mama....
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Re: 10 weeks old... nap advice?
Posted by Eireann
Posted by iluvmynutty
I highly recommend the book healthy sleep habits happy child. The book has sections according to age so you dont have to read the whole thing a once, just the begining that covers newborns. Make sure you are putting her down for a nap an hour and a half to two hours after she has been awake. Look for subtle "sleepy" signs and don't wait until she is exhausted. That is too late and she is probably over tired. She shouldn't be awake for more then 2 hours at a time.
Yes! I always recommend this book to all my new-mom friends. And I agree with everything written above.
Also agree. While I didn't love everything about that book, there's some great info in there. What I found most helpful was the idea of a "sleep window." It was very true for DD1; if I put her down after her designated period of wakefulness, she was a crabby, whiny mess. I learned to put her down whether she looked tired or not. Babies are tricky little creatures and might not clue you into how they feel until it's too late. I'm doing that again with DD2 and it's going well. At 8 weeks old, DD2 naps in her bassinet, swing, bouncer, or in my Ergo while I clean up after DD1.
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| Posted 1/16/13 2:44 PM |
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MrsKelly
just hangin' around...
Member since 11/06 6305 total posts
Name:
Krista
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Re: 10 weeks old... nap advice?
Posted by Hofstra26
This is just my *personal* opinion but I feel like too often parents drive themselves insane trying to impose their will on their new babies only to find it doesn't work and they are causing more stress for themselves (and their baby) than anything.
Your LO is 10 weeks old. Just 10 weeks old!!..............I know YOU would like something more routine but I think the BEST thing you can do is follow HER cues and lead. Sometimes it just takes them a while to work out their sleeping, just 10 weeks ago she was in your tummy sleeping whenever she wanted. And I know it's hard because you see they are tired and you KNOW they need to sleep but sometimes, they just won't give in. That's normal. I've been there too!
maybe i came across wrong... im not trying to impose my will on her AT ALL - nor am i looking for a routine for ME. Since day 1 i have very much gone with the flow and let her dictate everything to me. I know shes just 10 weeks and theres no such thing as a plan or routine, persay. Her eating is all over the place - like you (and i would assume every parent) if she's hungrier one day i feed her more etc. We have days like that a lot. As for a bedtime routine - she dictates to me when she wants her last bottle and to go to sleep... im noticing a time pattern with that... so i have my bedtime routine of the sound machine, reading to her, swaddling, lights out, rocking etc that works for us. She usually wakes at 5/6am for a bottle but once in a while its some random time. So be it.
i only tried a naptime routine persay, bc she wont do anything more than catnap - yet when she wakes up from a catnap, shes still rubbing her face, whiny etc. I KNOW shes still exhausted. So i thought a naptime routine, similar to bedtime - swaddling, white noise etc - might help calm her and sleep longer. I never tried it at a certain time of day - just at whatever feeding she'd been up quite a while and really did need a good rest.
Plus, like i said, id like to start getting her in her crib a bit to get used to it. The second i put her down in there, the eyes pop open - im not sure how im going to transition her.
The naps are really for her benefit, not mine. Obv she needs sleep if shes cranky & exhibiting all the "im exhausted" signs.
Thanks everyone for the advice. Im thinking i wait too long to put her down & overtiredness is part of the problem. I also picked up that book today so ill start looking through and hopefully learn a thing or two!
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| Posted 1/17/13 5:37 AM |
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InShock
life is good
Member since 10/06 9258 total posts
Name:
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10 weeks old... nap advice?
My LO (14 weeks) naps in her swing for 3-4 hrs/day. Have you tried a swing? She sleeps like a champ at night in her bassinet (fully flat, no swinging) that I transitioned her into from the RnP at 12 weeks. Don't over-worry about the transitions - do what works for now. I also really think the 1 1/2 - 2 hr awake window is key. I need to work on following that more diligently myself!
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| Posted 1/17/13 7:58 AM |
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Hofstra26
Love to Bake!
Member since 7/06 27915 total posts
Name:
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Re: 10 weeks old... nap advice?
Posted by MrsKelly
Posted by Hofstra26
This is just my *personal* opinion but I feel like too often parents drive themselves insane trying to impose their will on their new babies only to find it doesn't work and they are causing more stress for themselves (and their baby) than anything.
Your LO is 10 weeks old. Just 10 weeks old!!..............I know YOU would like something more routine but I think the BEST thing you can do is follow HER cues and lead. Sometimes it just takes them a while to work out their sleeping, just 10 weeks ago she was in your tummy sleeping whenever she wanted. And I know it's hard because you see they are tired and you KNOW they need to sleep but sometimes, they just won't give in. That's normal. I've been there too!
maybe i came across wrong... im not trying to impose my will on her AT ALL - nor am i looking for a routine for ME. Since day 1 i have very much gone with the flow and let her dictate everything to me. I know shes just 10 weeks and theres no such thing as a plan or routine, persay. Her eating is all over the place - like you (and i would assume every parent) if she's hungrier one day i feed her more etc. We have days like that a lot. As for a bedtime routine - she dictates to me when she wants her last bottle and to go to sleep... im noticing a time pattern with that... so i have my bedtime routine of the sound machine, reading to her, swaddling, lights out, rocking etc that works for us. She usually wakes at 5/6am for a bottle but once in a while its some random time. So be it.
i only tried a naptime routine persay, bc she wont do anything more than catnap - yet when she wakes up from a catnap, shes still rubbing her face, whiny etc. I KNOW shes still exhausted. So i thought a naptime routine, similar to bedtime - swaddling, white noise etc - might help calm her and sleep longer. I never tried it at a certain time of day - just at whatever feeding she'd been up quite a while and really did need a good rest.
Plus, like i said, id like to start getting her in her crib a bit to get used to it. The second i put her down in there, the eyes pop open - im not sure how im going to transition her.
The naps are really for her benefit, not mine. Obv she needs sleep if shes cranky & exhibiting all the "im exhausted" signs.
Thanks everyone for the advice. Im thinking i wait too long to put her down & overtiredness is part of the problem. I also picked up that book today so ill start looking through and hopefully learn a thing or two!
I understand what you're saying. Sorry if I misinterpreted.
I just think that as much as we want them to nap because we KNOW they need it some babies just aren't great nappers, or it takes them a while to become one. And for some babies, a few catnaps throughout the day is their thing......even though they may still be tired after.
But that being said, I agree with you that you should have a routine for putting her down for a nap. With my DD I did the same thing at nap time that I did at bedtime except I didn't read to her. So I closed the shades, put on her music, turned on her twilight turtle, and then put her in the crib. This way she KNEW it was nap time and everything was serene and relaxing. Up until she gave up naps a few months ago at 3.5 I kept the same routine.
So you're right, having a routine for the nap is perfectly fine.........and makes sense. I read your post to mean you wanted her sleeping at specific times throughout the day. Sorry. Hope you're able to work it out with her. 
ETA - When you put her in the crib for a nap, as long as she's quiet and relaxed I would leave her even if she's awake. Even having the downtime to just lie there and relax is good for them and more often than not, they will eventually doze off if they are content. My DD would do the same thing but as long as she was quiet, I just left her. Eventually she got the idea.
Message edited 1/17/2013 8:34:52 AM.
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| Posted 1/17/13 8:33 AM |
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