Thursday, October 15, 2009

Baby Nap Time Boot Camp

This week is Baby Nap Time Boot Camp week! Anabelle isn't the greatest napper. She has slept 9 hours plus at night since she was 3 weeks old, so I haven't minded. Basically, she just needs to be moving to sleep well. So naptime has always been in her swing, in the car, or me carrying her in the sling. For the first few months of her life, nap time was snuggle time. I had zero desire to put her down when she slept. I loved holding her and lovin on her while she slept. As she got a little older, we transitioned to swing naps, which she enjoyed. But once she turned four months old, she started fighting naps in her swing, too. She just fussed, which often turned into screaming, when trying to fall asleep in her swing. We're thinking it's because she's becoming more aware of her surroundings and not wanting to miss anything.

Additionally, I have been losing productivity in the day because I would sit beside her in her swing for up to an hour, trying to get her to fall asleep. She would eventually, but I was wasting so much time! And then I had to be careful not to be too noisy during nap time. All of this madness made me realize this girl needs to start napping in her crib. It may be a tough transition, but it'll be beneficial to both of us. Thus, BNTBC.

Yesterday was day 1. Nap #1 was awesome. I laid her down, and within five minutes she was out. Nap #2 was a tough one. She cried for an hour, with me calming her down every so often, before crashing. Not fun, but somewhat expected. Nap #3 went pretty well, just about 15 minutes of fussing before falling asleep. And the evening nap, we won't even go there. She's teething. 'Nuff said.

Today, day 2, is going relatively well. Nap #1 took about 30 minutes to happen, but I only had to go in twice to soothe her. Nap #2 was super, within 10 minutes she was out. Nap #3 is yet to come. But I'm hopeful. I'm pretty excited and somewhat proud of both of us for the way things are going. And I'm getting so much done! The length of her naps are longer, since she's in a quiet room, and I am not sitting, waiting on her to fall asleep. It's challenging and exciting at the same time!

5 comments:

Cam and Katie said...

I bet by next week she'll be a pro! Good job!!

Molly said...

Way to go Momma!!! We did the same thing with Emma & Carter both right about this exact same age! Not fun, but they are fast learners!!

The Pierce Family said...

Stick to it! It will be so worth it! And I am sure she will get the routine quickly! I know the feeling about the swing naps and trying to transition to the crib. I had to do that with Isaak, too, and it was hard in the beginning, but it only took about a week or two, and it got so much better. Now, it's a fight for nap time again, but the bad part is that now, he can get out of bed, and open doors, and pop into whatever room I am working in and say, "I wake mommmie, I -ant to play. No nap!" But she's still a long way off from that!

Connor James said...

Good luck! We have been doing crib nap time since Connor was born, but recently have hit a rough patch! He will NOT nap lately! Let's do BNTBC together! :)

The Saunders Family said...

I remember the "I don't want to put her down stage"...leading to the "she won't nap on her own stage" with our number one, now with number two, I just didn't have time to hold her all day. Glad to hear that she is transitioning well, give it some time and she will be a napping pro.
Teething is throwing a wrench in things here too.
She sure is a QTPie!