"I'm a monster!" I told Mom. "I want her to nap in her crib during the day."
After assuring me that I am *not* a monster, Mom pointed out that if I want Genevieve to nap in her crib, I need to put her in the crib to nap. Sounds simple enough, right?
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| A mouse at rest... will wake up sooner than expected. |
I had a lot of trouble getting her from sleeping in my arms to staying asleep during the arms-to-crib transfer. This was further complicated by the necessity of lowering her crib ALL the way down, since Genevieve is (a) pulling herself to standing and (b) extra tall.
If you will recall, I am not extra tall, which was part of the problem.
I took my problem to Facebook and Twitter, clarifying that I needed help but wasn't looking for cry-it-out solutions.
My friends, readers, and podcast listeners; you all came to my aid, and for that, I am grateful. What is working for us (about 80% of the time) is nursing to sleep, then CAREFULLY moving her to the crib, shushing the whole time. If she starts to fuss as she goes in, I shush and put my hand on her belly, applying just enough pressure for her to know I'm there.
Once I'm sure she's soundly (and comfortably) asleep, I tiptoe out, close the door, and do a victory dance in the hallway.
Sure, the victory dance startles the dogs, but when Genevieve naps in the crib it's better than winning the lottery.
Glad it's working for you! Shushing is a great way to do it and the hand on belly! Go you! ANd you are NOT a monster for wanting her to sleep in crib. I had a deadline of going back to work to get all the snuggles in so I never did that until AFTER I was back at work...but I think if I would have had to stay home it would have come to not holding her for every nap. ;) Eventually she'll learn to get herself back to sleep after her 45 min cycle and she'll sleep longer! it wil happen!
ReplyDeleteOur grandson is almost 2, and we still nap with him most of the time. His Mom, our daughter, went back to work after 3 months of maternity leave, and she loves the idea of a long afternoon nap with him on her days off. His Daddy works from home and can work on his laptop with Charlie napping in their bed. When I watch him, I take a short nap while he naps (naps are a real luxury in my life!), and then I try to catch up on emails and blog reading on my iPhone. He does awaken briefly after 45 minutes and the shushing and back-rubbing works wonders. When your Mom and I were young mothers, the crib side came down, so we could easily slip you guys into bed without waking you....but crib sides are really difficult to maneuver these days! I applaud you for mastering the nap-alone technique. YOU ARE NOT A MONSTER!!! You need your space too......and quite frankly, I think even babies develop a bit of independence when they nap alone. (I'm just happy to have a day with our grandson, so I will do whatever his parents require and whatever he is used to, in order to have that privilege!)
ReplyDeletexo
Nice job, mom!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you found something that works! My son is a month younger and he too is a cuddler. We find that laying him down and giving him "bum pats" helps him stay in his cribs for nap (after being fed of course). He rarely sleeps longer than 40 minutes and wakes every 2-3 hours at night still but having a three and five year old as well reminds me how fast it goes.
ReplyDeleteI say enjoy the snuggle. She will grow up so fast. I always snuggled my daughter, now she is almost 8 years old and though she still loves to have cuddle time it isn't as much as when she was a baby.
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