I'm trying...

<_<

Alright...my boys are going to be 6 months old on Friday. Right now they sleep swaddled in their swings. At night they are in sleep sacks in their cribs. I am trying to get them to sleep in their cribs for nap...it's not going so well...

Anthony I let cry for 5 minutes...Then I went up and patted his back and he was out...for 15 minutes...He's been up since-and I've been trying to get him back down ever since(1hr).

Nicholas followed suit. He went down pretty well over all...Within 20 minutes he was up-I'm sure his brother's screaming didn't help the situation.

So now-I have one upstairs in the crib wailing, and one in the swing wailing. I don't know if I can do this. I can't count 15/20 minutes as a nap! They take upwards of 3 hr naps in the swing!

How do you all do it on your own? It would be semi easier if I had someone home to help me...but I don't. I don't know what to do. Someone has got to give me strength! Anyone with advice? Tips? Wisdom? Anything?

And I know keep trying is going to come up....I don't know if I can! And this is only the first nap I've tried it! My kids are going to be 4 and napping in their swings!

HELP!

 

Can you get them to fall asleep in the swing and then transfer them to the crib?? Maybe this would be an easier transition. We went cold turkey from the swing to the crib at about 4 months. We had a couple of days of rough starts and then things fell into place. How about a binky, lovey, or some white noise?? You can do this, you can do this!!!! Hang in there!

 

I did it cold turky at about 6 months. I had to just let them CIO. There was nothing more i could do... I have the white noise going also.

I just cant get myself to get rid of the swings.. We used them so much...

 

We napped in our swings until 5 1/2 months, then went on a trip (no swings) and naps were horrendous during the trip (2 weeks), then when we came home (6 months), I started not letting them sleep in their swings for naps. What I did was nurse one basically asleep while the other was in the swing, put the one down in her crib, go get the other, nurse her until almost asleep, then put her down in the co-sleeper in the other room. Then, after awhile, we switched it up to just nursing before naps and then both in their swings until the music stopped and then into their crib/co-sleeper (I did that at about 9 months), and now we have stopped nursing before naps, so they get a book read to them, put in their swings until the CD with the music gets to song 4, and then put down after a horrible rendition of "Rock-a-bye Baby" by me (each one separately for this). I'm hoping that soon I can phase out the swings altogether.

My girls RARELY go to sleep for naps without talking/some crying/occasionally screaming. Right now, they are in their separate rooms and each one is talking and that is going on for 20 minutes now. Usually it is anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. So, I guess I"m not one to know how to get them to go to sleep easily, but at least when they do sleep, they are asleep in their cribs.

I remember it being HORRIBLE between 6 and 8 months for naps - crying for an hour, sleeping for 10 minutes, etc etc. Once they hit 8 months, they just started sleeping better - now I can almost always count on an hour of ASLEEP time, usually more like 1 1/2 hours, sometimes two (rarely). I just have to remember -- whether they sleep or not is not an indication of my worth as a mother!

Erica.

 

I've been able to get one to transition to the crib, but the other still sleeps in the swing. I try about twice a week (probably not consistent enough) to get Jake to sleep in the crib, but he cries for over 35 mins and then I bring him downstairs. My boys have "ookies" (like lovies...blanket with a head) and I let them sleep with them at night. To help the transition with Ryan, he slept with it in his bouncy and then got it in the crib too. I think it helped. Jake is another story. I keep telling myself "maybe next week", but I'm really just waiting for the swing to break! :lol:

 

QUOTE(mommymeg @ Apr 14 2008, 01:40 PM) [snapback]721004[/snapback]
I've been able to get one to transition to the crib, but the other still sleeps in the swing. I try about twice a week (probably not consistent enough) to get Jake to sleep in the crib, but he cries for over 35 mins and then I bring him downstairs. My boys have "ookies" (like lovies...blanket with a head) and I let them sleep with them at night. To help the transition with Ryan, he slept with it in his bouncy and then got it in the crib too. I think it helped. Jake is another story. I keep telling myself "maybe next week", but I'm really just waiting for the swing to break! :lol:


Thanks for the laugh! I gave up and one is in the swing, the other on my lap happy as a clam...We have a ton of those loveys...How do you get the boys to take to them?? Just keep them in the crib, etc???

 

QUOTE(megkc03 @ Apr 14 2008, 05:44 PM) [snapback]721013[/snapback]
We have a ton of those loveys...How do you get the boys to take to them?? Just keep them in the crib, etc???


We just put the woobies (loveys) in the crib. One of mine holds his little dinosaur by the neck all night and the other just tosses it out of the crib as soon as I put him in it. I think its just hit or miss as to who will take to it.

 

I just typed out this great reply and my internet dumped! Grrr! Now I have to remember...

I did everything in stages, it took 6mo but I have some pretty good nappers now. FINALLY!! For almost a week they have been consistently taking 2 naps a day, a 2hr and a 1hr, and they're HAPPY! (Now if they could get the nights better!)

I moved my girls to the crib for naps one at a time, I did Maia first because she was my sleep fighter, I think they were about 3mo old and it took about 2wks, then I added Sofia into the mix because at the time she slept well. I was 'putting' the girls to sleep at this time though, rocking, shooshing, patting, etc.
At 4mo I did CIO, it worked for Maia not for Sofia (she's more sensitive) and I also started freeing them from the swaddle. I freed one arm on Fri, then the other arm the next Fri and I kept their legs swaddled (I got nervous about them being 'free' lol) until they were 5mo when they got sick. Now they sleep in sleep sacs for naps and bedtime.
At 5mo I did CIO again wih Sofia and it worked. I also found that I could not go in there or else they would get really pissed and scream/cry longer and harder.
I have white noise on and the rainforest soother and I put those on as I get them in their sleep sacs so they know whats coming. I'm not saying they go down like angels, sometimes they still fuss but they definitely dont all out scream anymore.

You can either do baby steps or cold turkey on everything, but either way you have to be consistent. Its only day 1, you are definitely NOT a failure! This stuff is tough! Be strong and be consistent and it will fall into place!! :good:

(And omg can you believe we are 6mo on Fri!?!? :icon_eek: Seriously I cant believe its been this long!)

 

QUOTE(cohlee @ Apr 14 2008, 02:02 PM) [snapback]721053[/snapback]
I just typed out this great reply and my internet dumped! Grrr! Now I have to remember...

I did everything in stages, it took 6mo but I have some pretty good nappers now. FINALLY!! For almost a week they have been consistently taking 2 naps a day, a 2hr and a 1hr, and they're HAPPY! (Now if they could get the nights better!)

I moved my girls to the crib for naps one at a time, I did Maia first because she was my sleep fighter, I think they were about 3mo old and it took about 2wks, then I added Sofia into the mix because at the time she slept well. I was 'putting' the girls to sleep at this time though, rocking, shooshing, patting, etc.
At 4mo I did CIO, it worked for Maia not for Sofia (she's more sensitive) and I also started freeing them from the swaddle. I freed one arm on Fri, then the other arm the next Fri and I kept their legs swaddled (I got nervous about them being 'free' lol) until they were 5mo when they got sick. Now they sleep in sleep sacs for naps and bedtime.
At 5mo I did CIO again wih Sofia and it worked. I also found that I could not go in there or else they would get really pissed and scream/cry longer and harder.
I have white noise on and the rainforest soother and I put those on as I get them in their sleep sacs so they know whats coming. I'm not saying they go down like angels, sometimes they still fuss but they definitely dont all out scream anymore.

You can either do baby steps or cold turkey on everything, but either way you have to be consistent. Its only day 1, you are definitely NOT a failure! This stuff is tough! Be strong and be consistent and it will fall into place!! :good:

(And omg can you believe we are 6mo on Fri!?!? :icon_eek: Seriously I cant believe its been this long!)



Tell me about it! They are growing up wayyyy to fast for me! I already miss the stages that have passed! Might be why I already want another!

I think I am going to try one at a time. Someone else mentioned that...Lately Anthony has needed me to rock him and then put him in the swing. I guess I will start with the more difficult one....

My problem is tomorrow...we are having new doors installed...I see trouble on the horizon! ACK! Well-tomorrow is a new day-I will give it a go then...

 

i didn't read the other posts, but i'm guessing maybe they need just a little time to adjust to sleeping in the cribs during the day, so naps may be a little short in the beginning... ?
hang in there! you are NOT a failure! :hug99:

p.s. what are loveys?

 

My girls rejected the swing around 6ish months, but didn't like napping in their cribs either. It was rough, but eventually they got better at it, but there was some crying involved (for all three of us). My cousin's kid napped in his swing past his first birthday. I think you should give it a couple of days, but if its not working you can always go back to the swing and then try again in a couple of weeks (maybe line up some help the next time you try). :hug99:

 

I'm like Ashley...I almost cried the day we packed up our swing. My boys are over 20lbs & the poor motor was having a hard time (despite it's 25lb weight limit). They always napped SO well in the swing & SOOO long. We always used it when we NEEDED a long nap out of them (ie picture day, trips, etc) or when they were sick & needed some good, long sleep. We also used it when they would boycott naps or wake too early from a nap, just to get them to sleep longer. It was a sad, sad day when it got packed away.

We did modified CIO to get them to nap in cribs around 4-5 mos. It sucked. They took SUCH short naps at first. Remember, they have to learn to soothe themselves back to sleep when they wake, where the swing used to do that for them. So give it time. For a while, my boys would just take 5-6 naps/day if they wouldn't nap long enough. When mine wake, they're awake. I'm never able to get them to go BACK to sleep (like some lucky ladies out there).

I also found it EXTREMELY helpful to split them during the CIO process. My bad sleeper cannnnnot sleep through my other son's cries. My good sleeper can, at times. We put one in the PNP in the basement & the other in the nursery....and rotated. I think it helps b/c now mine can nap in PNPs at other people's houses (and daycare). Mine prefer a dark room & a white noise machine, too. And my Aiden is super attached to his silkie. He WILL NOT go to sleep in his crib without it. We started giving them loveys around 2 mos old & just kept with it. Conner never got attached to anything, no Nuk, no thumb, no lovey. He's such a good boy. Aiden sucks his thumb & adores his silkie. At least those are 2 things he can find on his own in the dark, so I don't have to go in & re-binky or hand him anything (he sleeps with around 3 silkies a night).

There are still days where mine fuss a little going down or will take a 30 min nap. Other times, they go down without a peep & sleep 2 hrs. It just depends.

One thing I found interesting is that most everyone that posted commented on having a GOOD sleeper & a BAD sleeper. Same in our household!

Hang in there. It gets better with time & age. Mine still aren't the best nappers, but both just woke from an hour & a half and a 2 hr nap. They DO exist!!!

 

QUOTE(megkc03 @ Apr 14 2008, 02:21 PM) [snapback]721087[/snapback]
Tell me about it! They are growing up wayyyy to fast for me! I already miss the stages that have passed! Might be why I already want another!

I think I am going to try one at a time. Someone else mentioned that...Lately Anthony has needed me to rock him and then put him in the swing. I guess I will start with the more difficult one....

My problem is tomorrow...we are having new doors installed...I see trouble on the horizon! ACK! Well-tomorrow is a new day-I will give it a go then...


My reasoning for taking it step by step was I am a creature of habit and since the girls were spawned from me I thought about how I would want to do something. I am not a fan of change and hate uncertainty so I worked that into how I was going to change what I was doing for naps.
I forgot to mention that they started doing the 30min nap crap sometime after I moved them to the crib too, so I had to do a CIO for that, when they woke after 30mins I let them fuss and they usually fell back to sleep within 15mins, sometimes they still wake after 30mins and I have to let them work it out.

Good luck!

 

Meg, you got some awesome replies. I just wanted to say :hug99: and I know it will get better. Transitioning to anything for babies is tough no matter what. :hug99: I swear it will get better! Hang in there!

 

As far as transitioning goes, could you try something like putting them in the swings without it going first? Or just on for a short time? Get them used to going to sleep without motion, and then try transitioning them to the crib?

Just an idea. Mine still sleep in their swings for naps a lot of the time...

Good luck!!!!