Will Not Nap in Crib

I bet your mom will figure something out. Grandmas have a way of getting our little ones to do whatever needs to be done. She probably does not need much more than several 1/2 hour naps at this point esp. if sleeping well at night. There are enough things to stress about when you have a baby. This should not be one of them, unless a week or 2 go by and her sleep is totally messed up. If this is going to be a long term solution, your mom will figure out something that works for them during the day. It is wonderful that Grandma is caring for her while you are at work.

Oh, and by the way - my 2nd one slept through the night at 2 months, but when she began to turn over by herself, she'd wake herself up and cry. I realized after about a month of picking her up to make sure that she was OK that I had made a mistake. If I had let her cry a little bit, she would have gone back to sleep on her own. It took a really long time to reestablish her sleeping through the night again!! Let her fuss for a few minutes at night if she rolls herself over!!

I know this is a tough situation, but if you look at it from your baby's point of view - where would you prefer to nap? Alone or being held by someone who loves you? My advice is to put her in the crib or pack and play and step away. It is very hard to do, especially when the crying begins. For me, I would put my daughter down, and then sit in the room with her, singing softly to her. I would reassure her that I was there and she was safe. It took about a week, a very long and frustrating week, but she finally adjusted and can sleep in her crib for naps. Good luck.

I know this sounds harsh but let her cry. When she gets tired enough she will sleep. I had the same problem and I got this advice and it works! Set the routine now and she will adhere later on and this will be very important especially when you need to go somewhere. She will go with you and sleep where you will be (visiting etc) or if you leave her at a babysitter's w/ the pack and play. Not to mention if you plan on having more kids. Set the routine/rules now, you are the parents. Hard part=getting others (babbysitters, relatives)to follow your rules. Hope this helps!

Hi,
I had the EXACT same situation with my baby when he was about three months. He is now 4 months and three weeks. At night he would sleep great in the minicosleeper (like a crib), but would only sleep in my arms, carseat or swing during the day. He loved the swing especially. It is strange. I never really figured out why, but what I used that helped get him to transition into taking naps in his bassinet was to put one of those soft portable beds (or you could use a moses basket) inside his co-sleeper and the pack and play and eventually transitioned him out of that into his co-sleeper for naps. I also used swaddling, and low level white noise to help him. He now sleeps on his own in his crib with a little rocking and singing and sometimes b/f before hand. Since you are going back to work on monday and you want it to be a good experience for you and your mom and of course your baby I would suggest getting a second hand baby swing for the time being and try some things at home to help her until she is ready to take naps in her crib. You can always resell the swing and it is worth it to know that she is has what she needs to have a good day when you are not there. I work part time and it is hard to be at work when you think your baby is having a hard time.
I bet she will get their soon.
Good luck
J.

I wonder, are you nursing? My daughter would never take naps in her crib while I was nursing. A couple of tricks that have worked for me were to take off my shirt and let her lay on top of it while she was sleeping. (sound gross but I really feel they know moms scent) Another is to use the same bedding. Babies get used to the environment and it really helps for them to have that one main sleepytime bear/pig etc. and blanket. Also, super soft somewhat chenelle style blanket or little square of a blanket (if you've ever seen them) that baby can hold and rub on her face. Also, when I laid her in her crib I made sure to put her right up to the edge so she could kinda burrow her face into the corner...and once she got comfy she'd relax and end up face up...sounds weird but whatever works...These are the things that helped me...Maybe they'll help....I have two boys 10 & 5 and a 1 year old little girl...best of luck.
N.

Read the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. I read probably a dozen sleep books, and this was the one that worked for us. Your library may have it, but you won't regret purchasing it.
Our son WOULD NOT NAP. Didn't matter how dark the room was, if he was in our bed or his, he just would not sleep anywhere. Healthy Sleep Habits gives you concrete ideas, backed up by research, as to how best to get your child to nap. Within one week, our son was napping like a pro. We still have our battles sometimes, but overall, his sleep has been 110% better than it was in the first few months of his life.