Infant Napping 101?

[AfterSchoolMom]

Hi All,

I just started taking full timers again (I previously cared for only SA's). I'm just wondering, for all of you who take on babies - what steps do you take to get them on a napping routine at your house?

[Live and Learn]

How old is the baby?

[AfterSchoolMom]

Originally Posted by Live and Learn

How old is the baby?

3 months and 11 months.

[lil angels]

I ask the parents to please get them up at the same time everyday then I can fight with them to sleep and get on my routine.

[AnythingsPossible]

I personally don't have a nap routine for infants. They sleep when they need to sleep around here. My older infants usually nap around 930 then again at 1230. Under 6 months there is no routine, other then their individual one.

[AfterSchoolMom]

Originally Posted by AnythingsPossible

I personally don't have a nap routine for infants. They sleep when they need to sleep around here. My older infants usually nap around 930 then again at 1230. Under 6 months there is no routine, other then their individual one.

Yes, but my question is HOW do they sleep? Do you have a routine of, say, a darkened room, white noise, out in the open, in a swing, in a crib, etc? If they're used to being fed or rocked to sleep at home, do you do that, or do you just lay them down? Do you let them CIO? It's not the timing that I'm concerned with at this point, but the method.

[laundrymom]

Originally Posted by AfterSchoolMom

Yes, but my question is HOW do they sleep? Do you have a routine of, say, a darkened room, white noise, out in the open, in a swing, in a crib, etc? If they're used to being fed or rocked to sleep at home, do you do that, or do you just lay them down? Do you let them CIO? It's not the timing that I'm concerned with at this point, but the method.

never ever ever ever in a swing, carseat bouncy seat,.. ONLY on a crib, no blankets, SIDS is real. back to sleep. no cuddlies, no blankets, I just lay them down, let them cry, keep coming back every so often to give them paci, reassure them, but they never sleep anywhere but a crib. (pnp)

[Live and Learn]

Originally Posted by laundrymom

never ever ever ever in a swing, carseat bouncy seat,.. ONLY on a crib, no blankets, SIDS is real. back to sleep. no cuddlies, no blankets, I just lay them down, let them cry, keep coming back every so often to give them paci, reassure them, but they never sleep anywhere but a crib. (pnp)

This! Except the paci....no pac is here.

1) I don't put tiny babies (under about 6 months) on a schedule. I change them, feed them and put them down awake when I can see they are tired.

2) 11 month olds go down around 9 to 9:30 to 11:00....come hec or high water. Afternoon nap is absolutely sacred every child in my care goes down by 1:00 to 3:00. If they need to cry it out they do...usually doesn't take more than a couple of weeks to get on a routine.

No rocking to sleep, no bottles in bed, no white noise.
Each child gets their own very dark bed room. Good luck.

[SandeeAR]

Same here, under 6 months, they sleep when they are sleepy.

Over 6 months, morning nap 9-10:30, afternoon 1-3. Toddler beds, pnp and crib all in one room, with lullabye cd on repeat all. One 9 mo old is in a pnp inn my bedroom as she will sleep 20 min, cry for 10, sleep 20, cry for 10 and then sleep till 3 pm and wake up screaming, every day LOL.

She will only promote to the Kid room when she starts to sleep for the full 2 hours and wakes up happy!

[daysofelijah]

Same for me pretty much. Whenever they want up to 6 months. After 6 months, nap 7-9 and 12:30/1-3/3:30. Over 6 months, they stay in the pack and play the whole nap time. I will go back in to give paci and shush/calm them, but don't pick them up.

eta: separate darkened room until 16ish months, but no white noise, they need to learn to sleep through the playing in the next room

[AfterSchoolMom]

So it seems like most everyone lays them down in a PnP while awake, even from day 1. Anyone have problems with them crying for long periods or not settling down? If so, how long does it take them to "learn" to sleep in the PnP?

[Live and Learn]

Absolutely start day 1....Baby boot camp.
The first couple of weeks are hard. Stick to the program...don't cave!
After 2 weeks or so they usually get with the program. The worst napper I ever had took 5 weeks to get in line . He is the best napper in the whole wide world now....here .....won't nap at home. If the 11 month old is there 5 days a week it is easier. If he is there only a couple of days a week it will be a lot harder. The morning napper I have now sleeps for about an hour screams bloody murder for 20 minutes and then sleeps for another 40 minutes.
Each kiddo is different but my schedule doesn't change.
Good luck.

[AfterSchoolMom]

Nannyde, where are you? I'd love to see your thoughts on this!

[SandeeAR]

Originally Posted by Live and Learn

Absolutely start day 1....Baby boot camp.
The first couple of weeks are hard. Stick to the program...don't cave!
After 2 weeks or so they usually get with the program. The worst napper I ever had took 5 weeks to get in line . He is the best napper in the whole wide world now....here .....won't nap at home. If the 11 month old is there 5 days a week it is easier. If he is there only a couple of days a week it will be a lot harder. The morning napper I have now sleeps for about an hour screams bloody murder for 20 minutes and then sleeps for another 40 minutes.
Each kiddo is different but my schedule doesn't change.
Good luck.

I have one of those screamers!!!! She sleeps good at the am nap, in the afternoon,(1-3), she will sleep 20 min, scream for 10, sleep for 20, scream for 10 and then go to sleep for good, till 3pm. She sleeps in a room by herself of course!

[Danielle]

Honestly, this thread makes me sad. I never ever make a child cry it out. It's cruel. I rock, wear, sing to, etc. Whatever they need. I also do this where all the other kids are. The baby then sleeps in the room with us. They get use to the noise quickly and is easier on all of us. I only have 1 baby in my care at a time so they can be cared for like they need to. For those of you concerned about SIDS, read this: http://www.drmomma.org/2010/02/sleep...ess-lower.html

[SandeeAR]

Originally Posted by Danielle

Honestly, this thread makes me sad. I never ever make a child cry it out. It's cruel. I rock, wear, sing to, etc. Whatever they need. I also do this where all the other kids are. The baby then sleeps in the room with us. They get use to the noise quickly and is easier on all of us. I only have 1 baby in my care at a time so they can be cared for like they need to. For those of you concerned about SIDS, read this: http://www.drmomma.org/2010/02/sleep...ess-lower.html

You must have never had a full fledge screamer. This child does this at home also. The first 7 months of her life, if Mom, Dad and I didn't let her scream some, she would have NEVER been put down. ALL she wanted was to be held. Once I got her on a schedule, by putting her down from 9-10:30 and 1-3, she started sleeping for the first time in her life. Mom was amazed and started doing it at home too. She was sleeping for me but not them.

This is just a high strung baby and she really fights sleep.

[AfterSchoolMom]

Originally Posted by Danielle

Honestly, this thread makes me sad. I never ever make a child cry it out. It's cruel. I rock, wear, sing to, etc. Whatever they need. I also do this where all the other kids are. The baby then sleeps in the room with us. They get use to the noise quickly and is easier on all of us. I only have 1 baby in my care at a time so they can be cared for like they need to. For those of you concerned about SIDS, read this: http://www.drmomma.org/2010/02/sleep...ess-lower.html

Ok, I'm just going to put this out there - I'm not looking for a debate about what is "right" and what is "wrong". The reason I started this thread was to see what kinds of different things people do, not to debate about it. If this thread dissolves into arguing it's not going to serve the purpose that I intended it for, so let's just not, pretty please?

With that said, I appreciate your thoughts, Danielle, just as I appreciate everyone else's thoughts. I think it's great that you are able to spend a lot of time rocking and singing the baby in your care. Lucky parents! I may be able to do the same, because I have a very small group as well. I just starting doing full day care again, so it's like a brand new experience for me. Just trying to see what works for everyone - I haven't even figured out what's going to work for me yet.

[Danielle]

oh, I did! I had a colicy baby that I wore hours out of the day, rocked and danced with in order to get to sleep and prayed he'd stay asleep, only to have to do it all over again when his eyes popped open as soon as his head hit his bed. A rocking basinett was a God send b/c I found rocking it for a bit after I put him down worked wonders. There were some really long days. Now he's a very happy 8 month old that only wants to be held for bottles and a couple minutes to fall asleep. His mother sings my praise b/c she knows how well he's taken care of.

[AnythingsPossible]

For me, it all depends on the baby and what they do at home. I have one 8 month old that goes to sleep on his own, when I know he is getting tired, I place him in the PnP and he cries for a bit then falls asleep. Another 8 month old that I have needs to fall asleep with me either walking or rocking and then I lay him down. I have a 3 month old, that really depends on the day, he only comes 2 days a week, so it is really hard to get a routine with him. Somedays I walk him around till he falls asleep and some days just wrapping him and laying him down works. While it is certainly easier to let them cry it out, I think it is stressful for everyone. Especially if the parents aren't doing it. But then again, I personally just have a hard time listening to little ones cry if I know I can fix the problem. I have the time to rock or walk them if that's what they need so that's what I do. For me, I always ask the parent how they get the infant to sleep and try to stick as close to that as possible. I do allow paci's at nap time, no bottle for nap though and no bottle after 1. I do try to wean them to falling asleep on their own at about the 8 month mark, and while it would probably be easier to do it from day 1, I just have never done it. I prefer to do whatever is working at home. Don't know if that was much help, but that's how I do infant sleeping.

[SilverSabre25]

For me it also depends on the baby and on the routine at home. I try VERY hard not to do cry it out, although I have had to resort to a modified CIO with a few of my kiddos.

Everyone naps in the same room; lights off, blinds drawn, white noise on (a CD of radio static). The white noise is paramount in my house, because I do not want to have to tiptoe around my own home for two hours every afternoon, and I do not want to try to force my DD to be quiet for that whole time either. She may be only 3 but she does not nap. Honestly, most of my kiddos sleep WAY better here than they do at their own homes and I attribute it to the white noise.

When someone wakes up, I go get them up when they start fussing/crying. If they're just chattering, they stay there until nap is over or they get too loud.

Naps are at 9:30 (for older infants) and 1 (everyone). Young infants are on their own schedule and once they are crawling (that's kind of my cut off between young/older) I start easing them into everyone else's sleep schedule.

For the most part I go with home routine--yes, I allow blankets once the child can roll over and sit up on their own--before that it's a sleep sack if the parents want. I lay infants down on their back but do not move them if they roll to their side or stomach.