mamamanda 04:39 AM 01-30-2018
I've always let infants nap on their own schedule. I believe that is best/healthiest for a young baby. I'm struggling this go around though. Baby is 5mo, will be 6 mo next week. Due to tummy problems we're addressing she cries a whole stinkin' lot. She is also overly tired which adds to the crying. Drop off is 6:30 & she is always ready for a nap by 7:00. I put her down & she is asleep within 2 minutes. But I have to wake her at 8:30 to take my son to school.
She's ready for another nap by 10:00 & if let sleep on her own will sleep until 11:30 or 12. My problem is that nap time for the rest of the kids is from 12-2. I don't mind at all that she's up at nap time. It gives me one on one time with her. The problem is that if she's awake she's often crying which makes it hard for the others to sleep. Sometimes she's content to rock with me while they go to sleep, sometimes she's not. And my youngest daughter still nurses just at nap & bedtime so I definitely need 10 minutes w/o holding the baby to get everyone settled.
I tried waking baby after an hour so she is ready for another nap at 12, but I'm consistently finding that if I wake her early she just catnaps the rest of the day & is more fussy like she's too tired to settle.
I'm wondering if I should just give her some toys in her crib & let her cry while I get the other kids settled, nurse my daughter, etc. I hate letting her cry when she's so little though, especially since I know her stomach hurts.
So what would you do? Wake her early so she'll nap with the others (she only sleeps about 30 min then) or let her follow her own schedule & then cry it out for 15 min until I'm free to play with her at rest time?
storybookending 07:14 AM 01-30-2018
I would do the second option. Let her be on her own schedule. If she’s awake and crying during the 15 minutes you need to get the others down and nurse your daughter what is the difference since you said she spends most of the day crying anyways? Is the crying constant? I would be calling for pick up after a set amount of minutes.
mamamanda 07:58 AM 01-30-2018
Originally Posted by storybookending:
I would do the second option. Let her be on her own schedule. If she’s awake and crying during the 15 minutes you need to get the others down and nurse your daughter what is the difference since you said she spends most of the day crying anyways? Is the crying constant? I would be calling for pick up after a set amount of minutes.
It is pretty constant. She stops for 15-20min & then starts again. The only reason I deal with it is b/c she's my niece & my sister & I are so close. I tell myself she's like mine so I just have to find a solution. I have called my sis to come get her & take her to the doctor a couple times b/c something seems off to me & my sister comes at lunch & spends an hour with her. Sometimes it helps/sometimes she just cries for her too. She's the same way at home.
storybookending 08:09 AM 01-30-2018
Originally Posted by mamamanda:
It is pretty constant. She stops for 15-20min & then starts again. The only reason I deal with it is b/c she's my niece & my sister & I are so close. I tell myself she's like mine so I just have to find a solution. I have called my sis to come get her & take her to the doctor a couple times b/c something seems off to me & my sister comes at lunch & spends an hour with her. Sometimes it helps/sometimes she just cries for her too. She's the same way at home.
Having family enrolled always makes things hard. I would not be allowing her to drop by and visit on her lunch and then leave without her child, sister or not, but that is just me. As the child gets older this is going to cause way more problems if it continues.
I too have a niece in care that I am positive would have been termed by many daycares, mine included, had she been anyone other than my niece. She’s just now (at age 2) finally starting to not be so exhausting to deal with.