https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 03 Jun 2026 06:55:17 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-939399 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 15:17:40 +0000 Kemma 939399@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If it helps at all, the first twelve weeks is often referred to as the fourth trimester and it's ok to do whatever to help baby to sleep! Babies don't start forming habits till much later on infancy and when you think that they've spent nine months in the womb with constant food, noise and movement it's completely natural to need that once they're born.</p> <p>At the end of the day if nursing or rocking to sleep works for your family then it's ok :-) forget about all the "shoulds" and the rules! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-939306 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 14:53:30 +0000 Boheme 939306@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lovejoy: I think so. He's been nursing every 45 minutes since 3 am. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-939302 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 14:51:49 +0000 Mrs. Lovejoy 939302@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@grizz: growth spurt? We went through the exact same thing at 6.5W. It passed after a few days. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-939295 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 14:50:10 +0000 Boheme 939295@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm following this too - my LO is 6.5 weeks and he's going to kill me with the no naps/no sleep at night routine he's got going right now. He will only fall asleep nursing and shrieks the seconds unlatch him. I've only gotten him off the boob for maybe 10 minutes since we got up this morning :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-939268 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 14:41:21 +0000 Mrs. Lovejoy 939268@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>OK, you guys are awesome. Its incredible to have such a great community like you all. :heart: </p> <p>@Pumpkinspice: LO is also STTN, so I wonder if that has anything to do with it. I know people say sleep begets sleep, but she had the worst naps ever yesterday and slept 10 hours last night.. </p> <p>@sslm: I am starting to have to do whatever it takes too! We went for a drive today and now I'm wearing her. She takes SUCH short naps though now! I'm just not used to it. </p> <p>@hilsy85: Thank you! That is very encouraging. I eased off the pushing her to her crib and falling asleep by herself today and its already been so much better. She's napping in her wrap on me right now. It just feels so much more "right" and like I'm not forcing it. </p> <p>@birdofafeather: I was thinking that 2 hours was a lot too, but she just does not seem sleepy! I look for the sleep cues and it seems that she transitions from drowsy to overtired in less than 5 minutes. Glad to know 8 weeks is too young for bad habits too.. For some reason I thought they could start at 6W so I was panicking! :happy: </p> <p>@bisous: I should get that! I will be really happy when she doesn't need sleep props, but for now they help tremendously. Hopefully we can wean her gradually off of them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-938909 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 12:49:31 +0000 bisous 938909@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lovejoy: My DD is almost 8 weeks, too! I read The 90-Minute Sleep Program (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-90-Minute-Baby-Sleep-Program/dp/0761143114" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/The-90-Minute-Baby-Sleep-Program/dp/0761143114</a>) and pretty much go by that. It recommends against sleep props, but suggests they are okay in the newborn stage. So I am still nursing/taking her out for walks to put her to sleep now when nothing else will work--and she sometimes naps in my arms at home. </p> <p>The book basically suggests that babies are most ready for sleep after 90 mins of awake time, they just need a little help to actually fall asleep.</p> <p>Like @sslm, I do everything I can to put her down for a nap after 90 mins of awake time to avoid overtiredness! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-938764 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 12:16:53 +0000 birdofafeather 938764@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>yeah, 1.5 hours for 8 weeks is a long time! i think mine was maybe 45 minutes? i also rocked to sleep up until 4 months. we did the 5 s's too. she was always swaddled until she found her hands at 4ish months and then we were able to loosen the swaddle. 8 weeks is too young for bad habits! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-938741 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 12:12:18 +0000 Adira 938741@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just wanted to add that not all babies are the same! Xander could stay up for 2 hours at that age. Trying to get him to nap after 1-1.5 hours never worked. He just wasn't tired yet! And then he'd only nap for 30 minutes. And now at 4.5 months, he's still the same. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-938721 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 12:03:42 +0000 hilsy85 938721@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>At that age it is TOTALLY fine to rock her/swing her/nurse her to sleep...it is all about doing what works. IMO that is way too young to expect her to self soothe herself to sleep (not saying some babies can't do it, but I dont think it's something that should be forced). Just do what you gotta do! At that age, LO often slept in the stroller on walks or in the carrier, or on me...in fact, I don't think he ever napped in his crib until maybe 12 weeks?</p> <p>At that age, my LO could really only be awake for 45 min to 1 hour...I agree with swaddling, and white noise is helpful. Do you use a pacifier? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-938337 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 10:15:57 +0000 sslm 938337@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh man. LO is 12 weeks and I still don't put her down drowsy but awake for naps! I do whatever it takes to avoid an overtired baby. Do you swaddle? As soon as I started swaddling for naps things were a lot better. </p> <p>After 1.5-2 hours of awake time I do whatever it takes to get her to sleep (stroller, car, nurse, rock, whatever!). After a week of doing that though, she kind of fell into that routine anyways, so i rarely have to leave the house for naps anymore. I'd try that :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-938276 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 10:04:03 +0000 Crisark 938276@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My Anna is 14weeks old and we don't have a nap schedule. She sleeps when she's tired. That works for us.<br /> It's probably because she sleeps at least 10hrs STTN so she's not as tired in the mornings.<br /> Just do what feels right and what works for you. You are doing everything right. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-938218 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 09:52:18 +0000 edelweiss 938218@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i totally know what you mean. i was obsessed, i mean OBSESSED with his nursing and eating the first two months, then promptly moved on to his sleep, which took up 99% of my brain activity for months. </p> <p>i was all worried about setting up "perfect" sleep habits before LO went to daycare. well it didn't happen. now his sleep is pretty good at home but sucks at daycare. but the world didn't fall apart and LO is happy, healthy and growing. it was almost like i was forced to let go, and it was a good thing (although i still have angst about his non-existent daycare naps). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-938207 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 09:47:02 +0000 Mrs. Lovejoy 938207@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@edelweiss: thank you!! It helps it all feel more "normal". Nursing her to sleep works the best, but obviously that won't work in 5 weeks! I think I just need to ease up a bit too. Seems I'm too type A to let it go and of course I'm obsessing over it. (First was how much she ate, now it's sleep..welcome to parenting? :wink: ) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-938188 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 09:42:42 +0000 edelweiss 938188@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>that's great you're starting a nap routine, but don't be discouraged if your baby doesn't magically fall asleep after you do all the steps during this mythical "drowsy but awake" stage. i quickly discovered that a lot of the sleep rules didn't apply to my LO. if you find that your LO is having a hard time falling asleep on her own, go ahead and do whatever you need to do (rocking, swing, etc.) because she's so young right now. she can learn the self-soothing later.</p> <p>FYI--for us, nothing worked with LO, so we started CIO pretty early because i was going back to work and couldn't deal. if something had worked, like carseat or carrier or whatever, i would have used it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-938173 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 09:38:11 +0000 NovBaby1112 938173@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lovejoy: a routine will def help! my LO is 8 months and starts rubbing her eyes and lovey as soon as i start her routine as she knows its time for bed :) blackout shades might help- LO's nursery has no windows so it is pitch black which i love- i think it def helps her sleep and stay asleep! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-938150 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 09:35:06 +0000 Mrs. Lovejoy 938150@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@NovBaby1112: thank you! We JUST started a routine so maybe it will take some getting used to. We don't have blackout shades in the nursery yet and maybe she's confused by how bright it is? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-938133 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 09:32:27 +0000 NovBaby1112 938133@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i think you are doing everything right as far as awake times go. Do you have a nap routine in place? It sort of lets them know, ok its time for bed. we do white noise, lights out in room, lullaby, then nurse/rock to sleep. At that age, naps were sooo hard and i held her for most of them! I started putting her down totally asleep in her crib on her belly and she actually napped longer than 30 mins around 8 weeks ( i was so nervous but watched the video monitor very closely!). Drowsy but awake never worked for us at that age for naps. </p> <p>At that age i honestly just did whatever worked and got us both sleep. I have heard that daycare can actually help with naps and they get used to napping there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/7-8w-lo-napping-please-help#post-938083 Wed, 17 Jul 2013 09:22:39 +0000 Mrs. Lovejoy 938083@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Bees, I'm looking for advice for almost 8 week old LO's naps. Up until last week we were in the blissful nap/sleep-all-the-time phase. Well, it hit me like a ton of bricks this week that she has to learn how to nap/sleep. Fortunately our night sleep is great right now, so this is just about naps. </p> <p>I've read that she should only be awake for 1 - 1 1/2 hour increments right now. She definitely doesn't like this rule. I guess I'm confused about how to GET her to sleep. I don't want to CIO this early, so how to I get her down without putting her to sleep (aka rocking, nursing or swinging?). Every time I try to put her down awake or drowsy she plays for a minute then cries until I come pick her up. </p> <p>This morning, I finally got her to sleep by rocking and then put her down in her crib. She slept for 20 minutes then woke up hungry... So I nursed her and played with her a bit then put her in her swing. Well she's been swinging for a good 40 minutes now and is just staring at me like - come play mom! I know that there is that magic moment when they are not too drowsy and overtired, so maybe I'm not hitting it? </p> <p>Will I be setting us up for failure if I do nurse her to sleep or rock her? I have to go back to work in 4 1/2 weeks so I'm trying to establish some sort of good habits... </p> <p>Please help.. :) </p>