I have recently returned to work (from home) and while my hours are flexible, I *need* at least 2 hours during the day.
LO doesn't nap. He's never napped. He will doze for a few minutes on top of me, but if I put him down he starts to cry.
Now that he's not a newborn anymore, I really want to work to establish naps, but not sure of the best way to do this.
Any suggestions? While I know CIO works for some, it's not a method that I would like to use at this time.
blogger / watermelon / 14218 posts
Does he fall asleep in the car or stroller? Maybe you could get him asleep with one of those methods, then bring him inside and let him keep sleeping while you get things done around the house?
GOLD / pomelo / 5737 posts
I honestly used the swing until about 4.5-5 months, and then napping in the crib just got easier. Still use it very occasionally at almost 6 months!
pear / 1723 posts
Do you have a bouncer with vibration? That was always my go to at home when kids had a hard time with the crib. I turn it on and bounce it with my foot.
Babywearing? You could try just doing chores around the house to get him asleep and then he may stay asleep while you sit and work.
When are you trying to get him to sleep? We started using the 90 min nap schedule around that age, and it kind of changed my life 
It's working with baby's natural sleep and wake cycles, so you try to put them down 60-90 min after first waking. Then 90 min after each wakeup throughout the day. If you try to early or late, it can be impossible for them to fall asleep, they have windows of opportunity You might try a nap routine too, so you do the same set of relaxing actions before each (attempted) nap.
Good luck!
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
Swing and bouncer were our savers for naps from 3 -4 months, and then we rocked her and put her down sleepy with her pacifier and noise machine. If she was down sleepy but not sleeping she would do better. If she was asleep and I tried to put her down she would be wide awake and cry.
We also did the driving around because that made her sleep right away.
pomelo / 5789 posts
@mrs. wagon: he does fall asleep in the car, I just don't want to have to go out to the car to make him sleep! 
@googly-eyes: he likes the swing ok, but the second the motion stops or the music goes off, he starts crying. He never falls asleep in there. So I do use it if I need my hands free for a few minutes, but I really feel like at 3mo he should be napping.
@MerryC: I have a bouncer but was going to sell it this weekend. He never seemed to like it
He does fall asleep when I wear him, but we have a pretty small apartment, there's not much that I can do in here while wearing him.
@LuLu Mom: It's so hard for me to figure out when he's sleepy but not sleeping! I feel like that is the best time....but he either seems to be awake or asleep. I think I will try and focus on this more.
Although I appreciate the advice, I'm mostly trying to avoid the bouncer, swing type solution. I'm hoping to figure out a routine like @MerryC: suggests. I just have no idea what a routine looks like for a 3 month old.
He usually sleeps from 11pm - 9am. If I am extremely lucky he will also sleep 12pm - 1pm so I can eat lunch.
When do you suggest putting him down for naps, and what sort of things should be incorporated into a "routine"?
bananas / 9357 posts
Around 3 months we started a nap routine and naps in the crib. He could only stay awake about an hour before putting him down for his next nap. We close the blinds, turn on white noise, swaddle him then rock him to sleep. It's taken time, but he will now usually fall asleep in around 5-10 minutes, sometimes instantly. We've even started putting him down awake sometimes and he'll fall asleep on his own. Now tho he only naps 30 minutes... So that's our other issue.
coconut / 8472 posts
Have you tried the wake to sleep method? I was reading today that it can help cat nappers.
GOLD / pomelo / 5737 posts
@wheres_c: At that age we also swaddled and gave her her pacifier a few times til she fell asleep. We still do the paci. We have developed a little routine now with diaper change, a little rocking next to the crib and going down with a blanket and pacifier. Going to also start with a sound machine for naps only. It's too early to say if it's working though.
The only other thing is the car or sometimes the stroller and a paci.
What do you do at night? I've heard you can do a shortened bedtime routine.
pomegranate / 3225 posts
I'm also working from home with the little one. Super hard now that she isn't sleeping all day! I rely on the playmat, swing, and baby Ktan carrier. I also spread my 4 to 5 hrs of work throughout the whole day. I have a backup babysitter if I have a deadline or if she's super fussy DH watches her at lunch so I can get stuff done. I feel guilty sometimes because I'm not always focused on her but its better than daycare I feel.
coconut / 8475 posts
I knwo this may seem obvious, but honestly this was the ONE thing I changed that made my baby turn into a nappy dream:)
I never let him get overly tired before putting him down for a nap. I always catch it before the exhaustion sets in.
My sons is 4.5m and he can't last over 1.5h without a nap. I'd see if you can get your babe down exactly 1.5hours after he wakes up and see how that goes.
Just make him comfy, turn some soothing music on and walk away?
pomelo / 5789 posts
@MrsCB: Never heard of it, will look it up, thanks.
@googly-eyes: That's what we do at bedtime, diaper change, pjs, some rocking/gliding, white noise, then crib. Maybe I should try this without the pjs part.
@kml636: Yeah that's how I feel too. Guilt that I cant be a SAHM and that I have to work. I feel like he should get more of my attention....but I feel like he still is in a better place here at home with me.
@TurtleDoves: I *know* he gets over tired. We have a meeting tomorrow, but I will try the 1.5 hour thing Thurs and see how it works.
pear / 1769 posts
I think you just have to keep trying new things to see what soothes your baby other than touch. There are a few things that work for us. When she isn't already drowsy (and isn't crying) I sing to her over and over again softly, stand over her and make her take her pacifier. Once, I just sat on the floor by her crib on my laptop so she could tell I was still there. When she starts crying, I usually have to nurse her. When she is really drowsy we are lucky and just put her down. We always have white noise on as well.
pomegranate / 3225 posts
@wheres_c: yeah, everyone kept telling me how perfect working from home would be (I also work in the office 2 days a week) but it really is HARDER than I thought
pomelo / 5093 posts
Do you have an interior garage? My baby always falls asleep while in the car, and I have sat out many a car nap in front of my house wishing that I had a garage attached to my house, so that I could pull in, lock up, and then just leave her there with the monitor on. Same with a baby asleep in a stroller. In the summer I could pull up and sit on the lawn, at least.
How about baby wearing? Lots of babies love to fall asleep like that.
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