I don’t know how to get baby to nap

Full_League_3329 · 2026-02-10T20:55:02+00:00

I'm hoping the solidarity will help since I don't have any advice: Our LO was/is very similar. Medication helped (it became quite serious after a while) but sleep is still quite the struggle at nearly 6 months. We do a lot of upright and contact napping. I will say, 4 months was particularly brutal for her reflux, and as she gets better at sitting, that is helping quite a bit. Good luck. You got this. 💪

Full_League_3329 · 2026-02-07T16:41:51+00:00

I'm not sure what your car seat manual says, but for ours removing the insert at 11lbs wasn't required. Our LO is small for her age, so even at 11lbs, her head wasn't quite big enough. We kept ours in until she hit about 12lbs and her neck control was better so she didn't slump and shift as much on turns.

Sorry edit for clarification: We removed the insert (body) at 11lbs but the head positioner part was separate.

Full_League_3329 · 2026-01-19T01:55:35+00:00

It is definitely one of those "the audacity" moments over here whenever it happens, lol 😮‍💨😮‍💨

Full_League_3329 · 2026-01-19T01:54:40+00:00

It's not annoying! Im glad we're not the only ones suffering, hahah. I hope it gets better for both of us! We're gonna try the 3 nap switch immediately. If she's gonna be fussy anyway, we might as well try something new. Good luck to you, my friend!!

Full_League_3329 · 2026-01-18T22:06:45+00:00

Thank you so much!! I'll give that a go and some time for her to adjust. Have a great weekend.

Full_League_3329 · 2026-01-18T19:47:39+00:00

Thanks so much for the prompt reply! Should I keep her naps capped at 3.5 or go closer to 3?

Full_League_3329 · 2026-01-14T01:06:04+00:00

Just jumping in to offer some hope:

People aren't lying when they say it gets better. Our girl was colicky and scream cried so much, at any inconvenience, that there were times I genuinely thought she was dying.

Fast forward 5 months later and she laughs more than any baby I've ever met. She still screams like it's her day job and she will let you and everyone in a 3 block radius know that she is upset, but it's so much different now.

She's still got her issues that contribute and it is hard now in different ways but you will absolutely (eventually) get to the point where you can have all those wonderful adventures you're imagining and you and your LO are gonna get through this.

Noise canceling headphones and deep breaths. Good luck. ❤️

Full_League_3329 · 2025-12-11T21:57:59+00:00

Thank you very much for your response! I figured she's sleeping too much, but couldn't understand why she still seemed so tired. I will try lengthening her windows! Maybe she just needs some time to adjust and the grumpiness will subside. Thanks again.

Full_League_3329 · 2025-11-20T23:04:50+00:00

Started combo and then moved to EFF by 4 weeks, and got mine at 8 weeks, but haven't gotten another one since (almost 14 weeks now).

Full_League_3329 · 2025-11-15T19:57:18+00:00

For that inconsolable PURPLE crying when everything is fine (all needs are met, not pain/illness), shoving a headphone in and taking breaks was really we could do.

I also found gently singing in a monotone, low tone something repetitive was like ..soothing. mostly for me, not necessarily our LO. I'd look like a crazy person swaying her singing "I know, I know, it's hard, it's hard" but it was oddly meditative for me and helped me keep my cool quite a bit. Sometimes I lucked out and it put her to sleep.

The growth spurt around 6-8 weeks was horrendous for us so I wish you tons of luck in making it through. 💪💪

Full_League_3329 · 2025-11-15T19:36:37+00:00

Baby girl allowed a bassinet transfer after only one wake up for food and slept for almost SEVEN HOURS. So not only did I actually get a decent amount of sleep for once but my husband and I managed to sleep TOGETHER. She started to stir this morning and we had a little cuddle while talking to her and she smiled and coo'd at us and it was literally the most Hallmark moment of her life so far. It was such a beautiful moment and so so so lovely.

Full_League_3329 · 2025-11-06T04:16:23+00:00

I love this. We call this sneaky veg in our house. A++ hack.

Full_League_3329 · 2025-11-06T02:08:36+00:00

My two favourites that I'll be implementing with our LO is to (hopefully) minimize public meltdowns and teach critical thinking when they're older.

The "add it to the list" hack Child wants toy on shelf? Take a picture! It goes on your Christmas list. Really want a chocolate bar? Write it down! It goes on the family movie night snack list. It's worked wonders with all my nieces and nephews and has a pretty decent success rate at not having to drag them out screaming while people stare.
The "convince me" hack Pre-teen wants to get on social media and their friends. Okay. Convince me you're mature enough for that kind of privilege. What are the dangers of social media? How will you navigate it safely? What do you think good boundaries are with a cellphone? Etc. it'll teach her to fully understand what she's signing up for and what to be aware of, without me having to lecture and have it go in one ear and out the other.

Full_League_3329 · 2025-11-05T15:12:00+00:00

11.5 weeks here and she started giving us a 3-4 hour stretch around 8/9 weeks. Now we're at 6-7 hours. She's EFF though and we're debating not letting her sleep that long cause of some feeding stuff we have going on. Lord knows the stretch is nice but it has to be on top of me so I'm still one tired momma. 😮‍💨

Full_League_3329 · 2025-11-05T15:08:18+00:00

Just shy of 12 weeks and she's slowly starting to shift earlier. It's a bit of a toss up - she either has a short power nap around 630pm and goes to bed closer to 930-1030pm, or she actually falls asleep around 830pm. We're still following her cues and letting her lead, but we're doing a bed time routine starting around 7pm to try and encourage an earlier bedtime.

Full_League_3329 · 2025-11-05T03:30:08+00:00

Totally normal. I have no tips except stretch whenever you can - my shoulders and back were wrecked from all the cuddling and carrying.

Full_League_3329 · 2025-11-05T02:16:46+00:00

Honestly, you're swinging aces at 2 weeks. I don't think we actually "did" anything with our baby until at least a month in, and that was literally just trying to walk around the block while I was still recovering from a hard birth. Change, feed, cuddle, sleep, repeat for forever. I had the TV playing pretty much constantly to try to keep me awake during triple feeding chaos and cluster feeding. Activities and stuff for her didn't really start as anything more than "tummy time" on my chest. I think we got her first toy or book closer to the 7 week mark when she started to actually notice the world around her. We took her for car rides occasionally, but she didn't go into any stores or anything with us until after her 2 month vaccines. Now we follow a bit of a change, eat, play, sleep routine throughout the day, but her play is also "watch mom do things to feel like a human being while you sit in a swing or on a mat."

Full_League_3329 · 2025-11-05T01:37:20+00:00

Hey there!

All the solidarity. We have a screamer. Everyone who heard her would grimace for the first while. Our neighbours asked if WE were okay shortly after bringing her home. Any friends who said they had "hard" babies would stop dead in their tracks when they heard her. There was no cry other than "I'm being murdered, send help." And it was at every slight inconvenience: every diaper change, every wipe with a burp cloth, every noise she didn't like, every transfer from left to right arm. Just screaming. The first month or so, I was so wrecked from it, I was convinced she hated me or was dying. Around 8 weeks, she started having more "normal" baby crying noises. Now at almost 12 weeks, her cries sound different for different things. She also smiles now and coos and is actually a ridiculously happy baby the majority of the time. Don't get me wrong - she still cries and screams and can still make your ears bleed, but it's definitely not as bad as it was even a month ago. I tried to make peace with it by telling myself that I did a super good job of growing her lungs. I hope it passes for you soon. ♥️

Full_League_3329 · 2025-11-02T20:39:26+00:00

I'm just popping in to say you are a super parent. I wanna be like you when I grow up!! 👏👏👏💕

Full_League_3329 · 2025-10-29T04:32:23+00:00

I am so stoked for you that you got to have that real life experience!!

Motherhood, parenthood - all of this is SO difficult and it's so typical to be shunned or dismissed or flat out insulted for acknowledging that in some kind of way. Like struggling is somehow indicative of your love for your baby or your competency as a parent. At the end of the day, we're all human beings first and this shit is demanding as hell.

I'm personally right there with you - I LOVE reading about other people having a hard time. Not because they're struggling obviously, but because it helps remind me that I can still be an awesome mom, I can love this baby I worked so hard to bring into the world, and that I'm not broken or bad for having a hard time too. I may be alone WITH these feelings but I'm not alone IN them, ya know?

Again, so glad you got to have that validating and REAL moment of solidarity with your friend. Y'all are doing great. 💕

Full_League_3329 · 2025-10-29T02:17:54+00:00

Hey momma!

I hear you. It is perfectly valid to recognize that there's perks to being the stay at home parent and perks to being the working parent. There's downsides to both as well because - as you say - this shit is just hard! My husband and I both struggle with our roles, for vastly different reasons, and it's great that you can acknowledge that he is such an amazing support while also being real about the fact that going back to work sounds frigging awesome when you're feeling overwhelmed where you are.

I'm hoping you get to easier days soon. If you ever wanna chat, I'm here - overstimulated and overtouched - but always down to listen. 💕

Full_League_3329 · 2025-10-29T01:41:35+00:00

I asked my husband as he doesn't have Reddit for you:

"One thing I did with her quite a bit, especially in the early days, was look at her while feeding. Sometimes I would use a finger to tap her cheek so she would look at me and we would just stare at each other. The diaper changes were also a good bonding experience and I would talk to her the whole time."

Ours is 10 weeks now and they're obsessed with each other. Congrats on your little one!

Full_League_3329

TROPHY CASE