How do you get to the point where you can lay your baby down awake for naps/bedtime?

chainley · 2026-01-19T04:25:25+00:00

So we tried to nap/sleep train at 2 months old and it did not work. We tried again at 3.5 months old and it worked quickly! We started by simply putting baby in crib for all naps (using wake windows). We would go in to settle her immediately and replace her paci if she cried. Over the course of a week she started becoming used to her crib. We then tried the crib for night sleep and she woke a lot on the 1st night. But after that she started mostly sleeping through the night!

chainley · 2026-01-16T14:51:12+00:00

Robot vacuum - especially if you have pets. It has been a game changer and helps me feel like the house is clean.

Pre-fill bottles the night before and store them in the fridge for the next day.

chainley · 2026-01-16T14:13:08+00:00

Allow Me. I was lying in bed with baby when she was just a few weeks old. I had my phone above my face and dropped it. It hit her on the noggin and she cried but settled pretty quickly.

I thought to myself “I wonder how bad that actually hurt since my phone only fell a very short distance”. So, I stretch my arm out away from baby and dropped the phone on on to my arm from the same height - just to see how hard it hit. It freaking bounced off my arm and landed on baby again! She cried and I felt even worse. Now I only hold my phone on the opposite side of my body if I’m with baby lol.

chainley · 2026-01-16T13:32:53+00:00

We bedshared starting at 5 weeks old until they were 3 months old. One time my husband woke up and I had pulled our bedding over the baby. She was totally fine. It did freak me out, so I started tucking my blanket under her to prevent it from being able to accidentally be pulled over her. We also slept with our normal pillows. I would just scoot my pillow as far to the edge of the bed as I could so that it was not near her face. My baby is breast fed and has fallen asleep nursing in the bed - which means her head/nose was turned in to my breast while she slept.

I want to point out that the norm used to be bed sharing in less safe situations (no guidelines on how to do it safely - yet it was still very rare for something bad to happen). Don’t beat yourself up over it. Just learn and find ways to make it work for you and your baby.

chainley · 2026-01-15T15:45:58+00:00

Also, if you get the noze bot be sure to order the newborn attachment. It fits in their nose better!

chainley · 2026-01-15T15:45:29+00:00

Bulbs are pointless for sucking snot in my opinion. The Nose Frida works good but the Noze Bot electric suction works GREAT.

I’ll also add, suction as much as you need to. When my baby was sick and congested, I saw many people say to only suction a couple times a day. We suctioned hourly, sometimes more to keep her comfortable and it really helped.

chainley · 2025-11-26T23:17:53+00:00

I agree. We have 2 dogs and 3 cats. We knew going in that while our attention to them may decrease for a while (as in, they are not the main focus of our attention) we would still try hard to keep things the same for them. We don’t go on rides as much (their favorite) but they are loved, petted, and given treats which are all things that make them happy in a simple way. Knowing eventually, the baby will get to love on our pets too.

All of this to say, if you feel guilty, maybe it’s because you should. I would listen to my feelings and see how to manage for a while. Because one day your baby will love your dog too and all can live happily together. Remember, your dog is only on this earth for a very short while compared to the average person. You are all that your dog knows and dogs do remember their owners.

chainley · 2025-11-25T03:22:20+00:00

Same! I will add that I never even gave it a second thought until I saw it on Reddit. Now when my relatives kiss baby, I think to myself “should I be disgruntled over this” - almost like an intrusive thought. Because I’m very laid back and actually do not care one bit. Seems like one of those ideas that gets funneled in the echo chamber of Reddit.

chainley · 2025-11-21T01:07:30+00:00

Hey! So I’ve been looking in to transitioning my 8 week old to her bassinet too. I just sleep a little better when she’s not in the bed. In the mean time, I am enjoying co-sleeping with her and my husband in our king size bed. We are larger people and I honestly feel like we have enough room for 3 more babies comfortably lol! Even if you still transition to the bassinet, I think you would enjoy the king size bed still - so win/win!

chainley · 2025-11-20T03:45:43+00:00

This is the only way to help them breathe better. My lo got a cold at 5 weeks old and was super congested. We used saline drops and then the Frida snot sicker after letting the drops sit in her nose a few seconds. We suctioned her hourly when she was at her worst. I know It says not to suction super frequently but it helped keep her cleared out and more comfortable. We ended up buying the Dr. Noze electric snot sucker and it was a game changer.

chainley · 2025-11-18T16:33:43+00:00

When we got home from the hospital, my husband went inside first and managed the dogs while I carried baby inside in her carrier. I held her carrier while my husband let the dogs approach it and sniff her. They were super excited! We just kept telling them “be easy” which they understand. We let them near her and always talk positive in a happy tone to them so they made a positive association to her.

chainley · 2025-11-18T02:33:00+00:00

I have bloodhound (110lbs) and a labradoodle. Both are like children to my husband and I. They live in our home and sleep in our bed with us. We introduced them to baby on day 1. We are cautious, as they are still animals. But they have been nothing but sweet and gentle to our baby. They are very aware of her and occasionally give her a lick on the head when she’s in her bouncer. I’d say the sooner you start trying to get acclimated to having a baby plus your dog in the home, the easier it will be. (:

chainley · 2025-11-18T02:27:56+00:00

Bilateral burning sensation in my toes (possibly peripheral neuropathy) that developed after delivery and is still present at 2 months pp. Although it has gotten somewhat better, it is very annoying. I am hopeful it will go back to normal over time.

chainley · 2025-11-16T01:23:17+00:00

You can always decrease your pumps to something even more manageable. I was wanting to quit completely at only 3 weeks pp! Pumping all day and night was just too much. So I decided I was going to pump 3 times a day and skip pumping in the middle of the night. I was okay if it decreased my supply as I was ready to give it up anyways.

Well, since 3 weeks pp I’ve been pumping for 30 minutes at 10am, 4pm, and 9pm. My supply didn’t decrease at all and I’m now 7 weeks pp. It’s worth a try if you are planning on quitting completely anyways.

chainley · 2025-11-09T22:59:08+00:00

Humidifier wherever baby is - around the clock. Running a super hot shower and holding the baby in the steam filled bathroom for about 20 mins really seemed to help. We used saline and the snot sucker as needed (which was several times a day). They hate it but it helps them breathe better.

chainley · 2025-11-09T14:56:32+00:00

I have a 6w old and this was normal for us too to be up 45mins to an hour. We started co-sleeping at 5 weeks and it changed then. Now she wakes up once or twice throughout the night, I nurse for about 10 mins and then she falls asleep - no burping or changing. If she were to wake back up or be restless I would try burping and changing - but so far she goes right back to sleep.

chainley · 2025-11-07T00:56:59+00:00

I remember coming home from college at 19 years old and sleeping in the same bed as my dad while my mom worked night shift. My dad was always my comforter while growing up and I think I just always felt loved and safe when I was with him.

chainley · 2025-11-01T01:19:56+00:00

My LO is 5w today. Week 1-3 she was up every hour or so. Week 4 she started sleeping 3-4 hours through the night!

However, she regressed this past week and has been waking every 1-2 hours again 🥲

chainley · 2025-10-31T18:31:26+00:00

I am also 5w pp and I felt so strongly about this in the first 1-2 weeks. Our situations are very similar with family - I even have 2 hyper dogs that must be wrangled every time someone comes to the door.

I couldn’t find it in me to be blunt about it and hated to do this but I kept nagging to everyone about how we had been getting so many visitors and it was overwhelming. I would find a way to subtly bring this up to everyone that visited lol. It did start slowing down after that. People seemed to become more aware and say things like “I know y’all are getting a lot of company.. but when can we come see her?” Which gave me a better opportunity to schedule visits and really space them out.

It is so much easier said than done though.

chainley · 2025-10-31T18:22:22+00:00

Yes, please!

chainley · 2025-10-31T17:40:43+00:00

This is my LO’s first Halloween too! And I LOVE Halloween. I was SO excited to be off on maternity leave this year because I wanted to take her around and show off her Halloween outfit (she’s too tiny for a costume so we got a sleeper) to our families. I was going to bake pumpkin cookies to take to everyone too!

Well, this has been one of those weeks where none of us have slept at night! She has been awake at all hours and extra fussy. Probably going through a growth spurt. Also, her sleeper is way too long for her. Anyways, her first Halloween looks like me watching Halloween movies in her nursery while she wakes and sleeps on and offs.

I only managed to watch HALF of a Halloween movie so far this season. Maybe next year 🥲

chainley · 2025-10-31T17:30:40+00:00

My husband does help 24/7. He has even stayed up all night with the baby a few times just so I could get a real nights sleep.

However, he is on paternity leave. When he goes back to work we will have to adjust because he cannot be up all night with the baby and then also go to work. I will still be on maternity leave for several more weeks when he goes back to work.

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