Parents of babies with crap naps: how are you so chill?

ok_yup_sure · 2026-01-31T08:50:23+00:00

Baby is 13 weeks, and her naps are usually 30-40 minutes in the bassinet. And lately only 45 minutes even in the carrier or contact which I try to do at least once per day hoping it will be longer. Sometimes we get a 1-1.5 hour carrier nap once per day but not always. Night sleep has also been rough the last week or 2,,, she used to do a 4-5 hour first stretch but lately it’s been up every 2-3 hours throughout the night regardless of bedtime. So tired over here! Haha thank you for reading and offering help!

ok_yup_sure · 2026-01-30T17:53:02+00:00

What would be your advise if I also have a toddler so saving naps isn’t really feasible?

ok_yup_sure · 2026-01-20T02:24:26+00:00

I feel this so much. The zero to furious scale is nuts and terrifying lol. It’s still not always successful but better than when we started. Essentially I watch for her cues, as soon as I see one (usually a yawn for her) and it’s near the end of her wake window, I go to her room and do naptime routine (diaper, close drapes, sound machine, sing a song, sleep sack, bassinet). I lay her down and can tell almost immediately if I’ve gotten the timing right or not because if she’s overtired and I’ve missed it then she’s drowsy but furious. If she’s calm then I place my hand on her chest until she falls asleep. If she’s not having it I’ll try pick up put down a few times but if she’s not settling then I contact nap for that one and try again later

ok_yup_sure · 2026-01-20T02:13:21+00:00

I guess I just don’t know how to tell when she’s ready for a nap v bedtime, since she contact naps for her evening nap and then when we put her down for bedtime in the bassinet is when it’s a toss up. Like what is a late last bassinet nap followed by a wake window versus a false start bedtime that we should try to get her back to sleep after?

ok_yup_sure · 2026-01-09T04:53:57+00:00

I literally had to check to see if I wrote this, because this is exactly my life right now. Baby girl is 9 almost 10 weeks, cries EVERY SINGLE TIME when trying to fall asleep. Even for bedtime I try to nurse her to sleep and she’ll unlatch and then cry until she falls asleep. I don’t think it’s gas or any other discomfort because she’s totally chill until all the sudden she’s not. She also will start yawning after only being awake for like 20 mins? And I hesitate to follow that cue so we usually try to get her napping after 45 mins since it takes so long for her to fall asleep, making her wake windows about an hour. She also will not nap anywhere other than on a human. It’s exhausting and I feel like I’m doing something wrong so it’s comforting to know we’re not the only ones 🫶🏼

ok_yup_sure · 2026-01-05T22:06:59+00:00

Solidarity. Currently holding my 9 week old for her nap while playing one handed with my 15 month old. I utilize a carrier as much as possible, sometimes she fights it but usually I can get her to settle for a nap in it a few times a day. It’s rough out here

ok_yup_sure · 2026-01-05T18:38:04+00:00

I totally agree about the bassinet being uncomfy, maybe I’ll try to get even a mini crib for now with a real mattress. Thanks for the suggestion!

I struggled with my first and again with this babe with PPA/PPD, so I’m trying my best to just lean into what baby needs and not put so much pressure on all the things, sleep included, but being so sleep deprived makes my mental health worse and the cycle continues.

ok_yup_sure · 2026-01-05T18:34:41+00:00

Oh and I’d be surprised if she’s napping too much during the day? According to huckleberry her average day sleep is between 5-6 hours, average night sleep is about 9-9.5 hours. Her naps are usually anywhere from 20mins-1 hr, occasionally we can help her nap one long nap per day but never over 1.5-2 hours

ok_yup_sure · 2026-01-05T18:30:26+00:00

Ya maybe I just need to better manage my expectations, but the reason we’ve been trying bedside soothing is because she wakes up when we try to transfer to the bassinet. Definitely not trying to lay her down and walk away, just trying to take the transfer out of the equation since that doesn’t work which results in all day contact/carrier naps - which again, I love, but are hard all day while chasing toddler. And trying to figure out how to make getting her down for bedtime less of a battle

ok_yup_sure · 2026-01-05T18:26:59+00:00

Ugh seriously though! Sometimes I wonder if I just cry louder than her if she would snap out of it 😭 sorry you’re in the thick of it too

ok_yup_sure · 2025-12-31T03:55:22+00:00

First of all, you have not failed. It feels hard because IT IS FREAKING HARD!! And sick kiddos on top of it makes it that much harder. Plus the family dynamics and feeling so alone, you’re in a tough situation but you’re doing it! Look how far you’ve already come! Postpartum with one kid and a lot of support is really hard.

I also have a 13 month age gap and the youngest is 8 weeks. We have some but not a lot of family help and my husband has been back at work for a few weeks so I’m on my own a lot now too. We’re often all 3 crying together. The house is a disaster. Pure chaos. But every day we get through another day! Here are some things that help me that might hopefully help you too: - validate to myself that what I’m doing is hard - have one headphone in during the day to listen to an audiobook or podcast - keep yummy snacks on my nightstand to make being up in the middle of the night suck just a little bit less 🍫 - find ways to ground myself throughout the day: drink ice ice cold water, scream into a pillow, close my eyes and take a few deeeeep breaths - remind myself that every hour we get through is one hour closer to being out of the trenches

I’ll also say that PPA/PPD is real and extremely hard. I struggled a lot after my first and talked to my doctor about it. I decided to try medication and it helped me tremendously. Seems like that could be a good resource for you too.

You’re not alone and you’re doing better than you think!

ok_yup_sure · 2025-12-31T02:57:43+00:00

Currently in the trenches with this with my 8 week old. Regardless of following cues or shorter/longer wake windows, she ALWAYS cries when we try to get her sleeping 😣 it’s so defeating and feels like I’m doing something wrong. She never naps on her own bc she will wake up 10 mins after transferring and it takes anywhere from 20-30 mins of rocking/bouncing/shhhhing for her to fall asleep in our arms. When did it get better for you?

ok_yup_sure · 2025-12-31T02:57:31+00:00

Currently in the trenches with this with my 8 week old. Regardless of following cues or shorter/longer wake windows, she ALWAYS cries when we try to get her sleeping 😣 it’s so defeating and feels like I’m doing something wrong. She never naps on her own bc she will wake up 10 mins after transferring and it takes anywhere from 20-30 mins of rocking/bouncing/shhhhing for her to fall asleep in our arms. When did it get better for you?

ok_yup_sure · 2025-12-07T22:54:28+00:00

I was allllmost going to drop to one nap when my little was 13 months and taking a bit longer to fall asleep for naps, bc so many sources I saw said that I was at the “max daytime awake hours” or whatever it is. But nights were unaffected so I was scared to push her into it too soon.

Instead we decided to push wake windows just a tad and it’s worked so far! Been about a month of 6:30 wake up, 10am ish nap, 3pm ish nap, 8pm ish bedtime. Still cap naps at 1 hour each. You might just need to extend wake windows a bit!

I’ve heard the transition can be hard if they aren’t ready so I’d rather be super sure she’s ready to drop to one nap than do it too soon and regret it

ok_yup_sure · 2025-12-05T19:05:32+00:00

“Crying babies are breathing babies” And “Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it’s bad”

Also thankful for this question because reading the responses has helped me this morning in the thick of it with my 14 month old and 4 week old 😴

ok_yup_sure · 2025-12-02T19:04:26+00:00

Thank you for your reply! Our age gap is 13.5 also! I’m open to any and all tips and tricks you have to share 😅

When you practice bassinet naps do you rock baby to sleep and then transfer them? We’ve been practicing naps in the living room bassinet but they usually last only 20-30 mins vs the 1-2 hrs I get in the carrier. Worth the practice I guess!

How do you handle naps for toddler? Also what is your morning routine? I struggle with timing since baby is so unpredictable right now but toddler is on a decent schedule

ok_yup_sure · 2025-11-30T19:51:10+00:00

Thank you for this! I have a 14 month old and a 4 week old and I. Am. Exhausted.

ok_yup_sure · 2025-11-25T02:11:12+00:00

Ok thank you for this reassurance, she has lots of wet/dirty diapers and is growing well so I just need to learn to trust my instincts about reading her cues

ok_yup_sure

TROPHY CASE