naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)UPDATED W A SECOND QUESTION

ok so let me preface this by saying dd is 8mos old has been a great sleeper since about 2-3mos old. she stilll takes three naps a day....one in the morn thats about 45min, one in the midafternoon thats about hr and half and one early evening thats about an hr.....she naps only in her crib.....she can nap in the car when we are out and about but wont nap in her stroller bc she is too busy looking at everything going on around her.

now heres the thing......we have got to go to a lot of family events as the summer approaches and yesterday gave me a little taste of what im in store for....dd would NOT sleep in her cousins old crib at my mil's and after screaming, kicking the whole nine yards she finally fell asleep in my arms and after she finally got into a deep sleep i was able to put her down so i could eat and socialize with the rest of the family....my dh and il's feel that it is ridiculous that dd cant just sleep anywhere that u put her and while i feel its an inconvenience, i dont neccessarily believe that theres something wrong with my child bc she isnt comfortable being left somewhere she doesnt know to sleep.....all the way home my dh told me we have to try to get her to sleep in other places so she is used to it

opinions please? advice? tia

ETA I FORGOT TO ADD DH FEELS WE NEED TO START MAKING DD NAP WHILE AT HOME IN HER STROLLER, PNP ETC....I THINK THIS COULD BRING ON MORE PROBLEMS....OPINIONS?

Message edited 5/11/2009 9:48:15 AM.

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)

Jack never slept anywhere besides his crib for naps. If we were out I made sure he had a good nap in. If he was absolutely exhausted he would pass out in his stroller. So many kids don't nap in new surroundings!

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)

Oh boy, do I know how you feel. DD(she is 20 mos) is a great sleeper and always has been , but she NEVER sleeps any place but her crib She 's been like this since she was a little baby(There have been few cases when she fell asleep in the stroller or a P&P at my MILS , but only for a little while, more like few minutes). Sorry I have no advice. I guess some kids are just like that.

Message edited 5/11/2009 9:10:52 AM.

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)

My son doesn't nap anywhere other than home, he ends up falling asleep in my arms while nursing, so I end up being stuck sitting somewhere for awhile.

I did get him to sleep for about a 1/2 hour at a friemds house this weekend after nursing him to sleep and then 'shhh"ing and rubbing his belly once i put him down.

Obviously not the ideal situation and one I would like to work on, but I am not going to get upset with him for being uncomfortable sleeping in new surroundings. I don't sleep as well away from home so why should I expect him to be any different.

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)

luca is the same way. he needs a crib or a PNP for naps, he won't sleep in the stroller anymore. we are lucky b/c he will sleep in other people's cribs but only if it is quiet - and my ILs don't always get that

i am sorry, i really don't have any good advice, but i don't think you are doing anything wrong. not all kids can nap anywhere and i think your DH and ILs are crazy for thinking she should!!

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)

DD will not nap anywhere else either she'll stay up until she just can't anymore and most of the time she naps in our arms we cannot put her down.

I must add that DD is a horrible napper to begin with

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)

Kaydyn is kind of the same way. She won't nap when we're at parties and such.

She'll nap at my ILs but only b/c they watch her all week long. And she will nap at my mom's when she watches her occasionally, but if we are at an event she's too interested in what is going on to sleep.

Like yesterday she didn't take a nap before we left. She slept for 20 mins in the car and then was awake the entire time at the party. She was exhausted by 9pm and passed out in the car on the way home.

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)

My DS is the same way and some people in my family don't get it -- but he just won't do it. I have tried many times. If he is totally exhausted he might (and thats a big might) fall asleep in the car or in a quiet room with me or DH. But he never goes into a deep sleep and as soon as we try to move him he wakes up.
My nephew sleeps great just about anywhere, so at my MIL's they sometimes don't understand how DS won't sleep but my nephew will.

If I know we are going to be out for the day I really try to get DS to nap in the morning and if he doesn't I know we may need to take a ride to give him a "break" As he has gotten older it has gotten easier and he adapts better to a day with little or no nap.

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)

Posted by Diana1215

Jack never slept anywhere besides his crib for naps. If we were out I made sure he had a good nap in. If he was absolutely exhausted he would pass out in his stroller. So many kids don't nap in new surroundings!

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)

THANK YOU ALL SOOOOOOOO MUCH....I swear I want dh to read these replies and maybe he'll see that getting a BABY to sleep just anywhere is not that easy.....the problem is my mil boasts how she had four children and ALL four children were able to nap ANYWHERE she put them fact is she thinks bc she had four children she knows EVERYTHING about ALL children and knows how to be a mother to all children and the bottom line is MY CHILD IS NOT ONE OF HER FOUR CHILDREN....and maybe one of these days i will say it when she gets me to no return but i was raised well and im trying to be as respectful as i can be

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)

DD will fall asleep in the carseat, but that's it besides for her crib. There's no way she'd fall asleep in her stroller or at someone else's house, esp. if there's a lot of activity going on around her.

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)

My older DD was the same way--would not sleep ANYWHERE but her crib. If she did, she would wake up after like 20 minutes screaming. Neither of m y DDs ever slept in their stroller...ugh!

Sometimes functions were miserable for us, but those days are a faint memory...in other words, dealing with a screaming baby at a party doesn't last forever. In fact, your DD probably will consolidate naps soon. That will probably be easier for you since you can get to a party a little late or leave a little early so she can nap regularly.

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)UPDATED W A SECOND QUESTION

updated at the top with a new question

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)UPDATED W A SECOND QUESTION

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)UPDATED W A SECOND QUESTION

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)UPDATED W A SECOND QUESTION

I don't think it's a matter of her (or any kid) not being able to fall asleep in the stroller/pnp but more what is going on with their surroundings around them. They know when they are not in their own environment!

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)UPDATED W A SECOND QUESTION

Wow! this is my DD to a t exactly. She never sleeps anywhere other than her crib
It is was and still is sooo hard to be out anywhere during naptime. She is 2 now. Yesterday we didn't give her a nap and she did okay but other days OMG! She also is older.

When she was younger it was really hard. In order for her to even try to fall asleep in her stroller we had to walk her around for at least 15-20 minutes with her on her belly with the sunshade down. If she was reallly tired she would fall asleep but only for like 10 minutes.

My whole family thinks its crazy too!
Noone gets it. They think a baby can sleep anywhere and thats that. What can I say she doesn't feel comfortable sleeping in public places other than her crib.

So, don't worry you are not the only one who goes through this. You will most probably just have to go around your DD schedule and do whats best for her. Unless there is a place u really need to be.
GL!

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)UPDATED W A SECOND QUESTION

Posted by Diana1215

Jack never slept anywhere besides his crib for naps. If we were out I made sure he had a good nap in. If he was absolutely exhausted he would pass out in his stroller. So many kids don't nap in new surroundings!

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)UPDATED W A SECOND QUESTION

I was about to post this ques. then read yours!!

DH is starting to get it, but it is still hard to convince him that when she is out, she will not nap. She will nap in the car, so next week we have an event at his Aunt's that will last most of the day. I plan to bring her stroller, and if it is nice, go for a LONG walk, and she will probably fall asleep while walking. If it raining, I plan to take her for a LONG car ride.

Look at it this way, it's a chance to get away from the IL's for a bit

DD will def. not nap in a PNP at someone's house. I feel your pain!!

ETA: DD is 9 1/2 months, so I am in the same boat, I am hoping she drops to 2 naps soon!

Message edited 5/11/2009 10:06:09 AM.

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)UPDATED W A SECOND QUESTION

I have no advice. DD is 3 months old, really a great sleeper, but will not nap anywhere but her crib. I'm stressing over my nieces bday part next week that starts right in the middle of DD'afternoon sleep marathon nap.

I thought I was the only one that had this "'problem"

Message edited 5/11/2009 10:38:56 AM.

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)UPDATED W A SECOND QUESTION

I think your dh should be happy she sleeps in her crib and not mess with it. My ds NEVER slept in his crib. He would sleep in his rocker or in my arms. If we were out he would sleep in his car seat. Once he outgrew the car seat we were screwed. He won't sleep anywhere but at home.
Tell dh to think about it this way. Can he just lay down in a strange place and just drift off to sleep. I know I can't. Whenever I stay away from home I listen to all the different noises and look at all the strange stuff in the room. It is scary for a baby to be plopped in unfamiliar surroundings and told to go to sleep.

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)UPDATED W A SECOND QUESTION

Ryan is 10 months old and has never been a good napper.

My only saving grace at the moment, is when we are out and about I can usually nurse him to sleep and (while still be held by me) he will get a 20-30 minute power nap.

I have NO clue what I am going to do when we wean in 2 months.

Re: naps when at other peoples houses/social events (LONG but need advice)UPDATED W A SECOND QUESTION

I could have written your post myself!

I just make sure she has a good nap before we go anywhere for long periods of time