What to do when your baby does not want to nap in their crib
Do you have a baby who will only nap when they are held? This is common and it’s totally fine for babies to nap while being held, but I also understand that sometimes you may need or want to put your baby down for a nap. Like, maybe you need to take a shower or you’d like to eat a hot meal with two hands while your baby is napping. Or maybe you are just touched out and need a break from someone touching you all of the time. Whatever it is, know you are not alone.
If having your baby nap in their crib is something you want to work towards, I promise it is possible and your baby will get there.
Another time this can be an issue is when you are transitioning from a bassinet to the crib. Sometimes that change in the sleep space can have an impact on sleep and you might find your baby seems like they don’t want to sleep in their crib, so these tips can be helpful if you find yourself in that situation as well.
Before getting into the strategies to help with the crib, there are some things we want to consider that can help with supporting sleep.
One is that we want to make sure the environment is actually supporting sleep. So we want the room to be dark, quiet, and a comfortable temperature. I recommend using a sound machine to help filter out any outside noises that can impact sleep. We also want to look at the timing of when sleep is being offered. If your baby is over or under tired, then it is going to make falling and staying asleep harder. So pay attention to your baby’s sleepy cues and awake windows to help offer sleep at the times that will work best for them.
Here are some tips to help your baby get used to their crib:
Give baby opportunities to be in and play in the crib while awake
This will help to build positive associations with the crib during the day which will help support daytime sleep in the crib.
Lots of practice
With most new things, having lots of practice will only help. Here this means that we want to consistently offer the crib for naps as well as night sleep. This might mean that naps will be shorter and maybe you end up holding your baby to extend the nap, but that’s okay and they are still getting the practice.
You can try sleeping with the crib sheet so that it smells like you
We are very comforting to our babies. If the crib smells like you, it will help give the crib that extra comfort.
Stay in the room until baby falls asleep
If you’ve been trying to leave after you’ve placed your baby in their crib, then let’s slow things down. If your baby has only been contact napping, then they are used to having you close as they fall asleep. It’s okay to stay in the room and support your baby while they are in their crib to help them get to sleep. This doesn’t work for everyone, but you can try this and see if it is something that is helpful for your baby and feels good for you too. If this is helpful and your baby falls asleep in the crib with you there, then you can choose to work towards leaving the room while they are still awake.
Another option that can be helpful is to transfer your baby to the crib once they have fallen asleep
I know that this can sometimes be challenging to do successfully, so here are some tips to help with the transfer from arms:
Once your baby is asleep, wait about ten minutes before trying to transfer. We want to make sure that your baby is in a deep sleep. A way that I will test this is by lifting their arm up and if it drops right down without any resistance, then that’s usually a sign they are in deep sleep.
Do the transfer slowly and keep your baby close to your body as much as possible.
Lower your baby down so that their bottom touches the crib first then slowly lower their upper body.
Sometimes lowering your baby onto their side first before shifting to their back can be helpful, but remember we always want to place babies on their backs for safe sleep.
Keep your hands on your baby once they are down to help them settle and then slowly remove your hands.
This can all take at least 3-5 minutes, so take your time and try not to rush.
Also, know that this doesn’t have to be an all or nothing thing.
If there are times where you want to hold your baby for their nap, then that is fine and you can still do that. These tips and strategies are here to help you during those times where you need that break and want to put your baby down for their nap. So remember, just because you are practicing naps in the crib, it doesn’t mean that you can’t ever have a cuddly nap session.
If this is something that you would like support with, schedule your free discovery call and let’s talk. I’ve helped families go from constant contact naps to having flexibility with where their baby will nap.
