3 month old napping?

Question

I nanny for a 3 month & 8 month old. They take 2 naps, at 10 & 2, for 2 hours ea. nap. (Ideally)

8 month old does GREAT on this schedule, 3 month old WONT sleep for more than 15-20 mins. She wakes up SCREAMING, which wakes the 8 month old.

She'll sleep the full 2 hours if I hold her, she'll also sleep in her carseat. But not in her crib! It's driving me crazy, and depriving the 8 month old of his quality naptime! What should I DO!?

Answer 1

Find out what mom does to get the baby to nap. You cannot hold her while she naps because you won't be able to stop without creating a bigger problem down the road. See if mom has any tricks for you first.

I do daycare and have a 12 month old that cries out during her nap. She always falls back asleep after no more than 5 minutes but it disturbs the other kids when she screams out. I put her in a pack and play crib in the bedroom with the door closed and a fan outside the bedroom door. The white noise actually helps her and the other kids fall asleep and takes the edge off the yelling. I can still hear her and attend to her needs but at least the other kids don't get woken up when she screams out.

I suggest separating the babies into different rooms and using a fan or something for white noise to take the edge off the screaming while you work with mom to find a good solution to her napping problem. Whatever you decide to do, consistency is key. With my little screamer the routine is exactly the same every single day. She gets better and better all the time and before I know it she may be the best napper in the house.