My baby wants to be held all the time!
It happened to me with my first. On one hand, I had waited so long to have him, I was thrilled to hold him day and night. On the other hand, at some point…I needed to sleep!
We settled into a system where he slept in his bed at night, but naps were sometimes easier to hold him close.
Oh sweet baby!
My Baby Wants to Be Held for Naps
Some families will choose to wean babies into cribs early and other families will use nap time for bonding. In my opinion, both can be loving options and whatever makes sense for your child is what is best!
If you want to move baby more quickly to a crib, there are lots of different methods, but I thought we would focus on those who want to hold the baby in this article.
In the moment, it seemed like I “needed” to be training or moving toward a goal of baby independence with sleep. But 13 years later, I have a different perspective…they are only babies once! Enjoy the cuddles and the soft baby breath. They grow quickly and before you know it, it is no longer an option.
Baby-wearing can keep hands free and be a way for baby to drift off when he gets tired. I used a Baby Bjorn carrier that worked great. The other thing I found worked for my baby was a baby swing. He seemed as peaceful in that as when being held. It gave me a little flexibility – especially if I was home by myself and needed an additional pair of hands…like when I needed to shower!
With baby 2 & 3, our lives were less scheduled since there were now toddlers and preschoolers to deal with in addition to a baby. What I found was my baby still slept great, but was more flexible about when and where because we were sometimes on the go.
My suggestion is to really trust your gut on this. You know your baby and sometimes you both just need to be close!
Here are some of the best answers from our Facebook community
We asked this question in our FB community and had some really great responses {you can see all of them in the box above}. Here are a few of our favorites:
–I have three kids and each one was different. I’ve done the crying out method, swing, holding, carrying, I’ve done them all. If I could, I would go back and hold all my babies for as long as I could. Laundry will get done. I held my third one (and still do; he’s three) when he naps and he is the most loving of the three. They are only little once.
-Try baby wearing. Get a wrap or carrier that you find comfortable and carry him while doing housework.
–He has spent nine months sleeping to the sound of your heart and your breathing. It takes time and little steps for him to feel safe in this unfamiliar world. Try holding him on your lap away from your chest for a few weeks, then next to you and see if you can slowly wean him.
Baby Carriers
Here are our favorite baby carriers to help you hold your baby while he sleeps and have free use of your hands.
These are some different options for hands-free baby holding. The links are affiliate and support Kids Activities Blog.
More Baby Wearing Resources
Please let us know about your experiences with having a baby that wants to be held for naps. Tell us your favorite products and tips over at our FB page.
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