5 Months Old & Naps in Swing

if baby is happy, healthy and resting well with the motion I vote to let it be until they decide to change the routine.

I wouldn't worry about it, especially since she sleeps in her crib fine at night. As she gets bigger, the swing won't be as comfortable and she'll outgrow the habit as she outgrows the swing. Be thankful that she's sleeping so well for you!

I would guess that the motion is what helps your daughter nap so well in her swing. My daughter also napped in her swing, but she also enjoy napping elsewhere. However, she always slept best with either vibration or swinging. Something you might could use to break her of her swing napping habit is a vibrating musical attachment. My daughter's bouncer (Baby Connection Kids II model) came with a removable vibrating musical attachment. I started moving it from her bouncer to her bed on the rough nights and sometimes just beside her when she napped and she did very well with it. You could probably use it in her bed till she gets used to sleeping in her crib during naptime and then wean her off of it gradually. The bouncer doesn't cost very much. I would have considered paying the price just for the vibrating attachment. If it is the motion that she enjoys...this might help you. My daughter sooner rather than later grew out of needing the movement and sleeps well through the night as well as at bedtime. I hope this helps.

Let her sleep in the swing . No big deal. Be happy that she takes two naps. The fact that she sleeps in the crib at night in great. All of my babies napped in the swing and only one insisted on sleeping in the swing at night. She is in college now and has been sleeping in her bed for some time now. Choose your worries wisely, this is not one of them.

My daughter was the same way! Just put her in her bed and let her cry herself to sleep. If you run to her she'll know that you'll be there to rescue her. She will adjust in no time! As long as she's changed, fed, and burped she's good to go. Her crying will hurt you more than it hurts her. You need to get her used to that so that you won't have problems in the future. And when she wakes up, leave her for about ten minutes. That way she'll get used to being there. That's what I did and it worked like magic! Good Luck!

I wouldn't worry about it my last 2 babies did the exact same thing and I was so worried but eventually they started to grow out of the swing and started sleeping for longer in there cribs. She's not that old it's pretty normal for her to not like the crib as much at this age. She's already used to sleeping in the crib at night which is usually the biggest issue so I wouldn't worry about it. My daughter took naps in the swing until she was about 8 months until she stopped sleeping for very long in it so I started to put her into her crib instead and she was fine she may have had 2 -3 short naps but it all turned out okay . She just turned a year old and she takes 3-4 hour naps in her crib now. It works for now they go through so many phases this is just one of them. Relax

Hi A.,

My daughter was exactly the same! Don't worry about it. She took her naps in her swing until she was 11 months old. I then decided that it was time to transition her. I simply put her in her crib and said that I would let her cry for 10 minutes...no longer! She never made it the full 10 minutes!!! She stopped crying at all after a few days.

Good luck! And remember, if it works for you, then it's the right thing!

A.,
Hmmmm...tough O.! How about doing something different in the crib like put some music on or white noise? It might make it seem "less boring" than just lying there! Just a thought.
Can you gently get her out of her swing and move her to the crib mid-nap? That way she'll get used to waking up in her crib at least. Good luck!

wings.

LOL. I did this too. How I broke my daughter of the napping in swing/carseat was I told myself over and over again,"She is going to out grow the swing, and you have to do it now". So, I took a few days and during the day, I would periodicaly lay her down in her crib and start out at 5 min and work it up to longer like 20 min. She got used to the idea of laying in there during the day light times. It worked! I would lay her down five min after burping her for her afternoon feeing, and rub her back , and walk out. If she cries, just go in, and do not speak....just rub her back and do it again. If she is whining, or lightly fussing do not go back in. Then just peek in on her, just to be sure she is ok. Good luck.
Basicly you are just making a new habit and ridding the old.

Hi A.,

I did the same thing with my son - he took his naps in his swing until he was too heavy for the swing. My suggestion would be - if you are using movement - start my transitioning away from the movement - put her in with the swing going, but then turn off the motion after she falls asleep. Gradually transition to where she is sleeping in the swing but with no motion at all (this will take several weeks). She probably likes the swing because she feels snug and secure in it. Once you get her sleeping without motion, then start transitioning her to the crib. Put the swing in her room where her crib is. Let her get used to that, then let her fall asleep in the swing, but transition her to her bed while she is asleep so that she wakes up in the swing. Slowly increase the time she spends in the bed vs. swing. If you do it slowly and over several weeks, you should be able to make the transition with very little trauma.

Good luck!
J.

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My son is 5 1/2 months and I've actually been trying to figure out napping for a while. He initially would only sleep in his swing during the day also. I tried around 2 months to get a daily routine down. I attempted to lay him down in his crib at the same time every day, but did not have very much success. I knew we were going on an 8 day vaca. a month later, so I waited until after that to try again and continued using his swing and bouncy seat for naps. He started sleeping through the night around 3 months; 7pm-7am in his crib. Again, he was not receptive to daily naps in the crib. I was just persistant with it. Everyday at the same time (for us, it's after his second bottle of the day), I would lay him down in his crib. The first few days he cried. I wouldn't pick him up, I would just rub his back and then let him cry fow a little, before eventually picking him up. I'd say it didn't even take us a week before he started to fall asleep on his own in the crib for that morning nap. Babies learn everything through repetition and habit. She's not too young.

I've done alot of research about this. Sometimes my son will take a 3 hour nap, and a smaller nap during the day. Other days, he takes 30-45 minute naps through out the day, which still includes his scheduled routine naps in the morning and afternoon in the crib.
I was worried, thinking by 5 months, they should be taking regular, longer naps. Actually, it seems that the overall consensis is that, at 5 months, it is normal for them to still take 3-4 naps through out the day lasting 30-60 minutes. Although some babies don't need as much sleep, most babies at this age need 14-15 hours of sleep a day.

Hope this helped and good luck!

The only thing I can tell you is that my daughter is avactly the same way!!! :) She is 8 months old and still naps in her swing! Sleeps the whole night in her crib, but will not nap in it as well as in her swing. I know I should try and break the habit but she just sleeps so much better there. I'll be interested to hear what the other Moms have to say! Sorry I'm not much help! :)

Why ruin a good thing? I used to stress about every little thing wiht my first daughter, with the second I'm much more laid back. Your able to get things done and maybe have some YOU time...go for it. She will eventually grow out of it on her own.

My son was the same way. Don't worry about it. Once she is too big to be comfortable in the swing she will stop napping there & start napping in the crib. Be glad she sleeps in the crib at night (my son only slept in his bouncy seat) it will make the transition to the crib for naps easy. Don't rush it & enjoy the two long naps, they go away too quickly.

My son napped in his swing until he was 7 months old. I didn't intend to start that habit, either, and felt like it was "bad" to do. Looking back now (my son is 14 months), it didn't hurt anything. And he also slept in his crib for nighttime very well. He eventually had to learn to sleep in his crib for naps, and it was a hard transition (for me!), but he sleeps great in his crib now for naps and I wondered why I didn't do it sooner! What happened was his big swing broke (it was a hand-me-down) and we also had a travel swing. So, I started putting the travel swing in his room for naps, so he could get used to being in there. I also bought a sound machine to create some white noise. I think that helped. Anyway, one day he was crying during naptime in his swing, and I said, well if he's going to do it in there, I might as well put him in his crib to cry! Like I said, it was hard to hear him cry. And it took awhile (I can't even remember how long offhand), but he's been falling asleep on his own now since then. And it's soooooo nice. It's so worth it to do. But, it's not hurting her to be in the swing if it works for now! Every hurdle seems insurmountable when you're in the midst of it, but these kids are adapters. We just have to give them a chance. That took me awhile to learn! I'm not big on change when something is going well. Oh, and if she is waking up after 45 minutes in her crib, give her a chance to fall back to sleep. I read that around 5 months they are becoming more aware of their surroundings and naps may not be as sound. Anyway, best wishes!

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Good Luck!

You're lucky she naps that long! My son (7 months) will only catnap (two 15 minute naps usually) - and that's only if he's being held. So it puts a crimp in my time. Do what works and the swing seems to work for her. Why don't you try putting the swing in her room. If you're set on moving her to her crib at nap times, that might make it easier. From my point of view, I would love to have your "problem". Also, she will grow out of the swing thing too. I had to pack mine up a month and a half ago when he started to crawl because he kept trying to pull himself out.