From Swing to Pack n Play

We are entering new territory!  Rylee has been taking her naps in her swing exclusively for the past few months.  Until yesterday, she's only had two naps in her crib and one in the Pack n Play (PnP).  She did sleep in the Rock n Play some the first few months, but mostly it's been the swing.  We deemed it HER swing because she was the one that needed it.  Ayden liked the swing okay, but didn't need it to calm down or to sleep.  It actually got to a point that Ayden wouldn't/couldn't sleep in it at all.  He enjoyed being in there, but it didn't help him to sleep.  Rylee on the other hand, was a different story altogether.  Besides that, Ayden was getting a little too big for the swing.

The swing is in our living room.  We can't get to the kitchen, to our bedroom, or to a bathroom without bypassing the swing.  That wasn't a problem in the beginning.  However, the past few weeks, we have had to tip toe around Rylee and PRAY she would fall asleep and actually stay asleep.  I couldn't wash bottles anymore, do dishes, hang out in the living room.... She would wake up at the drop of a hat.  And if she saw me, it was game over!

This past weekend, it was a real pain in the ass.  On Sunday, I went out for a run.  When I got back, she hadn't been asleep for very long and Tony was waving at me from the kitchen to be quiet as I came into the house.  (like I was barging in anyway.  Not!  I know better!)  Later that afternoon, I did some necessary shopping.  I came home and it was the same thing, Tony waving at me like a mad man from the other room to be quiet.  It's like we had become prisoners to nap time!  We couldn't walk through the house without waking her up and I couldn't come in the front door for fear of her waking up, which she did.  Of course.  I'd been telling Tony that we were going to need to transition her out of the swing soon.  He didn't get it until he was the one home all day with them, trying to get them to take their naps and then actually stay asleep. 

Time to get rid of the swing.  She's starting to outgrow it anyway, so it's time.

Whelp, yesterday I bit the bullet and put her down in the PnP in our spare bedroom for her morning nap. With minimal crying, she fell asleep.  She slept for 2 hours, 28 minutes!  Hallelujah!

 

I did it again for her afternoon nap, and again she fell asleep.  She slept for 1:03, and then woke when we had a solicitor knock VERY LOUDLY on our door.  When I opened the door, he was jolly and loud until I shushed him real quick.  He wanted to clean our carpets.  Rylee started crying within seconds.  I was not a happy mama.  I told the guy I had a baby crying and started to close the door.  He then had the nerve to ask for his brochure back so he could pass it on to a neighbor.  It's time to get a no solicitation sign for the door.

We survived day #1 without using the swing at all.  Now day #2.

I put her down in the PnP again for morning nap.  She talked to herself and played for awhile, and then seemed to fall asleep.  Within a few minutes though, she was back up and crying.  Great.  I knew what the issue was.  She had taken her morning grumpy.  Sigh.  A good story should always involve poop, right?  I had been afraid that would happen.  She's been a fairly regular morning pooper, but this morning it didn't happen.  I didn't want to keep her up all morning waiting for a poop that might not come, so I had put her down.  After changing her diaper, I held her for a few minutes and then put her back down in the PnP.  She was not happy.  Not at all.  She cried.  She cried a lot.  I left her alone and hoped she would eventually fall asleep, and she did.  Unfortunately though, she fell asleep on her back.  I knew that if she was on her back, she would not be sleeping for very long.  I was right.  She slept a whole 25 minutes for her morning nap.  At that point, I brought her out, put her in the swing, and then retreated to my bedroom so she would hopefully fall asleep again.  She did, but it only lasted a few minutes because then her brother woke up.  At least he had a nice 2 hour nap!

Rylee spent the next few hours being rather grumpy because she was so tired.  Finally, it was time to put them down for their afternoon nap.  I put her back in the PnP and she has now been blissfully asleep for 1:07 and hopefully will continue to sleep a bit longer.

I'm thinking that within the next few days, we will be able to move the swing out of our living room.  I have a friend that does home daycare and we are going to give her the swing in exchange for some babysitting.  It's so nice to be able to move around the house freely, without fear of waking her up!  I can now get something to eat without worrying about clinking the dishes.  I can actually wash said dishes and do other chores! Whew!  I think this transition may work out easier than I thought it would.

Ayden continues to nap well in his crib.  In fact, it's pretty much the only place he will sleep.  We struggle getting him to sleep anywhere else, which makes it nice when we are home, but makes it difficult when we go anywhere.

  

Note:  Rylee does sleep in her crib at night.  We have just chosen to have them sleep separate during the day in order for them both to actually go to sleep more easily.  We have not fared very well when we've put them down together in the same room for naps.  It's a battle I am choosing not to take on.

Update: The afternoon nap lasted 1:27.  A decent time, but I have a feeling she is not going to last until bed time since she had such a short morning nap.  We'll see....