Help! Questions on napping, seperation, and intro solids!

[ashleamc1]

I started using BW when my daughter was younger then I got out of the routine.  Today is my first day trying it again.  She will be 6 months next week.   
First, can I get some ideas of a good wind down routine?  I've tried reading a book then holding her for five minutes, but the book I think stimulated her more.  She keeps grabbing for it and getting excited.  If I just hold her for the five minutes like BW says, then she isn't calm enough to just lay down. 

Second, after I do the wind down and I lay her in her crib, am I suppose to walk away if she isn't crying?  Or stay until she is in deep sleep?  Lately, sometimes when I walk away she then starts crying just because I leave the room.  If I stay there with her she doesn't cry, so I can't do PUPD, but she won't go to sleep either.  It's become a game.  I just stand by her crib while she is playing with her toes, rolling over, cooing, etc.  She does this when she wakes early from a nap too.  She'll cry, I go in, she quits crying and starts playing.  I have had to stand there up to an hour before she would fall asleep.  By then after a short nap, it's usually time to eat again.  Am i suppose to do this?  Aren't I more of a distraction for her?  How do I deal with the seperation problem?
I've been having to do W2S, because she is constantly waking at 45 minutes.  On average, How long should it take before I don't have to do that anymore?

Last, the schedule I have been on doesn't have her eating solids 3 times a day.  Where do those come in?  I would like to feed her cereal twice a day and veggies for lunch.  In the BW book it suggests breakfast at 8:30, but it also suggests doing a wind down by this time so she can be asleep by 9.  Any suggestions? 

Any advice would be appreciated.  Thanks!

[Caroline-Charlies Mummy]

Hello, welcome to the boards

Here's a good link for your wind-down question https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=64277.0. I agree with you on the book - I've never had a book in our wind-down, for naps or bedtime, b/c he just gets too excited! You need to find something that calms your lo, eg cuddling/singing/etc. A good 'cue' for my ds is drawing the curtains and waving 'bye-bye to Mr Sunshine'. I've done that since day 1, and he joins in now, and he knows that's his cue to start winding down for his nap. You need to do the same thing every time - they only work with consistency.

Second, after I do the wind down and I lay her in her crib, am I suppose to walk away if she isn't crying?  Or stay until she is in deep sleep?  Lately, sometimes when I walk away she then starts crying just because I leave the room.  If I stay there with her she doesn't cry, so I can't do PUPD, but she won't go to sleep either.  It's become a game. 

Have you looked in our FAQs section? There are a couple of links in there which can really help you, particularly 'Teaching Sleep (divided by age ranges)', a couple of sleep interviews with Tracy and some posts about 45 minute naps. Perhaps you may find Pat/Ssh more useful?

W2S can take a while to work - up to a week, if used every time consistently.

Have you had a look at the Feeding Solids forum? I think they're more qualified than me to answer your solids questions.

HTH, please keep coming back and keeping us updated, and I hope we can help

[ashleamc1]

Thank you so much for your help.  I was beginning to think no one was going to answer me.    The link really helped.  I will have to come up with our own ritual. 

One more question,  At what age do you start to drop the 30-45 min catnap?  When do you go down from two naps to one?  Thanks again!

[Caroline-Charlies Mummy]

Those are difficult questions, b/c it depends on the child. You really need to ask whether your child is ready to drop a nap (see the FAQs).

But, as a rule of thumb 3-2 can happen around 5/6/7 months and 2-1 anytime after 12/13 months. Again, though, don't worry if your lo does fit into this.