Napping in playpen

[Abbeys Mom]

Does anyone have any ideas how to get my 9 month old to nap in her playpen? She goes to sleep great in her crib, and I hardly have to do PU/PD anymore (we started her on it 3 weeks ago), but she is going to have to go to full daycare soon and absolutely refuses to lay down in her playpen. She cries so hard and long that she actually makes herself throw up. I tried PU/PD in the playpen, but no go. At daycare, the provider can't take the time to do PU/PD because she is alone with 5 kids under the age of 18 months so she lets them cry it out. I think I will try putting her down for afternoon naps in her playpen over and over, perhaps she will eventually give in? I have tried for months already, but not steady since I wanted to get the PU/PD and EASY plan correct first and then introduce the playpen again. I am at a loss and I really don't want to leave her at the daycare during her nap time until this is resolved. Any help out there?

[brenda2]

wow, 5 kids under 18 mo?  that's "against the rules" here.  that would be very tough!  too bad she does cio...

does she like going in her playpen during the day?  have you tried to get her to play in there?  make it lots of fun with new toys/favorite toys and play peek a boo through the mesh sides.  my Lo loves peek a boo and any opportunity for it she loves.

my LO has gone down easily in the playpen for naps.  i put the same sheets on so to have the same smell and she got the same stuffies as in her crib as well as her lovey bear and i made it really dark in the room and even pinned blankets to the sides of the playpen that have mesh so she couldn't see out.  same routine etc - make everything the same and try it for naps at home.

[Abbeys Mom]

Thanks, I will try those suggestions, they may work. BTW, is that a peapod that your DD is crawling into in the pic? Good idea to bring it to the beach (I think that's where you are in the pic...). Again, thanks for the tips, I am desperate to try anything at this point.

[mari]

Gosh, I am only allowed 2 kids under 18 months??  Wonder how she copes, I wouldn't be able to.

I had a little one who didn't like the playpen (I thinkit's the same we call them travel cot here)  I put lots of toys there for her to play in the morning when I was giving the older ones breakfast.  Then later I took the toys out and she slept there although I did do WIWO for a few times.  It also helped because she was very tired and ready to sleep.

[brenda2]

we are at the beach    and it's a UV tent thing - not sure what peapod is but probably the same thing.  we took it with us when we went to hawaii - she was only 5 mo so she slept in it at night because at that point she couldn't roll around or get out of it and we also took it to the beach and she had a few naps in it at the beach as well.  it worked really well then but wouldn't work now as she's older.  she loves playing in it though!

[marensmama]

My DD1 had a hard time with the play pens too, I found that hanging blankets off the sides to block the view through the mesh really helped.  (Although for anyone else reading along and thinking of doing this with a much younger baby, it is considered a sids risk.) 

DD2 will sleep anywhere as long as she's in her grobag and it's reasonably quiet.  Can't imagine her sleeping anywhere with other babies CIO all at the same time, though. 

Here in Canada, licensed family daycares are only allowed to have 3 children under the age of three.  I'm sure you've looked at all your daycare options, and I know here our spots are SOOOOOO hard to find... I'd just be a bit concerned that if the daycare provider can't meet the babies needs that they are left to cry. 

[Bryony]

I decided to get Katie into the habit of napping in her travel cot at home and so she has nearly every nap in it now - which means it's easier for us when we go away and she has to sleep in it.

For us the key things were:

- familiar sheets, lovies, everything else the same as usual

- sheets pinned to the sides so that she can't see out

- letting her play in it for a bit so that she's used to it

- it took her a few days to get used to it but now she loves it in fact she sleeps better in there than in her cot as the sides are soft if she rolls into them...!

xx

[brenda2]

the blankets on the sides of the cot were key for us...i pinned them to the sides with clothespins so they were just on the outside, DD couldn't pull them off and if they fell they would fall out not into the playpen.

at my daycare it's max 2 under 2 years old, i agree with nicole...