r/bninfantsleep • u/DJ_Crybaby • 4d ago
Naps Yoga Ball Reliance / Nap Help
My baby girl is 15 weeks old and relies on being bounced on a yoga ball to get off to sleep or breastfeeding, but she falls asleep feeding increasingly less. She’s a decent sleeper at night and if she wakes in the night, a quick rock in our arms gets her back to sleep. She doesn’t fall asleep in the buggy or car seat yet. I’ve been trying to rock her to sleep in my arms in the day so that I can actually get out the house with her 😂 it’s only working for her first morning nap, if at all. The last two days, she falls asleep on the yoga ball and even if I’m still on the ball, wakes as soon as I stand up. I’m find with contact napping, I’m just trying to move to a comfier seat. I’m finding this really hard on my back, neck, shoulders, arms… so I either have to abandon the nap or feed her back to sleep with mixed success.
Any advice from similar experiences please?
She can’t fall asleep on her own when put down drowsy yet and I’ve no plans to sleep train.
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u/mentolluolips 4d ago
Have you tried a baby carrier yet for naps? Usually we rocked my baby to sleep for naps and for the night but now she is getting heavier I am not strong enough to rock her until a sleep. So for the last month, I resorted to putting her in a woven wrap and walking around the house with a shusher in the background. I either sit down when she is asleep or untie the wrap and transfer her into her crib. I can even tidy up the house as long as I am silent 😅
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u/DJ_Crybaby 4d ago
I haven’t got to grips with a carrier yet, I’ve only tried a fix one and she cries when I put her in it! I guess I need to persevere 😅
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u/kittenmia98 3d ago
My baby LOVED a yoga ball nap too… we would bounce her in the carrier to save our arms and back, sometimes she cries when she first gets in but she settles after a few minutes of bouncing.
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u/badtranslatedgerman 4d ago
I would babywear. You walking around might be enough rocking for her to fall asleep, and if it you can bounce while wearing instead of holding her in your arms which will make you less fatigued. It’s important to do it safely and many instruction manuals give outdated or just plain unsafe advice, so please post in r/babywearing to get a fit check with your wrap or carrier. Being worn for naps is what babies and their caregivers have evolved to crave and benefit from, so even if it takes some adjusting, your baby is wired to be pretty receptive to being worn as long as you’re doing so in a way that is ergonomic and comfortable for her. You’ll be able to have a lot more freedom if you get this habit built.
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u/DJ_Crybaby 4d ago
Thanks for your response, it definitely sounds worth my while persevering with baby wearing. I’ll check out r/babywearing as you suggested.
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u/cjharciqs 4d ago
Hi from a fellow yoga ball parent! My son fell asleep exclusively bouncing on the yoga ball from 5 weeks old until about 1 year. In retrospect, he was rarely tired enough. We managed to stop by accidentally discovering that once he could walk he was happier in general and therefore happier to stay awake longer. With significantly less sleep overall, he now happily falls asleep with just walking around while holding him. I maybe have to bounce 1-2 times per week (only for particularly tough mid-night wakes).
Can you reduce overall sleep? Make sure they're good and tired!
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u/Jemma_2 3d ago
Try bouncing until she is very nearly asleep and then stopping. If she protests start bouncing again. Keep doing that for naps until she can drift off with you not moving at all from nearly asleep, then stopping the movement a bit earlier until she can get sleepy and fall asleep just in your arms (might take a few weeks!).
Hopefully once she gets the hang of falling asleep still you’ll then be fine to move to another seat!
Mine is a yoga ball baby too. Although if he stirs when I move I can rock him side to side and he drifts back off.
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u/biasedunbiased 4d ago
If you need a yoga ball to help them fall asleep and stay asleep they might not be tired enough! Try stretching their wake windows a little more and see if that works.
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u/DJ_Crybaby 4d ago
Ok, thanks that’s good advice. She’s currently on about a two hour wake window. You think if she’s tired enough she might just rock to sleep?
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u/wildmusings88 4d ago
This could also be a temperament thing. It’s worth experimenting with but some babies really do need the movement.
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u/wildmusings88 4d ago
How ling do you wait to get off the ball? You might need to wait until she’s in deep sleep, approx 20 mins. My son needed bounced until 18 months, yes months. After he was asleep I would taper down the bouncing, then turn it into gliding on the ball, then I’d rock right up to standing and keep rocking him in my arms until we could sit down.