Naptimes - Des Plaines,IL

I too, have found that the "cry it out" method works best for my son. He does this at naptime and at bedtime. He is now 21 months old and this has been his ritual as long as I can remember. I'm not sure the circumstances with your daughter, but my son seems to just have a little bit of energy that he feels the need to exert before he can go to sleep. Because he has done this for so long, he now only cries for about 5 minutes before rolling over and going to sleep. I would definitely get rid of the swing if she is already hesitant to be in it. Second, you should insist that your sitter follow your routines. It is understandable that she cares for her most days, but she is your daughter-being raised and cared for the way you want. I wouldn't advise rocking all the time ecause that will become the new problem. Every once in awhile, I give in to my little guy though and rock him to sleep or let him sleep on the couch with me because he is still my BABY, and unfortunately not for long. Good luck with everything.

no tsk tsk. the most important thing is that you've all done what you need to do at the time to help your daughter. if she's too big for the swing, then that's not going to work for you anymore. you can work on getting her used to her crib for naptimes, allowing her to cry if that's what it takes for you. if your sitter doesn't want to follow that same approach, then she can rock her to sleep if she wants to. perhaps after a couple of days of that, she'll start to feel a little differently about allowing your daughter to cry. that said, she does work for you and if you want her to let your daughter cry, then maybe you should insist that you want her to be consistent with your approach. you can always talk through it and find a "happy medium" perhaps a time limit before she goes to her to rock her. but, giving up the swing seems to be key.

good luck!

Hi Mary,
I also work full time and need to rely on my sitter to keep my daughter on track with certain things, naps being one of them. It took me a long time to remember she is my employee. I pay this woman to care for my daughter as I would if I could be home with her. So it sounds like it's time for you to sit down and voice your concerns with her. Let her know how important this it to you and your daughter. Tell her you'd like her to try it x amount of weeks and if she is still crying for long periods of time you will consider trying a new method. Explain to her how very important it is that you are both following the same routines for your daughters sake. If she refuses then perhaps you should seek a new sitter. Afterall those of us that work out of the home are required to follow instruction, why shouldn't those that work in the home be held to the same standard. I know it sounds as if I'm being a bit harsh but afterall this is your child and you should do what you feel is best for her.
Good luck!

My daughter, now 6 mos., started sleeping in her swing (at night and for naps) around 2 mos. I watched the DVD "The Happiest Baby on the Block", which recommends using the swing and it was a life saver. We transitioned her into her crib for nighttime sleep around 3.5 months and she now spends her night in the crib. We've continued to rely on the swing for naps, mostly because it's been easy, but I am always thinking about what we are going to do when she is too big for the swing. I recently read parts of "The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems" and she recommends a method called Pick Up/Put Down. You put your baby down in the crib and when she cries you pick her up and console her. As soon as she settles down you put her back down. You repeat this for as long as it takes. I tried it one day and it took 30 min for her to fall asleep...she eventually just go really tired. I haven't been very good about continuing to use this method; however, I plan to use it again - I just need to commit and obviously it's going to take time. However, my plan was also to have our baby sitter do this since she is only supposed to be watching our daughter and therefore has lots of time! :) Anyway - it may be a method your babysitter will feel more comfortable with - I'm not a big fan of cry-it-out either.

The first few months of my son't life he used to take a lot of his daytime naps in his swing. But eventually I knew we had to transition him to the crib. It really only took a few days of letting him cry it out (and he never really cried for that long.) It may take a little bit longer for your daughter to transition since she has been in the swing for so long, but it really seems like a necessary thing at this point in time. I understand your daughter is small, but soon enough, it will not be safe for her to be in the swing any longer. I have never understood people who freak out at the thought of letting a child cry a bit as they get adjusted to a new situation. It is a perfectly healthy approach -- in fact my pediatrician was adamant about that being the best way to teach my son to sooth himself and become a good sleeper. Based on that method, he has been sleeping 10+ hours a night since he was 4 months old. As for your sitter, I couldn't agree more with previous posters that she works for you and should follow your desires for caring for your child. If she really won't do so, you may need to think about getting another sitter. As your daughter gets older, you may end up with more issues if the sitter insists on doing things her way rather than yours. Good luck and I hope it works out for you and your daughter.

I think 13 months old is too big for a swing and IMHO your babysitter should follow your method.
Maybe the easiest would be to remove swing? Then your sitter will have to find another way to help your little one take a nap.

Mary,
Sorry to say, I sympathize more with your baby than I do with you. I strongly disagree with anyone who follows a "cry out" method. This is abandonment disguised as a method.
Is the issue the swing or the schedule? I'm not sure. There are many gentle, nurturing ways, other than using swings, to get a babies and toddlers to sleep. However, if the swing works, why would you want to get rid of it? Don't ever change anything that is working! Does she like the swing when the nanny is with her? If so, perhaps you need to help her transition into her naps by rocking her or laying with her. A schedule would not work in this regard, but I'll bet my suggestions would. Good luck.
Amy