Crib Napping

Ok, so I just had to post this because it literally warms my heart to know that my nanny cares so much for our daughter. I mean, I never thought she wouldn't care, but you just never know for sure how someone's going to be with your child and I have to say we're so pleased and blessed beyond imagination to have her! She has just taken such a sincere and vested interest in Cameron so I wanted to share the below about her. Side note: since she started this week, she's gotten Cameron to nap in her crib like a champ and when I asked her how she did it she responded with the below email. I.Love.This.Girl! My Hero for sure! And, you never know: some of you may need tips on getting your child to nap in the crib as well so if you do: here you go! She's a pro! Thank you for all you do, Juli. :o)


1. lay the swaddle blanket down on the floor and swaddle her there. It helps me to get it REALLY tight from there. Cam seems to enjoy it, maybe she thinks I'm rough-housing...who knows. ;) Have it ready before y'all go in there for nap time

2. rock and sing to her in her room. But before any of that (even before the swaddle), turn off the lights and turn on the whale. Then swaddle her and rock and/or walk and bounce. If she's fussy after the swaddle, I usually do the walk and bounce with the paci in her room. If she's fine, then I'll start with the rocking and paci. I always sing Brahm's lullaby to her and hold her real close, on her side like a baby.

3. If she's still sucking, but has her eyes closed for awhile, I'll start to get up and move toward the crib. I want to teach her early that it's ok to suck and fall asleep on her own. After I lay her down in the crib (this process takes about 5 min because I move REALLY slow), I hover over her and help keep the paci in her mouth. I don't stop singing and hover over her for another 3-4 minutes.

4. Sneak out!!

5. If she wakes up to cry after 10-15 min of sneaking out, I return to her after 5-10 minutes. But I don't pick her up immediately. I put the paci back in her mouth so she learns that crying doesn't equate to being picked up. I'll try this for a few minutes then pick her up if she's still fussy. Then I try the whole process over until I can get her to stay asleep in the crib. This has taken up to an hour a couple of times.

Juli