Baby 2 coming...how to get 2 y/o to fall asleep independently for nap??

[tom34]

ETA: UPDATE for anyone who might see this and go through the same thing... it's been 2 weeks since this post and my daughter is back to normal naps and bedtimes We didn't change anything, just continued to listen to our parental instincts and comfort her when needed (which was a lot, but we're cherishing the snugs). Apparently 2 y/o sleep regression is real, and we had no idea. We made it through and you will too! xx

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I currently hold and rock my daughter (25 months) to sleep for nap everyday and then transfer her to her floor bed once she's asleep. Rocking/falling asleep takes anywhere from 20-50 minutes (we're currently in a rough sleep patch, usually it's closer to 20-30 mins). I don't mind doing this one bit, however, I'm 29 weeks pregnant and thinking that once baby arrives, there is no way I'll be able to rock her for that long to get her to sleep everyday. What will baby do??

Has anyone gone through this? Is there a way to teach her to fall asleep on her own after a nap time routine (book, song, etc).?

additional note: she sleeps in her own bed at night now (since Feb 2023) and when/if she wakes dad goes to her and gets her back down, but more often just sleeps with her the rest of the night.

 

[wadechilly]

@tom34 If it’s taking that long to get her to sleep she’s definitely not tired enough. I highly recommend looking up possums sleep science. Very very useful for second babies too. Basically babies and young children will take the sleep they need, if they aren’t falling asleep in 15 minutes they aren’t tired. Carry on with your day and try again later

 

[tom34]

@wadechilly Oh this is very interesting. I’m in a deep possums research hole now. Thank you for the suggestion, def seems a lot more intuitive.

 

[wadechilly]

@tom34 Different things work best for different people but I struggle with a routine so that anything that tells me I can just go with the flow is a winner for me! Best of luck