Nap Nanny Weaning

Before William was born we were gifted with a Nap Nanny and it quickly became one of our favorite infant items.  Matt remembered to pull it out of the closet when he was 4 days old and we never ever forgot about it again.  It has spent time on the floor in every room of our house.  We traveled by car with it in the trunk and packed it in a suitcase for the airplane.  Daytime naps and nighttime sleep, we used it every time. Until today.  I have been so nervous and hesitant to wean him from this foam baby recliner, but as he is wanting to sit up and getting closer to rolling over, it's time.  I searched the web for encouragement and an easy answer to my desperate question, "how do I do it??" But no one provided it.  All I found was dozens of mom's saying, "how do I do it??"  I guess once they figured it out those mom's moved on to other things to worry about.  Like I will tomorrow.  So today I'm taking a moment to share the magic answer that may come up in future frantic mothers' web searches... just do it!  Our process went like this:

This morning after his nap I took the chair out of the crib.  That's pretty much it :)

When we returned to the nursery for his afternoon nap I had forgotten about my plan until I saw the empty crib.  This simple move was key for me.  The recliner was already gone so I figured I may as well let William give this sleeping flat thing a try.  I didn't elevate the mattress, but did roll a blanket up in a U-shape to cocoon his body a little.  And I laid him down close to the edge to foster a more cozy atmosphere.  That's it.  I could tell he was a little thrown off, but he didn't put up a fight.  It took him a little while to fall asleep (typical) and he has woken off and on, sometimes putting himself back to sleep.  It'll take a couple days to adjust I'm sure. We have a video monitor that I watched like a hawk.  I was/am especially nervous about this transition regarding his reflux/spitup issues.  Seeing him choke on spitup and sometimes having it come out his nose over the past 4.5 months has stuck with me.  But he's older and all that is much better.

I figured it wouldn't be a huge traumatic deal or anything, but now that we have a baby who sleeps well I didn't want to alter anything that would risk changing that.  But it had to be done sooner than later.  Sooo... if you're working up the nerve to wean your baby from their cozy Nap Nanny... just do it!!  It will not hurt to try.   Just lay your baby down flat in the crib and go from there.  Maybe he/she will still need an incline in the mattress, maybe not.  You won't know until you try.  I hope this helps encourage someone out there.  Please let me know how your transition went and if I can offer you any more encouragement.  Lord knows we all need it.

Now the question is to go cold turkey, or let him sleep in it tonight...

First day home, three days old.

UPDATE 9-2-12: I went cold turkey that night.  And every nap and night since.  It's been five days.  No more Nap Nanny!  His sleep was disrupted a wee bit, but not bad.  Not bad at all.  I've noticed he smells like spitup more often when I get him out of bed now (with NN, that became rare during sleep) but there have been no setbacks.  (Well, his "lovey" ends up on his face more often now. Perhaps because there is no incline to help it fall elsewhere.)  Tonight he's sleeping without the "blanket roll."  Baby Boy really has adapted well.  I'm glad we're past this minor change.  I definitely dramatized it in my head.

PS: Despite my weaning anxieties I would still recommend this product in a heartbeat!

First nap without the Nap Nanny, almost five months old.

Additional Blog

As mother hen and father goose instincts override everything we do, Matt and I present to you our second blog.  We would like to avoid photos of William appearing in random Google searches and being seen by blog surfers around the globe.  So this is an invitation only blog where you can read about and see a more personal side of Manna's World.  Just leave me a message or shoot me an email or send me a text or fire up a smoke signal letting me know you want access.  All I need is your email.  But do not let our discretion scare you away!  If you are in any way connected to us (directly or through the milkman) please don't hesitate to make yourself known.  No matter who you are, let me know if you want to get a better view of the cutest first born baby boy we've ever mothered and fathered.  Join us over at the Robinson Family blog.

Today May I Remember:

• That I requested more intentional path crossing in the morning. So my husband kindly followed me into the room where I fed William breakfast for a quick moment together before he left for work.
• I saw a baby with a flatspot on the side of his head more pronounced than my baby's.  Ahh, relief.
• But that baby's momma probably thought "Her infant is HUGE.  And that drool rash on his neck... oh my," then sighed relief.
• Driving 30 minutes there, and 30 minutes back, at nap time, for a 30 minute baby program at the library can be worth the effort.  It was today.
• I have a healthy body that needs to be exercised. So I took a walk. Twice. 
• My husband said he would try to eat whatever I cooked. So he ate sauteed veggies.
• Feelings of loneliness do pass.  Our new neighbor invited me over to make chocolate chip cookies.

Memories

At the time I thought I'd never forget these things, but now I just may if they don't get written down

Coming home from the hospital and realizing I hadn't brushed my teeth during the entire stay.

Waking up on Mother's Day at 5am after going to sleep at midnight.  William was 5 weeks old and that was my first 5 hour sleep stretch.  He smiled at me for the first time during that early morning feeding.

After shaking with chills and nursing while sitting in front of the space heater on the bathroom floor, I realized something was wrong.  Mastitis and the need for medicine got me out of the house on my own with baby for the first time.  I think William was 3 weeks old.

Matt dressed William for his 2 week checkup.  He put the baby's clothes on backwards.

Matt dressed William for church the first time we took him to the nursery.  He put the baby's clothes clothes on backwards.  I think he was 6 weeks old.

Getting 4 ingrown toenails at once because I went from not being able to reach my toes while pregnant to not giving a flip as to the hygienic needs of my toes while having a newborn.  Still recovering from this. 

Finding drip marks on the floor around the house from my leaking udders. 

I Don't Think I Like Blogging

I'm going to whip this out without much thought.  I think.  I've been sitting at the computer for nearly 90 minutes trying to get a new post going... but have wasted my time fiddling and failing to make a photo collage and reading other blogs.  Even now I am having trouble simply putting my cursor back a sentence to change things but MY CURSOR WON'T MOVE!  Somewhere somehow I started blogging for you.  Not for me.  And it changed my enthuiasism.  Spell check isn't evens wurking.)( Oh there goes the cursor problem again.  What is wrong with my computer?) Who is you?  I don't know.  But you're not me.  Baby is crying.  Naptime wasted.  Except for the chips and bean dip and chocolate and almonds and orange juice that I ate. 

I Think I Caught My Breath, Though Dark Circles Are Still Under My Eyes.

Hallelujah!  Sound the happy bells!  Throw your hands in the air and hug your neighbor's neck!  There are two (Lord, please oh please keep them) predictable baby naps in my day!  And I am back.  But today is just a teaser entry, for I chose to spend my free time showering and shaving because (ring more bells!) my husband flies home tonight after a two week trip away.  Hal-uh-loo-YUH.