Transitioning from swings to cribs for naps

How did you transition from swings to cribs for naps? My 4.5 mo old b/g twins are exclusively in swings for naps. We are going on a family vacation on the other side of the country in mid Oct when they will be exactly 6 mos and I'd like to be in cribs by then.

I have a very good pre nap routine - music, projector, white noise, lovie, dark room. I rock each baby for a minute or two in my arms then put in swing awake and they usually fall asleep no issues. The twins sleep in rock n plays at night and I need to get them out of those too.

My mom was visiting last week so I decided to put DD in her crib instead of swing to see what happened. (The swing is right next to her crib). She fell right asleep on her own! This continued the rest of day. I thought I was successful. Well over the next few days it got harder and harder for her to fall asleep. It ended up with her getting worked up b/c she couldn't fall asleep and me having to shush and jiggle the heck out of her for every nap by the fourth day, then her waking up 10, 20 minutes into the nap and me having to come soothe her. Sometimes it was taking me 20 minutes of shush/jiggling her to fall asleep which is not sustainable when I am here alone all day with both twins.

I decided to cut back and try one nap/day in the crib. I've had limited success and today was a total failure with her so worked up.

How did others successfully transition to cribs from swings, and at what age did you make the transition? I feel like at this point CIO may have to be an option which I really don't want to do.

 

We made the transition about 7 1/2 months. We just did it cold turkey, after doing CIO for bedtime. It was completely smooth and uneventful for us. I wouldn't worry about it until the trip if it were me.

 

We made the transition at about the same age (4.5 mos). I did it gradually with one nap at a time. It took probably 2-3 wks before they napped for very long in the cribs.. I did do some limited CIO at first. Just stick with it and it will get better.

 

Are they actually rocking in the swings? I would start by cutting out the rocking. Put them in the swing like normal, swaddled, but not turned on. After a few days of that, try taking them out of the swing, swaddled tightly, put them in the crib but wrap rolled blankets around their sides and their feet. It will give them the illusion that they are still snuggled in a swing. You can try raising the head of their crib up by stacking sturdy books under the legs of one end, or by using a flat pillow or folded blanket under one end of the mattress. And I would do a bit of CIO if necessary. You don't have to put them in and leave them until they cry themselves to sleep. I do modified CIO. I go in every minute or two to shush them, pat them, replace paci's...etc. But don't pick them up just comfort them in the crib.

Mine never slept in swings on a regular basis, but they did used to nap on the couch near me. Around 4-5 months when they started getting more wiggly, and started napping more consistently, I moved them to their crib (they shared one at the time). I did have to do a bit of CIO for my daughter, but my son took to the crib very easily. It never took my daughter longer than 15 minutes to settle down, and within a couple days she was sleeping easily in the crib for naps. Nighttime was another story

 

I'm trying to figure out what to do with my 7.5 month old b/g twins too, with their naps. I don't like the idea of taking them to their cribs since they're upstairs and I don't want them being taken up and down during the day. I worry a bit too much! We have used a swing where they take turns, and sleep so well I hate to stop it. But I know they need to learn to nap without the swing. We have two pack-n-plays and I thought I could use those for naps, and maybe a modified CIO. I really don't know how else to do it with two! I'm almost thinking what a previous poster said, just do it cold turkey. My question though is, do you stick with a strict schedule? I can't always stick to the same thing, and I feel like that might mess with their ability to fall asleep for naps. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to get them to nap at the same time, I almost always have one baby awake and I don't get a lot of time to get house work done!

 

The best way to get them closer to the same schedule is to wake them up at the same time in the morning and up from naps.

 

Ok, I have another question...sorry to the OP, I don't mean to hijack your thread!! Dh and I decided to try and have the twins nap in their cribs upstairs after all and not in their pack-n-plays downstairs. Right now, they both sleep through the night, very rarely do they wake up during the night and I want to keep it that way. Will them napping in their cribs confuse them and have them start waking during the night thinking they were just napping? Or will they nap for an extremely long time thinking it's night? I'm wondering if it all has to do with their natural clocks and they'll just somehow get it....

 

Yes, I think it is about their natural clocks and your bedtime routine. This, I think, is a very clear cue that it is bedtime, not nap time, because you only do that routine in the evening. I remember heavily resisting going upstairs for naps because it just felt like too much up and down but it is pretty easy now that they only do 2-3 sleeps a day. Also, if their bedroom is nice and dark during the day they may very well sleep better. We use blackout curtains and white noise for all sleeps. They definitely know the difference between day and night and don't wake up from nighttime sleep as if it's a nap. A consistent bedtime (ours is between 6:45 and 7:00) helps with this too. I say go for it on the move to crib naps. It was great for me to have some space downstairs while they slept upstairs so you may enjoy it. Good luck!

 

No, the napping in their cribs will most definitely not confuse them during the night - there is a lot of difference between night and day sleep and napping and sleeping falls best in line with your circadian rhythms, when the earth rotates on it's axis - which is why we sleep at night for longer. A baby's biological rhythm develops slowly and as they mature, they will start to sleep better which is why you wouldn't want to confuse a newborn's day from night sleep, but as they are older, you would do them well to have a semblance of routine, which was in line with their circadian rhythms.

IMO, you've made a great decision in putting them upstairs in their cribs, you are teaching them healthy habits

 

Ok thanks! I do think it was a good idea to move them upstairs too! They napped up there earlier and I was able to get so much done without having to tip toe around and whisper! It's so much nicer. Let's hope this works, baby girl went down just fine, baby boy cried for a bit. We'll keep working on it.