Baby Won’t Sleep in a Bassinet? How to Get Your Baby to Nap Without Being Held

Baby won’t sleep in a bassinet? Baby won’t sleep unless held? I’ve been there and it’s exhausting. But I found a way to overcome the problem, and today I’m going to share with you how to transfer your napping baby from your arms.

My Baby Won’t Sleep Unless Held, and I’m Exhausted

I found a trick that helps me retain my sanity!

Sleep has been the bane of my life since I had children – their refusal, and my consequent lack of. Because I choose to breastfeed, it’s on me – apart from during the hell of colic thanks to CMPA, I’ve never expected my husband to get up in the night.

But I have found a trick that helps me retain my sanity, and I’m going to share my tip for if your baby refuses to nap. This is how to get a baby to nap without being held and how to transfer a sleeping baby. If your baby won’t nap, you need to read this.

It took a completely different approach to find a solution.

Help – My Baby Won’t Sleep in a Bassinet!

I’ve always been adamant about co-sleeping being a no-no for us; not that I judge – I just value my marriage. Not that I’m saying you don’t if you co-sleep – but my hubby wouldn’t tolerate it very well. Not that I’m saying – I’m just going to move on now…

Anyway, we had a lot of trouble with Pixie’s sleep for what felt like a very long time. (I don’t want to admit the nightly wakings are creeping back in, but, well…they kind of are. I’m currently choosing to ignore the fact and hope it goes away.)

My baby wouldn’t happily sleep in her cot, and it took a completely different approach to find a solution.

It was a tough period in the Tunstall household, and resulted in our daughter’s blog-nickname: the Devil Pixie.

Throughout that phase we brought her into our bed as infrequently as we could get away with, the intention being that we absolutely wanted to avoid it becoming the norm for her. From experience, once a routine has been established for a little person, it’s very hard to break…

But we finally nailed it – more or less – and ‘Devil’ has accordingly been dropped (unless she’s being particularly cheeky, in which case it tends to pop back up in my writing!).

When Baby Won’t Nap…

However, despite my (arguably impressive) perseverance and refusal to take the easy option of allowing Pixie to sleep beside me every night – it wasn’t all rosy. Her naps were an altogether different matter.

Controlled crying is not for us. I have my reasons for choosing not to follow this approach under our roof, and I don’t wish to alienate anybody so I’m not going to harp on about them – we all have to find a way to survive those first months, so each to their own.

Suffice to say, as Pixie approached her second birthday she still – still – refused to nap in her bed during the day.

How to Get Your Baby to Nap Without Being Held

My solution (confession)? Since she was about, ooh, six months old probably – she napped in her pushchair.

Every. Single. Day.

But, the purpose of this post is not an invitation for people to gasp in shock at the situation I created out of desperation.

Incidentally, my regret at failing to get my young daughter into a bed for her naps was offset by my proud determination to march until she reached the land of nod. Sometimes I pounded the pavements for close to an hour before she quit fighting it.

So what’s my motivation for sharing? To help parents in my situation – because there must (surely?) be others.

I might be about to change your life.

How to Transfer a Sleeping Baby

But back to the real purpose of this post. You may be reading and wondering what on earth happens if she falls asleep in the car? Allow me to introduce to you the notion of the Magic Window.

THIS is your opportunity.

If you’ve never heard of it, I might be about to change your life. 

Basically, there’s a ten to fifteen minute period after your child succumbs to sleep during which you can do pretty much whatever you wish with them – and they will continue to slumber peacefully. I’m not endorsing drawing silly eyebrows on them, but whatever floats your boat.

The point is, if your infant passes out in the car, so long as you attempt the transfer manoeuvre within that magic window – you’re home and dry.

Essentially, what you’re aiming for is that precious window during which limbs become heavy and do not respond to your touch. If you lift an arm and the wrist is limp – THIS is your opportunity.

How to Get A Baby to Nap – My Failsafe Tip!

In my experience, if you miss those golden first ten minutes, but catch twelve to fifteen – you’re veering into extremely dangerous territory: I’d place myself at approximately 50/50 success within this period.

But three to ten minutes? I can confidently say I have a very respectable 96% success rate, which is not to be sniffed at.

It makes having a life that little bit easier to fit in around naps, because I can move her while she’s sleeping. It means:

• We’re not confined to the house;
• I can take a walk;
• I’m able to work from a café;

…Or, whatever. In other words – bliss!

I look forward to the brief reprieve of naptime with fondness each day, and already I’m preemptively mourning its end. I dread the inevitable conclusion of my daily respite during which I put my feet up/catch up with Netflix/paint my nails flit around cleaning and tidying like Monica on speed.

So, judge me if you will – but until that day comes to pass, I shall continue to encourage Pixie’s pushchair zzz’s.