Baby naps – the thing that can really make or break our day!
For many, naps felt easier in the newborn days. Lots of cuddles, frequently sleeping but as we know this lovely newborn bubble can change so quickly.
Whether we love them or dislike them, baby naps are here for the longer term and really are an important part of our baby’s development and sleep needs. So we might as well make these as easy and as stress free as possible, right?
We’re joined by Jade Zammit from Beyond The Stars who is here to offer her expert advice and tips when it comes to naps for your baby.
Some of us thrive on routines and timings, where as some may love a more “go-with-the-flow” approach. For some it can be quite overwhelming!
There is no right or wrong here – it’s what works best for you and your baby. And I’m going to share my top tips with you in how to find that balance and fully optimise your day sleep to support great nights too.
1. The Environment
Babies don’t actually need to nap in the dark! We don’t produce melatonin in the day, so it isn’t necessary. However – for some babies they are very easily stimulated and struggle to wind down in a brighter environment, so it may be easier for them to nap in a darkened room to allow them to wind down and be ready for sleep! It can also help mimic their bedtime routine and sleep cues too.
The same can be said for noise – for some babies they can sleep anywhere, and noise has no impact. For others, they can be easily roused and so a quiet environment may be the key. If you are out and about or are in a noisier environment, some white noise in there with them can help mask this. At Happity we love the LUMI Portable Pro Max White Noise Machine.
2. Understanding Sleep Cycles
Baby’s sleep cycles are roughly between 30-45 minutes. They transition into deeper sleep after the first 10 minutes and start to enter lighter phases of sleep after 30 minutes. It can take time for them to knit these cycles together, but there are some important key tips here!
From the age of 4 months (you know that giant development leap they take at this stage?) is where they start to realise if they wake somewhere different from where they fall asleep. If their sleep association in where they fall asleep is strong, often when they stir into lighter sleep phases in a different position, this can be enough to wake them fully out of the nap.
Understanding these sleep cycles can be key. For example, if little one falls asleep in the car and you want to transfer to the cot – make sure it is between the 10-20 minutes into sleep or the chances are they’ll probably wake!
3. Find YOUR Baby’s Ideal Timings!
If we Google “sleep schedules” you may be faced with really generic advice. And not all routines work for every child of that age. The key is finding the ideal timings for YOUR little one. We want that balance of where they are ready for sleep, without being under-tired or overtired!
Keep a sleep diary – whether this be on an app, or a good old-fashioned bit of pen and paper. Identify what timings give them the best nap. Find what wake windows work well for them.
Sleep is rarely linear, and their sleep pressure is forever changing. Start on smaller wake windows and work up to find their ideal settle time. And when things start to change in their day or night sleep, this will help you see the patterns and where the tweaks may be needed especially if a transition to drop a nap is near!
4. A Balance Of Wake Windows, Sleep Cues & Routine Timings
Honestly, there needs to be a balance of all of these. Baby naps may not always go to plan, and we don’t want to be left feeling lost every day or in the dark deep hole of nap maths!
Sleep cues – are important – as once they show these signs we have a very short window of time before overtiredness hits! But some babies don’t show sleepy cues – so they can’t always be relied upon.
Wake Windows & Timings – wake windows are important to ensure we get their sleep pressure right. Too early will bring a nap fight, as will the nap being too late. When little ones are too far stretched in timings, overtiredness takes over and their upset grows too. Also, having some structure helps bring consistency to your days and nights.
5. The Settle
Is your settle approach consistent with how they are settled at night? Or are you finding yourself nap trapped? Whilst many mums love the snuggles, for some it brings a feeling of overwhelm and it’s ok to feel this too. Often little ones get to a stage where they also start resisting the rocking but unsure how to sleep on their own, bringing a huge nap fight.
Making changes to sleep rhythms are easier done at night when they are much more ready to sleep. You may want to work on sleep association changes at night first, for a few days, before changing the baby naps so that they don’t fight that transition in the day.
Jade Zammit – Beyond The Stars
I hope this helps in your focus areas when it comes to baby naps. Think of these things individually and set yourself a plan to fully get the naps where you’d like them to be, and as calm as can be! When all of these come together, you have a recipe for calm and consistent naps.
I know this is easier said than done – if you want further support you can reach out to me through the linked website below anytime.
Jade is a mum of two, and with a roller coaster of sleep challenges behind her and extreme sleep deprivation she decided she wanted to support other families in this, making sure no one ever felt unsupported in sleep. After intensive study and qualifications, she started up business in 2021.
See Jade’s website for more details, and have a look at her courses. Also have a look at her Instagram.
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