Around the time that your little one graduates from being a ‘newborn’ to a ‘baby’ you will notice that their daytime sleep habits change. Once able to snooze in the car-seat, Ergo, or stroller in loud, bright places, they now start to fight napping in exchange for people watching…
This is your cue that the time has come for a quiet, dark, peaceful space for your baby to take their naps. Unfortunately for Mom & Dad this means being stuck inside the house for what feels like forever.
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| "You think you're trapped at home! Do you have any idea how many hours I spend in this crib?" |
This is even harder when you have other children that don’t find sitting at home ‘being quiet’ very much fun!
I don’t have a one-size-fits-all solution to this, and I strongly believe naps should be taken at home in order to establish a good nap routine, but here are some tips on making it more manageable:
- Try to keep the morning nap(s) at home, and the afternoon nap(s)s can be on the go. The morning naps are always the easiest for babies to master, so give them the opportunity to get into a good routine at home. Some babies really struggle with the last nap of the day, and if this is the case, let them sleep in the car/Ergo/stroller while you’re out. Don’t expect these naps to be very long, but they will at least carry them over until bedtime.
- Invite friends over to your house for play dates so that you and your older child(ren) can still have a social life, and you and keep up with the nap training. Win win!
- Know that it won’t last forever. If you have other children, you will remember that sleep patterns change pretty quickly in the grand scheme of things, so enjoy the down time.
Thanks Lauren! This is soooo my life right now! Our once busy mornings have turned into too much TV time and not enough active play for my almost three year old. I keep reminding myself, "This too shall pass."
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Lauren is a certified sleep coach and DONA trained postpartum doula. Her passion for helping tired parents began when her own newborn daughter's constant crying and terrible sleep habits finally got the best of her. Visit her blog and Facebook page for more information.
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