Help! My independent sleeper is taking short naps!
Why is my baby suddenly taking short naps?
You might have gone through the whole process of helping your baby to become an independent sleeper. They no longer rely on you to PUT them to sleep, and are a champ at bedtime. Falling asleep for a nap may be a breeze for your baby, but staying asleep? That’s a whole different story. If short naps are plaguing your family, keep reading for help troubleshooting them.
A short nap is anything less than 45 minutes (aka one sleep cycle). However, if your baby is on 3+ naps, a 30 minute nap at the end of day is fine! Those last naps are simply act as a “bridge” to help your baby make it to their bedtime. If your baby’s first or second nap is less than 45 minutes, you will certainly want to investigate the cause.
Short Naps in Babies Younger than 6 Months
Before I go any further, if your baby is younger than 6 months old, short naps can be developmentally normal. But that doesn’t mean you can’t try to find a way to lengthen them. Nap lengths range from 20 minutes to 2 hours for young babies. Keeping a single nap capped at 2 hours helps to keep your baby’s feeding on a good regular schedule, as well as keeping enough sleep pressure for the subsequent naps that need to happen to get them through the day. Try shifting the timing 5-15 minutes, either shortening or lengthening the wake window. If you have the ability to extend the nap by babywearing or by relaxing with them on the couch go for it! I used to take it as my sign to slow down and rest as well, and just enjoy the baby snuggles.
What causes short naps in babies:
Naps are well-timed
Naps are offered in a environment that is conducive to sleep
You have a good wind down routine before the nap
Timing Your Baby’s Nap
To get the timing of the nap right, you’ll want to make sure that you are familiar with wake times that are age appropriate for your baby. Yes, it’s true that wake times are not evidence-based, however they are a good starting point to find your baby’s sweet spot for timing sleep. If you already have a good idea of what wake times your baby should be on, try shifting it 5-15 minutes in either direction once every few days to see if you can fine tune the timing to result in a longer nap.
If your baby is no longer a newborn, you may have to push past their sleepy cues if they are not proving to be reliable. Your baby could be tired enough to fall asleep, but not tired enough to take a decent nap. Try changing up the activity, going into a different room, or something else your baby enjoys to push past those sleepy cues. This is called building sleep pressure, which is what is needed to fall asleep and stay asleep.
On the topic of sleep pressure, if your baby is nursing or taking a bottle shortly before their nap, make sure they are not dozing while they are feeding. Even if they are actively sucking, if their eyes are closed there is a chance they may be taking a little snooze, which is taking away some of the sleep pressure they will need to carry them through the entire nap. If this sounds familiar, try moving their feeding 30-45 minutes before the nap is due to happen. Keeping your baby engaged and awake can be helpful, as well as feeding in a brightly lit room.
*I attached a small toy to my shirt with a pacifier clip to keep my little one focused and awake while feeding!*
Check Baby’s Sleep Environment
Double check that your baby’s sleep space for naps is cool, dark, and has white noise. During the day extra light can seep in that we don’t notice at bedtime when it may be dark outside. This little bit of extra light can make it difficult for your baby to fall asleep and stay asleep for their nap. Our bodies don’t have the same factors facilitating sleep during the day as they do at night, and making sure it is pitch black in their room can help. It may sound like I’m being nit-picky, but the environment is one thing that is an easy fix!
Fix Your Baby’s Nap Routine
If you don’t already have a nap routine in place, try implementing one! It doesn’t have to be as elaborate as the bedtime routine, just an abbreviated version. A diaper change, sleep sack on, book, song/cuddles, and into the bed is usually sufficient. Some babies, especially older ones, may have a hard time winding down for naps and may run around right before, literally bouncing off the walls. If this sounds like your baby, they may need more time to transition from playtime to naptime. You can move to their room for some quiet playtime, reading extra books or doing puzzles together, before beginning the actual nap routine. Keep your voice calm and soothing, I sometimes will turn off the overhead light in my kiddos rooms, and use a table lamp for lighting instead to promote relaxation.
Short naps can be a real pain if you are tending to your other children, looking for a little break, or need to catch up on work while the baby sleeps. I hope these tips are helpful and if all else fails: EARLY BEDTIME will be your best friend for getting through a short nap phase!! Needing help to tweak all the things? Check out the tune up support!
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