Troubleshooting Short Naps for Babies
Short naps can be so frustrating! Who really likes to troubleshoot short naps for babies?
Especially if you’re using nap time to be productive or you just need a moment alone (totally understand). It’s especially hard if you’re working from home, homeschooling older siblings, or need to make plans to do something!
I get it– most people want a predictable day time schedule/routine. So my first disclaimer is that short naps can be developmental. Meaning, day sleep tends to consolidate around 5-6 months (and sometimes not until they’re on 2 naps). This doesn’t mean that naps can’t get longer before that but if you have had a chronic cat-napper since birth….. That just may be who your child is. And there is nothing wrong with that!
I say that so that you can stop killing yourself trying to make everything “perfect” and get frustrated if it doesn’t work out. Release yourself from the pressure. Offer sleep, but don’t take it personally if they don’t do what they’re “supposed” to.
Also, if your nights are really great and you’re having short naps… pick your battles. Appreciate the good nights you’re getting and laugh off the short naps.
So let’s run through our short nap checklist!
Sleep environment: is it dark enough??? Like do you fumble around trying to find the door? If not… make it darker. Get creative! Light will disrupt sleep and make it harder for them to return to sleep. Also, check your sound machine. We want it to be around 60-65dB to benefit sleep.
Schedule: triple check wake times, log sleep, and make adjustments. Would they benefit from a consistent schedule (having naps around the same time each day)? Log sleep and analyze it!
Are they really falling asleep independently for the nap? Not drowsy whatsoever? What about pacifier use? That can fragment sleep too! I’d make sure any feeding before a nap ends about 30-45 minutes before!
Do you give them a chance to go back to sleep? That means not going in right away to grab them, sleep training for a short period of time or just leaving them if they’re happy!
Nap routine: Keep it short and simple, but definitely have one! Diaper change, book, sleep sack, white noise, lights off, key words and down into their crib.
If you’ve checked off all the things, then your bonus option (should you choose to accept it– name that movie), is to try the wake to sleep method!
This is where you would go in about 10 minutes before their usual wake up, rouse them ever so slightly, just enough to see some movement. Then leave. The idea is to bring them into a new sleep cycle without totally waking them in order to break the short nap cycle!
This is something you’d need to attempt for at least a week or so to see any results!
As always, if you need more help with naps, there are lots of options to support you but the very best would be the facebook group membership! For $19/month, you have access to ALL materials we’ve created as resources for you and the ability to ask as many questions as you need to get your sleep issues solved (from certified sleep consultants!)
