6 Ways to Extend your Baby’s Nap
For all the tired parents who dream of a child that takes long, peaceful naps—this post is for you!
Good sleep is important for your baby and, let’s be honest, your sanity. While sleep patterns and nap lengths are different for every child, there are a few things you can do to extend your child’s nap.
When they wake, finish as a contact nap
Unlike co-sleeping, contact napping is when a baby sleeps with their body against a parent AND the parent is awake! Contact napping is safe because the baby/child is the only one sleeping.
The cozy embrace of your arms is so comforting to your baby it may help them to extend their nap for an hour or more.
If they consistently wake up after the same amount of sleep, you can proactively go in and shhhhh/pat/rock to support them to link sleep cycles.
Linking sleep cycles is the process of connecting multiple bursts of sleep together to create a longer period of sleep overall. While this might take some effort on your behalf to support your child, more sleep is a win for the entire family (and especially a tired mama!).
Optimise your child’s sleep environment.
A dark, cool room with white noise is the optimal environment for sleep.
Ideally, the room temperature should be between 68° to 72°F (20° to 22°C).
A white noise sleep aid may not only help your baby fall asleep but may further aid sleep. Active 2: Studies have demonstrated that white noise can be helpful, particularly for babies or children who are accustomed to being surrounded by noise. Consequently, a much quieter environment, like their own nursery or room, may actually hinder their ability to sleep.
Additionally, sleep aids can help block out household noise. This is especially useful for families with children of various ages and routines.
Full feeds before nap (or a top-up feed) to reduce waking due to hunger
Babies’ tummies are tiny, hence why they need to be fed every few hours. Hunger is often the culprit for waking a sleeping baby, and a baby who is hungry will rarely go back to sleep until they’ve been fed.
To ensure your baby’s tummy is full, do a full feed before a nap. If this isn’t possible, a top-up feed is a great alternative.
Pause and allow some time to see if they’ll resettle themselves
Babies will often stir between sleep cycles, and this is totally normal, so don’t stress if you hear them moan or grizzle. If you don’t hear crying, give them the opportunity to resettle on their own.
There is no hard and fast rule for how long you should give them to resettle, but I recommend no more than 10-20min.
Experiment with wake times, perhaps they need longer to build sleep pressure for a longer nap
Baby wake times are essential for creating sleep pressure for a longer nap, but they might be shorter than you expect. So, paying attention to your baby’s wake times can make all the difference to their sleep routine. Wake times vary for every baby, and they will increase as your baby grows and develops.
Optimizing your baby’s sleep routine can be super frustrating, and it will change as your baby grows and develops. There is no perfect formula, nor any perfect sleep-whispering parent. If the lady at the café is telling you all about her perfect sleeping child, ignore her. Implement these tips and continue to adjust your baby’s routine until you find what works.
If you feel you need more of a 1:1 approach to guide you through this challenge, I work with parents to create a holistic approach that educates, empowers and supports parents. More information can be found here.
You’re doing great!