A nap is, without a doubt, a tired parent's favorite time of day. Baby takes a good nap, leaving mom and dad time to have some well-deserved "me time".
But of course, for your baby's nap to be the favorite time of the day, your baby must, of course, take this famous nap. And therein lies the problem, for many parents!
But why ? Why doesn't your baby take a nap, especially when you've tried everything? Chances are your baby won't nap for one of the 7 reasons listed below.
Baby refuses to take a nap? Discover 7 reasons:
1/ Your baby is not tired enough to take a nap
Well, this one makes sense, right? Even if you think it's nap time, if your baby is feeling wide awake and full of energy , then he may not agree with you! So why wouldn't your baby be tired enough to take a restorative nap? Take a close look at your baby's sleeping and feeding schedule. Is nap time too close to when your baby wakes up in the morning , or too close to the time of the last nap ? As your baby gets older, he'll need more and more awake time between sleep periods.
2/ Your baby is too tired to take a nap
I know, I know... how can "too tired" be a problem? Well, it's true, an overtired baby actually has a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep than a well-rested baby. If your baby has recently missed a nap, for example, or had a lot of interrupted sleep, or went to bed too late the night before, or got up way too early this morning, it may very good that your baby is too tired , and that is why he does not take a good nap. The key to preventing excessive fatigue is a well-designed schedule. Make sure your daily schedule doesn't stretch your baby's awake time beyond his capacity.
3/ Your baby doesn't know it's time to take a nap.
Your baby can't really check his watch, after all ;). Just as you need to know it's bedtime to settle into your bed and start falling asleep, your baby knows it too. So how can you let her know it's time to settle down and take a nap? By creating and systematically applying a pre-nap routine ! Just like a bedtime routine, a nap routine signals your baby that nap time is approaching. In this article , I give you a 6-step method to get a baby to sleep easily.
A nap should be shorter than a bedtime . And it should be soothing and relaxing enough to calm even the most feisty baby. Just make sure that whatever you do for your nap, you do it consistently every nap. This is how it will become a routine for your baby and as a result it will start to help him calm down and nap when he is supposed to.
4/ Your baby is not in a "calm" environment.
Where does your baby nap? Is it in a dark room, with a slight white noise in the background? Or is it in the backseat of your well-lit car? Or in the stroller, in the middle of a crowded store? Or in your arms, in a noisy room? While newborns sleep and can fall asleep just about anywhere, in any position, older babies and young children need a sleep-conducive environment that is fairly quiet, dark and quiet, in order to sleep well.
5/ Your baby is in the middle of a transition in the number of naps or a developmental leap.
Take comfort, this one has nothing to do with you! And maybe that's why, even if you do everything "right", your babies still have a hard time napping. A common sign that a nap transition is approaching is your baby starting to skip a nap occasionally (usually the last nap of the day). And when your baby takes that nap, it may be more of a makeshift nap than a long, restful nap. Also, your baby may be in the midst of sleep regression (such as sleep regression at 4 months or 8/9/10 months ), and this may be the cause of napping problems. We see in more detail in this article , the number of naps your baby needs.
6/ Your baby is too hungry to take a nap
Many of us who are "obsessed with sleep" immediately jump to schedules and reasons for sleep deprivation when faced with sleep issues . But guess what? Sleep problems are often caused by a hungry belly ! Check your baby's nap schedule, then see how it aligns with his feeding schedule. Is your baby's nap in the middle of a feeding? Most of the time it's a good idea to feed your baby shortly before nap time (but not right before, allow yourself some time to burp and digest, especially if your baby has tend to have reflux).
7/ Your baby doesn't know how to fall asleep (and stay asleep) at nap time.
This one may surprise you. It seems strange that a baby doesn't know how to fall asleep, doesn't it? Falling asleep is it not a phenomenon that occurs? Well, no, not really. Knowing how to lie down, get drowsy, and fall asleep is actually a learned skill .
If you want your baby to nap independently, then your baby will need to know how to do it. And if your baby is heavily dependent on you to fall asleep, because he has sleep associations that involve things like breastfeeding, or being rocked and held by you, then you may need to help . your baby learn to fall asleep with less help. And that's where nap mastery comes in. For more details on how to put a baby to sleep in 6 simple steps, click here .
Questions or advice on the siesta? We love to hear from you! Scroll down to ask questions, share your story and hear from other parents just like you!
Do you want your baby to sleep through the night?
In this free guide , you'll discover 5 things you absolutely need to know.
With a unique approach and practical tools for success, this guide will help you and your baby sleep better through the night.
