As parents, we of course, love holding our babies. Sometimes, we just can’t get enough of holding those tiny, warm, fidgety and cute bundles of joy, but there are other times where we need to get some things done around the house or take care of our own personal hygiene among other things. Theoretically, this can be done during daytime naps, but sometimes, our babies or toddlers won’t let us set them down to nap. Most of the time, this isn’t an issue, but it is certainly nice to have the option to be able to set your child down for an hour or so in order to take care of other things. In today’s article, we’re going to cover how you can gain a little more freedom during the day by avoiding being “nap trapped” by your little one.
Getting Started
In order to get out of the contact sleep nap cycle aka “nap trap” you must do a little table setting, if you want to be successful as quickly as possible. We must be very conscious of our baby’s needs and how to meet them before they can comfortably sleep independently. It helps to approach the steps of establishing the sleep foundations for the child with intention. If nothing in their routine changes, then their need for contact sleep has no reason to change. Overtime, this continuous contact sleep can become very habitual for your baby.
The Process
Here is how to create the perfect situation in which your child can sleep more independently during naps (and even at night time!).
- A good sleep environment
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- This is crucial to your success. Help achieve this by making sure their nap area is dark, in a quiet area, warm (around 70F to 72F), and has some form of brown or white noise at a low volume.
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- Age appropriate routine for baby/child
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- Babies are nothing if not creatures of habit. Try to really schedule a routine each day that revolves around waking, eating, and napping all at the same times. They will learn the routine quickly and before you know it, they will come to expect it, thus physically priming their body to want to nap when you need them.
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- Proper intake of milk and solids
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- Can you sleep well after skipping dinner? Your baby can’t either! Make sure their belly is full from a recent feeding/meal before embarking on nap time.
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- Indications of some self-soothing skills
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- If your baby is comforted by a pacifier, or rubs their hands together, or rocks their head from side to side, or hums, or rubs part of their clothing rhythmically, then they are self soothing. To encourage these and other self soothing skills, it helps to put them down in their crib for a nap and then stay with them and give your baby some time to try out these soothing tactics. Try not to physically touch them and help right away. This is called ‘Le Pause’. After a few minutes you may try some crib side soothing where a parent physically soothes while the baby is still in the crib. Be ready to step in if baby is beginning to get upset. Just know that over time, with more practice and exposure, your baby will gradually get better and better at falling asleep without as much contact and/or help from you.
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- Make sure discomfort or medical challenges for the baby/child are addressed
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- Along with their food and milk needs, make sure that prior to sleep that they are in a clean, dry diaper, clean sleeping clothes, and that all rashes and other areas of potential discomfort are dealt with.
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- Consistent and gradual exposure to the sleep space
- We touched on this above, but the general premise is that with more exposure and consistency, the habit and routine of falling asleep independently becomes the new ‘norm’.
Before You Go
We hope you enjoyed learning about tips for avoiding getting “nap trapped” each day. If you would like to know more about this, our sleep learning, consulting or training programs or any of our excellent newborn care services, we are happy to help. Just contact us and we can go over your options and help you find the best path for your little one.
We hope these tips have helped you along your journey. If you have any questions about helping your baby to sleep better, or about your baby in general, please reach out to us HERE. We are experts in all things baby and sleep and would love to help!
About The Author: 💤Katie Bishop | The Early Weeks 💤
✅ Certified Master Pediatric Sleep Consultant
✅ Board Certified Holistic Healthcare Practitioner
✅ Advanced Newborn Care Specialist
