The Truth About Naps
Ahhh the dreaded nap. Many a parent has spent countless hours rocking their baby in a dark room waiting for the splendor of naptime. Want to know the truth? You don’t have to. Keep reading to find out why.
Environment
Can I tell you a secret? There is no "perfect" nap environment. Every baby and every family is different. Every nap might even be different. There is no ideal nap space.
Naps can happen at home, on a parent, in a crib or on a bed, on the go, on the floor…
Wherever a nap safely happens is fine.
That being said, an ideal environment is natural light or darkness. Yes, I said natural LIGHT. Even during the day. No blackout curtains or dark rooms necessary. Babies aren’t born with a mature circadian rhythm (PMID: 25245173). This is why newborns often sleep the day awake and party all night. One way to help give a baby's body a boost to find that rhythm is to avoid blocking out natural light and dark. Go outside first thing in the morning, even if it’s cloudy. Spend time outdoors during the day. Step out your door and say, “Goodnight Moon” in the dark before going to bed. Keep the curtains open during naps. All of this will help their body regulate sleep/wake cycles.
What to Wear
Typically babies are most comfortable in 100% cotton. A sleep sack can be the perfect way to provide warmth and cue the baby that it is time for sleep. Here's my daughter's favorite. It's warm, relatively inexpensive, and I love the prints! (Not an affiliate link, I honestly love those sleep sacks!)
Other than that, whatever your baby is comfortable in is great! Some babies hate zippers, others don't mind them. Some babies are bothered by footed pj's, others love them. Any sort of weighted sleep wear is NOT recommended per the AAP.
Soothe to Sleep
Babies are born with relatively immature and flexible brains. Their emotional brain develops from birth through age three and beyond. When a baby experiences stress their brain sends out stress signals and then… stops. If they are with a caregiver they rely on the caregiver to co-regulate. If they are alone they either stay in a heightened state of stress or their brain shuts down by going to sleep (PMID: 16903808, Cassels et al, 2016).
All of this to say… your baby needs a caregiver to help them fall asleep in a low stress state.
Click here to download my free soothing strategies reference sheet!
When soothing to sleep I highly suggest layering your methods. By that, I mean use more than one method at the same time. So you could combine motion, sound, and taste (ex. rocking, singing, and nursing).
The reason I suggest layering is because at some point you or baby might want to make a change. If you already have a few different ways to soothe baby to sleep making that change will be much easier than if you rely solely on one method.
Schedules
The perfect sleep schedule for a baby at any age is the sleep schedule that works for them. There is no perfect nap time or bedtime at any age. Newborn sleep tends to be messy, unpredictable, and unscheduled. Once a circadian rhythm begins to establish, after 12-14 weeks, babies typically take around 4-5 naps each day (PMID: 25245173). Around 6 months they’ll drop to 3-4 naps, then might drop again to 2-4 naps anytime between 7-12 months.
Here’s why I don’t like schedules.
Time between naps can vary from as little as 30 minutes for newborns to 4 hours for a 1 year old. Time between naps or sleep is often referred to as wake windows. Wake windows can change day to day and nap to nap. For example, a baby might wake up for the day then be ready for nap #1 in just 60 minutes. After that nap baby might be awake and content for 2 hours then take nap #2. Another 2 hours later, they might be ready for nap #3. That last wake window might be shorter or longer than the others depending on how the baby is feeling. Bedtime could be anywhere from 60 minutes to 2 hours after waking from nap #3. Or, if baby had a particularly stressful or exciting day they could need even longer than normal to wind down to be ready for bed.
Rather than following a schedule, pay attention to sleep cues. When your baby is acting tired, support them to sleep. That could be in any of the places or ways discussed earlier in this post.
You can find a free sleepy cues download in my Help! My Baby is Overtired! post.
Further, nap length can vary greatly day to day, nap to nap, and baby to baby. While babies' sleep cycles are typically 45-60 minutes in length, there is no research that I am aware of which proves a baby must complete a full sleep cycle for a nap to be restful. Some babies are cat nappers and nap only 20ish minutes. Others are happy to snooze for a solid hour and a half. Both naps can be perfectly restful and just what that baby needs at that time. The thing is, nap lengths can be pretty unpredictable until after 6 months. Trust that your baby will get the sleep they need and go with the flow. If baby wakes earlier than you hoped… let it go. Let the nap go and move on with your day.
References
Cassels, A. the A. T., Cassels, T., & Sleep and "Self-Soothing" Round-up - Ali Monaghan March 8. (2020, December 8). Stress and extinction sleep training: It's Not so simple. Evolutionary Parenting | Where History And Science Meet Parenting. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://evolutionaryparenting.com/stress-and-extinction-sleep-training-its-not-so-simple/
Gunnar M, Quevedo K. The neurobiology of stress and development. Annu Rev Psychol. 2007;58:145-73. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085605. PMID: 16903808.
Joseph D, Chong NW, Shanks ME, Rosato E, Taub NA, Petersen SA, Symonds ME, Whitehouse WP, Wailoo M. Getting rhythm: how do babies do it? Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2015 Jan;100(1):F50-4. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2014-306104. Epub 2014 Sep 22. PMID: 25245173.
Ockwell-Smith, Sarah P. (2021, January 26). Why your baby will never 'sleep through the night'! Smith. Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://sarahockwell-smith.com/2016/10/20/why-your-baby-will-never-sleep-through-the-night/
Publications.aap.org. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2022, from https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/150/1/e2022057991/188305/Evidence-Base-for-2022-Updated-Recommendations-for?_ga=2.157732410.1220000640.1666912620-1830424361.1666542932%3Fautologincheck
