1. Put your baby down for naps at the right times.
Naps are more likely to be restorative if you follow your baby’s natural rushes of melatonin output. The time of melatonin surges vary by age, but should occur at roughly these times:
- Babies aged 4-7 months should be napping three times a day, with naps starting at around 9:00 am, 11:30 am, and 3:00 pm.
- Babies aged 7 months and older should be taking two naps, starting at 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.
- Toddlers down to one nap should ideally be taking their nap between 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm.
2. Make your sure your child’s sleep environment is conducive to restorative naps.
It’s a myth and misconception that babies can and should sleep through normal every day sounds. Adults tend to need peace and quite to sleep blissfully and children do, too. Bedrooms should be kept about 68 – 70 degrees fahrenheit and should be kept as dark as possible, implementing black out shades or curtains if needed. Additionally, use white noise as loud as you feel comfortable for all naps and night sleep. Select a sound that is more of a rumble rather than a whirr and be sure to implement the use of white noise at least until your child is done napping.
3. Limit naps “on the go”.
We all lead busy lives and it can be next to impossible for kids to always nap at home. However, napping on the go is as restorative for kids as a red-eye cross country flight is for mom or dad. How many nights a week could you take a red-eye without it affecting the rest of your waking hours? Once? Twice? That’s about how many times a week your child’s naps should be disrupted for out of the house activities. Ultimately it’s always important to do the best you can in balancing your child’s sleep needs and the rest of your responsibilities, so just be aware that sleep occurring in motion and anywhere outside of a dark environment is often not as restorative for a child as at-home sleep in a crib or bed.
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