Mastering nap time for a better night’s sleep
Is your baby waking in the night a little more than you might have hoped for by now? We spoke to sleep consultant Sarah Patel about what’s going on and what you can do.
You are not alone!
Many parents go through phases of night time sleep being incredibly difficult. And these phases vary in length, even though any sleep disruption feels like it lasts forever! But don’t get too caught up in other people’s experiences and routines with their baby. Phases come and go and just about every baby goes through periods of ‘poor’ sleep, they are learning after all.
Naps have a big impact on nighttime sleep
You might have heard the phrase ‘good sleep nurtures good sleep’. What do we mean by that? This is about trying to avoid your baby reaching over-tiredness. A wired, frustrated, irritable baby will find it harder to fall asleep than a baby who is relaxing into sleep at the right time for them. So it’s essential to get daytime naps right and then good nighttime sleep should follow. This is good news for us parents who can spend our waking hours working on baby’s sleep, rather than having to focus immediately on nighttime behaviours, which can be harder. So how do you go about ensuring your baby is getting the most from their naps. For the full guide, check out our Early Years Pack, where Sarah talks in detail about the biology of baby sleep and what you can expect at different stages. But here are a few of the basics.
Check for sleepy signals
The good news is that science is on our side when it comes to sleep. During the day, sleep pressure (the need to sleep) builds up and when this peaks, your baby will be ready to have a nap. Sleep pressure builds at different rates for different people. That’s why some babies can last longer between naps than others. When sleep pressure nears its peak, babies often start to show signs that they are ready for a nap. Common signs can include: quietening down, looking away, fussing, yawning, rubbing eyes and/or ears, back arching, crying or being inconsolable.
Comfort to sleep
Once you spot your little one’s sleepy signals, see if they are ready to have a nap by offering some support such as feeding, rocking, shushing, walking with them in a sling or pram. Often, if they are ready for a nap they will fall asleep fairly quickly, but if you are finding that you are trying for a long time, it may be worth leaving the nap and getting on with the rest of the day; one missed nap isn’t going to make too much of a difference, and they may well catch up during their next nap.
Where to nap?
There is no set place where your baby should sleep, as long as they are safe and you can keep an eye on them. It may be that they sleep in their Moses basket, pram, in a sling or, most likely, especially in the early weeks, on you (whilst you are awake - see the Lullaby Trust’s advice for safer sleeping).
Babies tend to like to sleep anywhere that mimics the womb environment that is somewhere comfortable, warm and with background noise (tv, radio, white noise). In terms of light, you only need to ensure that the night time environment is dark. This is because at night time sleep pressure and the sleep hormone, melatonin (which is produced in the dark) helps us sleep.
Hopefully, these tips will help your baby to develop solid foundations for sleep, but if you are in a sleep rut, please do check out the Early Years Pack, which has practical support and resources. You can watch it any time anywhere, so snap yours up today and you can be using your new knowledge as early as tomorrow’s nap time!
Written by Sarah Patel, Sleep Consultant.
Find out more via www.teachtosleep.co.uk. Private consultations start from £65 and online group workshops from £30pp.