TO NAP? OR NOT TO NAP?
As mothers, we have preconceived ideas about how much our baby should be sleeping. But babies, much like adults, are very individual in their sleep patterns – how much they sleep, when they sleep, and how they will fall asleep is challenging to predict.
In the first few weeks up to about three months from when your baby is born – do NOT expect any such thing as a routine. Babies, in the first few months of their arrival, eat, sleep and wake around the clock, and there will be nothing predictable about it. Just go with it – they will gradually start sleeping more at night. Yes! We pinky swear!
For any child, unto the age of 3, naps are essential. Children who nap are well-rested and find it easier to fall into fixed sleeping patterns or routines. Naps help a child’s growth, development, and health.
But it is crucial to monitor, and to some extent, control the napping.
You should make it happen!
Notice for signs of sleepiness. Yawning, rubbing their eyes, fluttering eyelids, crankiness or crying and a lack of interest in being fed – these are classic cues that your baby id ready to be put down for a nap.
The ambience is important, particularly for tiny babies. They’re sensitive to changes in light, noise or temperature. If you keep this consistent, putting them down for a nap will be much easier.
Put your child down on his/her back. This is important. If you put your child is down on his/her back when you notice that he/she child is tired, they can see the environment around them while they fall asleep. And they’re less likely to wake up startled. This also makes it easier for them to develop the habit of falling asleep even if you’re not in the room and therefore, napping independently.
Stay consistent. It’s a known fact that all babies fight sleep. As they grow attached to the people and environment around them, they want to stay awake and be around you. But staying consistent with their nap routines is necessary to create healthy sleep patterns.
So it’s quite simple –
N – Notice for signs of sleepiness
A – Ambience Control, i.e., quiet room, and adequate darkness and optimum temperature
P – Put your child down on his/her back
S – Stay consistent