How do I rescue a day of short naps?
Has anyone else been living the #shortnaplife? It’s not my favourite place to be.
Short naps are naps that last 20-30 minutes. They are especially rough on the mental health of everyone involved … for a few reasons.
As parents, we often feel a sense of relief after we lay baby down for their nap - especially once we see them drift off to sleep on the monitor. Whew. Time for a break. We go over our mental list of goals: shower, cup of tea, favourite page-turner. We turn the water on in anticipation, and set the kettle to boil. But just as we’re stepping out of the shower, we hear that telltale waaaaaaaaaaa! So much for the tea.
But it’s more than not being able to get in a full “break”.
It also means that baby isn’t getting consecutive sleep. This broken sleep leaves them less rested. Since a full sleep cycle takes about 40-50 minutes, a 20-30 minute nap means that baby has only completed part of the cycle (the part that clears out unwanted chemicals from the brain, sorts memory, and builds the immune system).
And this lack of sleep makes for a fussy baby and a stressful day with a thrown-off rhythm.
So how can you rescue the day when there’s been a short nap?
Extend the nap by rocking or motion. This is a way we can lengthen out the nap when baby is struggling from overtiredness or being in a different environment. And there’s no harm in having a cuddle nap if you want to!
Slide a catnap in. This is a perfect solution if there is a full awake time (plus an extra 20-30m). Because it’s too long to make it to bedtime without being overtired, yet there won’t be enough sleep pressure for a full nap. Split the awake time and tuck a nap in.
Pull bedtime forward. This is an awesome solution that can help the end of the day.
It is always better to pull bedtime earlier than push bedtime later as night time sleep is more beneficial for the body. You can pull bedtime as much as an hour early.
Everyone has an off day with short naps once in a while. If your baby consistently struggles with short naps, let’s chat. You can reach me at hello@littlewinks.ca or on Instagram at @littlewinkssleep
And if you’d like some tips for extending medium naps (40-50 minutes), check out my YouTube video here:
Happy snoozing,
Anna