How to Stretch Awake Windows

You know that moment? Sure you do. That moment when life feels just a bit too good … 

• You’re sleeping until 7am

• You have the time to actually work out or finish a full cup of coffee during a nap

• Your baby’s bedtime routine is so on-point that you’ve been able to #netflixANDchill?

You begin to feel human again. 

You start remembering this person - this fun, social, active, functional human being with dreams and goals.

(It’s you, by the way, before the tidal wave of parenthood hit you and took your sense of self with it. Insert wink face here. But also a crying face beside it because we all got hit with some truth there). 

And just as life is starting to feel normal and you feel capable again … BAM:

• Baby starts taking forever to fall asleep at bedtime

• You’re being woken up before the sun rises 

• Naptime becomes a battle … and you feel like you’re on the losing side 

Why? You wonder. What happened?

Here’s the good news: It’s not you. You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t change. But, newsflash: Your baby did.

As our littles develop and get older, their sleep needs change. The amount of naps that they need each day decrease over time. 

So if you are reading this and thinking, Yes! This is us. What the heck is happening? then you’ve come to the right blog. 

It is likely that your baby’s awake time has increased (this is the time baby is able to stay awake before needing a nap). 

(Not sure what the right awake time is for your baby? Click here to download our free Sleep Chart for Healthy Development).

How do you get back into the rhythm you were so-enjoying before? Extend your baby’s awake time. 

How do you do that? I’m glad you asked. Here are some tips:

Extend in 5-15 minute increments every few days. If baby was going down for their first nap at 9:00am, you’ll put them down at 9:15am for the next few days instead.

In that 5-15 minute extra bit of time, choose an engaging activity.

Here are some activities you can do with you baby:

Look in a mirror - babies are especially alert and curious about their reflections. You can have fun making faces together or pointing out the different parts of baby's face.

Play on the floor together - build a tower and knock it over, roll a ball to them, or put on a puppet show.

Find new sounds or textures - how many toys in your toy bin make different sounds?

Look out the window or go for a quick walk - that fresh air can help keep baby awake for that short extended time.

Play with water! It doesn't take much. Fill a cookie sheet with a cm of water and let baby splash away!

Move baby around while you hold them - play airplane, practice rolling from side to side, put on some groovy music and jive with your little one.

It takes 3-4 days to see the result of a change, so don't expect naps to magically extend and get easier immediately after extending their awake time.

If it's been 4+ days and you're not starting to notice an improvement, send us an email at hello@littlewinks.ca or DM us on instagram at @littlewinkssleep and we'll give you some helpful tips for your situation.

Find out all about awake windows on my Youtube channel! Check out the video below:

Sleep Sweetly,

Anna