Short Nap Fix

Have you ever kept your baby up when he seems a bit tired so that he'll take a longer nap? Seems like that would work, but with young babies especially, this can backfire.

Babywise advises parents who notice their babies under 2 months of age waking up after about 45 minutes to try putting them down sooner. I've found this to be a great tip, even for older babies. When David was first born, I kept him up too long because I didn't know what was normal for him. Some newborns only need to be awake for 1/2 hour or 45 minutes at a time.

Whether you keep your baby on a schedule or not, it's a good idea to keep an eye out for his "sleepy cues." When you see a yawn, or baby is pulling on his ears or zoning out with what Ms. Hogg calls a "7-mile-stare," that means his "sleep window" is open. Put him down and he should be able to sleep. But if you wait until that sleep window closes, you'll stop seeing yawns and it'll be much harder for Baby to get to sleep.

When you miss a baby's sleep window, he's also more likely to wake up next time he passes through a light sleep cycle. That's usually around 45 minutes later. So if your baby is consistently taking 45 minute naps and looks rather grouchy and tired when he's awake, try an earlier naptime.

RESOURCES

Babywise

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer