Though we longed for the cuddles, trapped naps and baby snuggles…. sometimes we also, wish for the lengthy crib naps.

If that is you, it doesn’t make you a bad mom or dad. It makes you human.

I so remember the trapped naps that would only last thirty minutes and then, an exhausted baby who was literally letting me know, through her unhappiness, that she needed more.

Here, I want to share my tips on how I got my second kiddo, at only a few weeks old, to take naps in her crib, without my help!

This can work for any aged child, so buckle up!

Tip #1: Age Appropriate Schedule

Why won’t your baby take a great nap if you aren’t following appropriate schedules?

Are you rewarding them with a short wake window? Say their age appropriate wake window is 90 minutes and you keep offering naps at 60 minutes…. That sleep drive will be low, because they have not been awake long enough. So, they will either protest, fall asleep, and, or only sleep one sleep cycle.

Same thing goes, if you place them down for a nap and they have been awake, past their wake window. Now, we have a baby who is overtired & they are unable to settle because their bodies have missed the sweet spot of falling asleep.

The age appropriate schedule helps you know when naps are without using the guessing game and placing them down too early, or too late.

Then, also, I know families who will shorten a wake-window if the first nap was short. My biggest advice is to never offer an early nap, if the first or second one sucks, always keep to the schedule and offer early bedtime!

If you reward them with the earlier nap then, the sleep drive is low and they will continue to have a crappy nap.

Keeping my little one on an age appropriate schedule helped me map out her day.

Tip #2: Room Environment

I don’t know about you, but I constantly heard that children needed to sleep in loud & bright environments.

Let’s think about that. When we want to nap and or, fall asleep at night… do you think a bright and lit room is the environment we choose? NOPE.

When trying to receive naps that are of great quality and quantity naps that are in rooms that are calm, dark and cool…. will bring upon successful naps.

Our little one slept in a dark room, when we practiced crib naps, and became used to that environment. As a newborn, we still had cuddles and carseat naps!

The Slumberpod is an amazing resource for helping our little one’s 4+ months receive naps that are successful.

Tip # 3: Waiting

Parents are so quick to rescue short naps. The number one thing my husband and I would implement, is waiting. Again, sleep cycles are 20-45 minutes in newborns and up. Newborns have two sleep cycles, quiet and loud. Babies 4+ have similar to adult sleep cycles that still end in 3-45 minutes. If my little one would wake after the first sleep cycle, we waited.

We would add on time each day. Starting at 2 and going up to 20 minutes. Again, newborns cannot self-soothe so, entering sooner, is better.

The more you give your little one time to connect cycles, or feel comfortable in their bed, the better they will get at falling back asleep.

Schedule Guide