Baby Fighting Naps

Find some good tips when your baby is fighting his or her naps during naptime in the middle of the day. Getting your baby on a proper nap schedule each and every day is one of the hardest things to do as a parent, nanny, or babysitter. Babies grow up so fast and they are constantly changing and needing less and less time to sleep during the day. They also can’t always tell you when they’re tired and they can get over tired very easily. Sometimes being over-tired makes them giddy and fun, only to learn when you try to put them down in the crib for a nap, they will scream for as long as it takes until you get them out of the crib, and then the baby will be happy but will stay cranky because they are tired.

When you’re baby is a newborn, a good tip is put your baby down to sleep around 1 hour to 1 and half hours after they eat, and when they are a little older as it 10 months to 15 months, many parents shoot for one morning nap and also one afternoon. After 15 months, you’re baby may only need 1 nap during the day and then eventually eliminating the nap completely.

One of the best tips to keep your baby from fighting your naps is to stick to the same routine as bed time before their nap. That way they get tired and the baby knows it’s time to go to sleep. It’s also a good tip and idea to put your baby to nap in the same place where he or she goes to sleep at night. Having your baby nap on the couch while watching TV or in your bed with you is not a great way to create good habits.

Sometimes it’s going to be tough to get your baby to nap at the same time each and in the same place. Therefore, it’s ok to have your baby nap in other places such as the stroller or the car if you need to be on the go and can’t get back home to put the baby to nap in the crib. Just do your best to try to stick to the nap schedule and nap the baby in the crib or where they sleep at night as much as possible so they are used to that and become more comfortable with the nap schedule as opposed to fighting every nap.

Don’t be afraid of your baby crying for a little bit. It’s ok if your baby cries for a couple minutes when you put them down to nap in the morning or afternoon. Keep and eye or ear on the crying through a baby monitor and if the crying persists for too long, it might not be the best time to nap your baby. But do your best to let them cry as they will most likely cry themselves into a long nap.

In the end, you will know your baby the best and know your babies cues when they want to nap, are very tired, getting over tired so try different things until you find some consistency in a nap schedule that works for your and your baby stops fighting his or naps and naptime.