Babywise Naptime Strategies
Creating Healthy Sleep Habits in Infants
Gary Ezzo and Dr. Robert Bucknam explain to weary parents how to create a successful naptime experience for their babies in their book On Becoming Babywise.
According to the Babywise philosophy, Gary Ezzo and Dr. Robert Bucknam [published by Charleston Publishing Group, Inc., 2006] stress the importance of regular naptimes that mom is in charge of, not baby.
When to Put Baby Down for a Nap
Some babies give sleepy cues to let you know when it is time to put them down for a nap. Watching for these cues is important to getting the baby down at the right time so they will fall asleep and stay asleep. Here are some examples of sleepy cues:
- Red around the eyes (their eyes may look tired)
- Yawning (it may be one yawn, or several)
- Fussiness (when nothing you can do and no position you come up with makes them happy)
- Other cues unique to your baby
Some babies, on the other hand, will not give you a sleepy cue. In this case, you need to watch the clock and experiment with naptime. Remember that your baby will be able to slowly extend her awake times as she gets older. Also know that the longer the previous nap the longer the subsequent awake time.
When to Get Baby Up from a Nap
When baby wakes up from her nap, first decide if it is time to get baby up. If it is time to eat again, within a reasonable flexible schedule that she is used to eating on (2.5-4 hours depending on how old baby is), then get her up and feed her. If she is still asleep, and it is time to feed her, then wake her and feed her. Waking her during the day to eat when necessary will help her learn the difference between night and day and she will hopefully sleep longer at night.
If you are having trouble getting your baby to go down for a good nap, there are several things you can do to problem solve. Mr. Ezzo and Dr. Bucknam explain that “during the first two months, if your baby is not napping well, try cutting back on his waketime by 15-minute increments” [On Becoming Babywise, p.130].
The concept here is that when your baby has difficulty settling down, she has become overtired and thus has gotten her second wind, so to speak, and is going to cry longer. This does not mean she is not tired, instead, she is over tired. By moving up her naptime by 15 minutes until she goes down more easily, you are not allowing her to catch that second wind.
If your baby is waking early from a nap, attempting the same fix may also solve the problem. For example, if your baby usually sleeps for 2 hours, and you get her down late for her nap (causing her to be overtired), she may only sleep for 45 minutes.
Make sure that in your attempt to train your baby to take good naps you are not putting her down too early. If you put a child down too soon, she is not ready to go to sleep, and will fuss for longer than if you wait until the child is actually tired and ready for a nap. Also, do not keep your child awake longer than you should, hoping that she will then take a longer nap. Watching for those sleepy cues is the key to a good naptime.
