Naps are super important for your baby’s development. As they grow and learn, their little brain needs downtime to process, restore, and renew.

Plus, them nodding off for a nap gives you a few hours a day to regroup and get organised (or zone out with some me-time).

Get a routine
Just like an adult’s, a baby’s body clock tells them when they’re hungry or tired, but they can’t feed themselves or climb into bed on their own just yet! For this reason, try and create and maintain a consistent schedule that’s similar to their bedtime routine.

Try not to plan your routine by the clock, instead base it on wake windows and sleep cues instead. Two key points to bear in mind are…

• Is it nearly the end of my baby’s appropriate wake window?
• Is my baby showing any of their usual sleep cues?

After a few weeks of practice, your baby will hopefully fall into a natural rhythm that’s roughly the same every day. You’ll soon get into the swing of their daily pattern by following their lead and learning together.

Tune in to their sleepy signals
Try and stay focused on your little one’s tiredness cues. These may include eye-rubbing, yawning, finger-sucking, pulling their ears, and general fussing. Aim to put your baby down for a nap when they’re awake but starting to show signs of feeling sleepy, and always place your baby on their back to sleep with their feet firmly against the end of the cot.

“I always tell parents to put baby down for their nap within 15 minutes from their first yawn”, says Miriam Sauter, Paediatric Sleep Consultant at Early Sleep.

If you miss your baby’s signs of fatigue, you’ll notice that they quickly move past the tired spell and become overtired, teary, and extra fussy. To learn their cues, watch them in the hour after they first wake up in the morning, and then compare this to their behaviour when they’re tired as their usual bed or naptime draws near.

Distinguish between playtime and sleep time
All sorts of sights and sounds are engaging for a little one, so it’s pretty easy to make the time when they’re awake as interesting as possible! Even a trip to the shops or getting some fresh air and daylight at the park can be enough to make sure they’re sleepy in time for their scheduled nap. Getting out and about also helps your baby to distinguish between when it’s time to play and time to catch some Zzz’s. 

Create a snoozy environment 
Life happens, and we know it’s not always possible to have your baby in their cot for every naptime, but it is important to make sure that they’re comfortable and safe when they’re sleeping. The perfect sleep environment is one that’s recognisable, cool (16-20°C), dark, and quiet.

Miriam recommends, “if possible, you want to aim for a room temperature of 18°C. As parents, we often worry about our babies being too cold but they actually sleep much better in cooler temperatures. Just make sure you use a temperature-appropriate tog-rated sleeping bag and clothing to wear underneath. Avoid any loose or extra bedding.”

Your baby will sleep better in the dark because their melatonin (the sleepy hormone) levels are higher when there is little light. Try using a black out blind and playing white noise to achieve a calm, relaxed ambiance. Don't feel like you need to tiptoe around though, you need your baby to be able to sleep through the noises of normal household activity.

Wind down
Make sure that you give your little one time to settle and wind down before they doze off, turn down the lights, pop on some soothing sounds, and clear away and distractions that might keep them awake. As well as rocking and cuddling, you could try giving your baby a warm bath or a massage after changing their nappy to relax them.

Resources

●        The International Sleep Charity believes that everybody deserves a good night’s sleep.

●        UNICEF's Baby Friendly Initiative offers resources that cover a range of issues around infant sleep and caring for babies at night.

●        The Sleep Health Foundation has a number of fact sheets about sleep related topics. 

●        Take a look at the latest evidence-based advice from Red Nose Australia on how keep your baby safe and reduce the risk of sudden infant death.