'Cat nappers!'

I have so many parents contacting me about babies that only nap for a short amount of time. Some times its only 10 mins, 20 mins the most common is 30 mins but some times if can be 50 mins. I personally count anything under an hour a cat cap! This then has a huge effect on the night time sleep and it has a knock on effect! A baby that cat naps can make a parent feel really anxious and its so easy to become obsessed with nap times etc. Then the feeling of failure when they do a short nap when you feel like your "me time" has been stolen! Try and remember that under 5 months of age its totally normal and developmentally appropriate to have short naps. Trust me, I've been there! It will come, try to take the pressure off yourself and your baby and take each day as it comes.

There are 5 practical tips to help your baby sleep better

1. Watch your wake windows

What does this mean? The time they are awake between naps. It changes as they grow and every baby is slightly different, but here is a rough guide to start with

0-4 weeks 35 - 40 mins

4-12 weeks 60 - 90 mins

3-4 months 75 - 120 mins

5-6 months 2-3 hrs

7-14 months 3-4 hrs

14-24 months 4-6 hrs

2. Make sure they are not getting too much day time sleep

3 - 4 months 4 - 5 hrs

5 - 7 months 3 - 4 hrs

7 - 9 months 3 - 3.5 hrs

10 - 24 months 2 - 3 hrs

Some babies wont get anywhere near these hours at first, that's OK! As they get better at sleeping over night they will get better at taking more rest in the day. Remember these are TOTAL hours, not in one go. Finding out how to divide the amount throughout the day can be tricky, that's where The Forty Winks Sleep Lady comes in!! Message me now and we can work on whats going to work for your baby.

3. If they do wake after a short time, go and help them! Try and do as little intervention at first, see what happens, then try something else. Even if you have to sit in their room and rock them back to sleep and let them finish the nap in your arms, so be it! Once they start to get used to having a nice chunk of sleep in a row they will naturally start to join their sleep cycles together with out as much intervention as you might have started offering. Under 6 months, don't worry about creating a crutch or causing problems in the future. Its about what your baby needs right now to help them in the future.

4. Bed time routine

Create a routine that is familiar to your baby. Doing the same thing for each nap time will help give your baby a sleep cue. White noise, darkness (like real pitch black dark!), cosy sleeping bag. I always remove tight trousers and clothes for naps. Pop on some PJ bottoms or something, we don't like to climb into bed with tight clothes on! Read a book or sing a sweet song, even a quick story, gives them time to wind down, trust their surroundings and the heart rate naturally starts to drop as they get ready for a sleep.

5. Can your baby fall asleep by themselves?

If your baby will let you, try putting them down when it comes to a nap time. You can even practice this with a very young baby. Put them down in a bouncer (if new born and you need them in the same room as you) or in their cot/moses basket. Watch what happens, stay close by at first. Do they just slowly close their eyes? Some babies make a moaning noise as they get close to sleep. If they grizzle, try a few things before you pick them up. Shhhhh or humm or even sing. If they are in a rocking basket or bouncer, gently bounce them. You can always cut back on this intervention later, let them get used to falling alseep not in arms. Its great practice!!