The Difference Between Naps and Night-time Sleep
Many families often tell me that their baby naps so well during the day, but night times are a battle. Or the nights are wonderful, but baby just will not nap. And while it’s completely normal for elements of this to be true for some babies, in many cases, there are reasons for this. And these reasons can be eliminated so that both nap times and night times can be a lot better. So why do some babies nap well during the day but struggle to sleep well at night? We need to look at the difference between naps and night-time sleep to answer that question.
Naps can be more challenging.
Naps are definitely more challenging for many families. And this surprises many! When we think of baby-related sleep deprivation, we think of sleepless nights, but it’s much more likely for naps to be an issue. Why?
- A bedtime routine usually precedes nighttime sleep, and that routine is usually what is missing from nap time. Therefore, some babies cannot nap because they don’t have that routine to help them wind down and remind them that it’s time to sleep.
- Nighttime sleep invariably always happens at home, in bed. Not so for naps. We can expect babies to take them in strollers, in the car, at Grandma’s, etc.
Naps happen during the day.
This goes without saying, but you can see why naps can be more of a challenge when you think about what that actually means. At night, the house is still and quiet, and it’s dark outside too. During the day, you have daylight, and you have life going on outside- sometimes noisily. The phone might ring, someone might come to the door… all these distractions can be really unsettling for some babies. Naps can definitely be less relaxing!
How to fix troublesome naps
If your baby is having trouble with her naps, there are several things you can do to help her sleep better.
- Get a good nap time routine going. Obviously, it wouldn’t make sense to copy the bedtime routine completely (unless you really want two baths a day?!), but as close as you can get is a good idea. A story, a song, a drink of milk- all of this can help settle and relax your baby and set reminders that it’s time to sleep.
- Be consistent. It would be best if you had a nap schedule that’s going to work, so make sure it happens at the same time every day.
- Give baby time to wind down. Imagine how difficult you would find it so suddenly to drop what you’re doing to sleep! Ensure baby has some quiet time before you start the nap routine so that she is relaxed and ready to sleep.
- Try to create nighttime as much as you can. Black-out blinds are essential here, and if you can minimize noise too, all the better!
