Where's my Siesta?
It is known that daytime sleep plays a crucial role in a child's growth and development. So it can be frustrating when naps become a challenge. More often than not, children who do not nap well tend not to sleep well at night either. This is because daytime sleep can affect nighttime sleep and vice versa. Hence creating a day and nighttime sleep balance is key! If your little one does not nap well, no matter how hard you try, there are things you can do to improve the situation.
Some babies and toddlers struggle to fall asleep at nap time, and whilst you try everything you possibly can to get them down for a little sleep, they just won’t nap. This can be so exhausting for you too! For some little ones, it can be a struggle to nap for longer than 30 to 40 minutes at a time. This is usually the length of one sleep cycle for children, and if they have been supported to sleep by you, they may look for this support to be reinstated in order to drift back off to sleep again. In some cases, there can be inconsistency in nap timings and lengths, which can make it so tough for you to plan your day. Not to mention how precious those little nap windows are for you, however you may choose to utilise your time. Hence, there are countless benefits to addressing poor naps, not just for your child but for you too.
The first thing to check is your little one’s sleep environment. Creating a dark room with the use of blackout blinds and curtains can help to promote sleep. Playing white noise in the background for the full duration of a child’s sleep has also been found to have many benefits. Lastly, ensuring that the room temperature is between 16 and 20 degrees Celsius will keep your little one comfortable.
Babies and toddlers thrive on routine as their body clocks soon learn when it is time to sleep or feed. This is why establishing a well suited and age-appropriate daytime sleep schedule can work wonders for them. A short pre-nap routine can also help little ones drift off to sleep as it signals sleepy cues to them.
If your little one is reliant on your support or intervention to fall asleep, it can be hard for them to stay asleep when they transition sleep cycles. By teaching babies and toddlers how to fall asleep independently, they can begin to sleep for longer stretches.
After identifying why your little one doesn’t nap well, it is just about optimising all the factors that can promote sleep. It really is possible to get on track with good daytime sleep so that you have a happy napper!