Naptime

Naptime is important. It gives your child the chance to recharge, and you the chance to get some stuff done and recharge as well. Please make sure that you have children nap. Children will stop napping between age 3 and 5. I encourage you to also continue with a rest time after naps have ceased- great for that necessary recharge.

How I knew my kids were ready to stop napping?

The transition from 2 naps to 1 nap happened the same for all of my kids. They kept taking their 9:30 nap and then wouldn't take their afternoon nap. At that point, I transitioned them to an afternoon nap and dropped the morning nap.

The transition from 1 nap to no nap also happened the same for all of my kids. They would take their afternoon nap fairly consistently, the amount of protest increased, and more often they would take longer to fall asleep. AND when they would take a nap, they wouldn't go to sleep at night at their usual 7pm bedtime- it would take them until 9 or 10pm to fall asleep. As that became more of the norm, I dropped the afternoon and opted for an earlier bedtime- I would have them go to sleep as early as 6:30pm during the transition. I would also have them lay down in their room and read books in the afternoon for a bit.

Share your nap transition story.

Nap time, who has time for a nap?

Do you take naps? Besides when you are pregnant?

Naps can be very refreshing in the middle of the day. But, really who has time for one? You just have to push through that hump and get everything done... What if you could take a 26 minute nap and feel totally refreshed and really ready to complete your 'to do' list?

Nap26 is a solution to the needed sleep and refreshment we could all use in the middle of the day but don't have the time. Nap26 "uses binaural beats to train the brain to relax and to awaken without the risk of grogginess. A scientific digital modulation process inserts precise pulses and beats that the brain hears." It sounds like you are listening to a waterfall/white noise. This is a nice way to fall asleep and distract you from that gosh darn list.

The great part is that it works, and it wakes you up 26 minutes later. I have done this so many times and almost every time I wake up thinking that I didn't go to sleep and that it didn't work because my ipod is silent. Funny thing is that when I look at it- I realize that it completed the 26 minutes and now I am awake just like it says it is to work. I have shared this when many people and they have had the same experience- thinking that it didn't work and then realizing the 26 minutes has passed.

Why nap?
"Frequent and regular short-term naps under 30 minutes have been shown to:

• Increase Performance and Productivity
• Improve Ability to Concentrate and Focus
• Reduce Stress and Moodiness
• Improve Health & Vitality
• Improve capacity for Memory & Learning
• Stimulate Boost Creativity"


Note: Must be used with ear phones.
Cost: $15

Keep a look out for a Nap26 Give-a-way

And check-out Easy2Sleep- another product that helps you relax and fall into a deep sleep.

Sunday Sleep Dilemma

Q: How do you share a hotel room with kids?

A: Over the years, I have shared many hotel rooms with my children. I have had some good experiences and some bad experiences. Now, I have my set criteria on what the hotel must have for me to even go. I will seriously stay home and not attempt it if we can't meet my criteria. May seem selfish- but honestly- why go on a vacation if it is going to be miserable and no one is going to sleep.

Here are my criteria and some tips for making it work for you:

• Get a suite or two adjoining rooms- splurge or go to a hotel where all the rooms are suites. This is necessary unless you want to go to sleep when your kids do. Use the extra room to watch a movie, invite friends over, or just hang out in after the kids go to sleep.
  
• Use the bathroom as an extra bedroom- I have found that most bathrooms fit a pack n play if you go in, close the door and set it up. You can also unscrew the light bulb so just the fan stays on and you have a built-in white noise machine. Another added benefit of the bathroom is that they are dark!
  
• If you don't use the bathroom you can use the little hallway that leads to the entrance. Make sure you put the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door whenever anyone is sleeping. I also like to use the extra lock feature for added safety.
• Decide if you want to bring a pack n play or if you are going to use a hotel crib- love the convenience of the hotel crib but many times they don't have bumpers and my kids legs end up getting caught in the bars. If they are used to their pack n play it may be an easier transition to sleep as well.
  
• Have older kids practice sleeping in the same room a few times before you kiss them goodnight.
  
• Try to keep things as similar to home as possible: same sound spa, same favorite blanket or stuffed animal, same bedtime routine if possible (it is vacation so things will vary- but try).
  
• Close the big curtains- hotel rooms are made to be nice and dark which is a huge benefit!
  
• Get a room on the first floor- in front of the pool if possible. This makes it easy to lug your luggage in, easy for room access, you can leave your stuff out there if it is nap time, you can sit on the patio and still enjoy being outside and around people during nap time or in the evening.

*A real indulgence- bring along a babysitter!!

Question for You

Q: How long is/was your newborn awake between naptimes?

Sleep Ponderings from Me: Newborn Sleep-On-The-Go

A great part of newborn sleep is that they can sleep anywhere for the first few months. First time moms appreciate this as they transition from "no kid" life to "kid life". And moms with other children appreciate this, since they can easily continue with their other childrens' activities or out of the house play.

Take advantage of this 'skill' that will disappear quickly. So, how does this "Sleep-on-the-Go" work?

When: Newborns need to sleep again after being awake for 1-2 hours; I always tend to lean more towards the one hour window- look for your baby's sleep signs (yawning, rubbing eyes, mild fussiness, not wanting to be put down...)

Where: Carseat, Bassinet stroller attachment, sling or front-pack carrier, your arms, a pack-n-play at someone's house, etc.

Why: Because newborns can sleep out and about. Take advantage of the short lived freedom that allows you.

How: If your baby falls asleep in an infant carseat- just take them with you in the carseat. If your baby needs to take a nap- swaddle them and put them in the stroller bassinet or pack-n-play, or Kiddopotamus swaddling blankets have holes in the back where carseat buckels can go through and you can buckle your swaddled baby into your carseat. Or put your newborn who needs a nap in a sling or other newborn carrying device.

Other tips: you can put a sound spa wherever they are sleeping... and really try to mimic their sleep environment when you are out. Check out this past post for an example of how one mom extended her sleeping-on-the-go to 7 months: sleep environment to go.

Saturday Sleep Tip

Newborns NEED and want sleep- sleep- sleep!! Keeping them up longer or later does not increase their length of sleep, it may actually decrease it and lead to them becoming overtired. They will probably only be awake for 1-2 hours at a time (I tend to lean more towards the one hour than the two hour length). for the first 3-5 months.

Sleep Ponderings from Me

What do you do with the loss of naptime? It is a sad day when naptime ends all together! This is a SAHM's time to get everything done- you have a couple hours to clean, prep dinner, do the laundry, maybe take a nap or sometime for yourself on a good day.... and now it is gone.

I encourage you to continue expecting some sort of quiet time or rest time from your child. Set a timer, so you both know how long this period will be. Have them lay down and rest, or read a basket of books, or choose an activity out of a basket reserved for this time, or play quietly in their room during this time. You still need to get stuff done, and they need to have some more chill and relaxing time during their busy day. Again, like everything in parenting be consistent and set up this expectation clearly for your child.

Question for You

At what age did your child stop taking a nap?

Sleep Product Review: "Nap26"

I recently tried a sleep product for adults. It is called "Nap26" by POWR NAPS sleep system. It claims to make you feel like you slept for 3 hours after 26 minutes; energized and refreshed without drowsiness; and more.

I have done this 26 minute nap most weekdays over the past couple weeks. And it really does work. I don't know if I feel like I took a 3 hour nap but maybe. I definitely feel refreshed and not drowsy.

You have to put this on something where you can wear ear buds or headphones. I fall asleep in the first few minutes each time and then wake up a couple minutes before the 26 minutes ends. It works the same time every time I do it.

I highly recommend it for anyone who needs a pick-me up during the day, but has limited time.

Their website is www.nap26.com

Saturday Sleep Tip

You may want to think about when you are going to transition to "Standard Time". The time changes on November 2- falls back one hour.

Question for You

Working Moms: How do you get your kids enough sleep when they go to daycare?

Sunday Sleep Dilemma

Q: My child who still needs a nap and takes a long nap- usually until 4:30pm or so- has a very difficult time going to sleep at night so that he gets his RDA of sleep, what can I do about this?

A: You know best if your child is ready to give up the afternoon nap (usually happens between 3 and 5, maybe 6). So, if he is not I suggest moving his nap to an earlier time. My son had this same issue when he was 27 months. I moved his nap from 1:30 to 12:30 and he still took a 2- 3 hour nap, but he was able to go to bed easily at 7pm instead of talking and singing in there for hours. If you just set the new precedent that after lunch we read a book and go straight to naptime (or skip the book) it may make the timing more understandable to your child.

Sunday Sleep Dilemma

Q: How can my youngest get their full nap when I have a 2:30 pm pick-up for my oldest?

A: Well, in the ideal world we would all have a babysitter or a nanny that could stay with the youngest, or maybe a chauffeur to pick up the oldest... but most of us are lacking those resources. I would suggest moving their nap up so that they can get a "full" nap in time for you to pick up your oldest. Then, you may need to move their bedtime a slight bit earlier depending on their melt-down factor. You probably want to take a few days to gradually make this transition if possible. If you don't have a few days, work to really wear them out before the new naptime and go through a nice calming routine before putting them down. This "new" plan will also continue to allow for you to have some "quieter" time during the day.

Sleep Product Review: The Ultimate Out and About Sleep Set-up

The best place for a baby to take a nap is in their bedroom, but let's face it there are times when we can't or don't want to stay at home so our sweet little babies can take all their naps in their peaceful bedrooms. Sometimes we want to go to breakfast or take our other children to the park. Or sometimes we just have to take the other kids to ballet or gymnastics or wherever. There are solutions to allowing your precious little baby get their nap and still be out. Here is one option a friend of mine came up with:

Description:
Inside of a stroller that has a bassinet type option or possibly inside of their carseat create a sleep environment as close to their one at home as possible:

The Stroller
She uses the Easy DuoWalker (http://www.easywalker.nl/usa/duowalker.html) with the CarryCot (GREAT set-up). I have used my Graco stroller- fully reclined with the feet part up so it turns into a bassinet (http://www.gracobaby.com/catalog/product.aspx?modelNumber=7B11CAD3&CategoryID=12).

Noise Machine: Put some batteries in yours and take it along- put it right inside the bassinet. She uses the same wave sounds that she uses in her sons bedroom.

Sleep Positioner: Grab the sleep positioner from their crib (If they are out of this now- skip it).

Swaddle: Swaddle your baby just like you would at home (If they have outgrown the swaddle skip it too).

Darkness: Lay a breathable blanket to create the same dark environment at home over the top- block out that sun.

Binkie/Paci: She gives her little guy his favorite, loves the sucking and sleeps longer with it (just like she does at home).

The Goal: to create the same sleep environment you have created at home- to maximize the nap on-the-go.

Thank you DeNai for sharing. And good luck creating your sleep environment on-the-go. Please share any other sleep set-ups you have created for sleeping on-the-go.

Ponderings from Me: Transition to NO Nap

The dreadful transition from that oh so precious afternoon nap to no nap occurs sometime between age 3 and age 6. Marc Weisbluth, author of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child states that at age 3- 91% still nap daily, at age 4- 50% still nap about 5 days a week, at age 5- 25% still nap about 4 days a week, and at age 6 the nap is pretty much gone.
My daughter transitioned out of her afternoon nap at around 3 1/2. She had been a good sleeper and good napper since she was 5 months old. Always had an early bedtime and no problem going to sleep at night. Then, around 3 1/2 my great napper started staying awake for hours when I put her to bed at night... just talking in her bed or whatever until 10 o'clock or so. This went on for a week or two. (I was not ready for her to not have a nap.) Finally, one day we skipped her nap and did a quiet time instead. That night she went right to sleep at 7 o'clock. From then on, she has been fine without a nap and goes to sleep immediately at 7 o'clock and wakes up at about 7 o'clock every morning. A nice, solid 12 hours of sleep.
And then, then follow-up question: what do they do during their past naptime? How can I continue to get stuff done?
I have a bunch of quiet activities that my 4-year old pulls out during her "quiet time". She knows that I have stuff to do during naptime and has become quite good about finding quiet activities to occupy herself. You may also try having them play in their room, spending sometime with them alone, having them watch a short show, giving them a stack of books to "read" on your bed, or?? Readers please share any of your ideas. And good luck finding solace in no naptime.

Question for You

How much sleep does your preschooler get a day?

Sunday Sleep Dilemma: Preschoolers

Q: My preschooler comes home from school wired. He has no interest in taking a nap but needs to, what do I do?

A: Preschool can leave a child very excited about their day. If you can leave sometime between preschool pick-up and naptime that would be ideal. You may need to eat lunch (do that first). Then, depending on the amount of dirt and sweat he accumulated in his busy day a bath may be a good idea. Then, take some time to cool down and calm down: read a few books, have him tell you about his day, cuddle. Maybe just take 10-15 minutes but make it calming. And then explain that he needs to take a nap for a little bit so that you guys can have more fun in the afternoon. Also, make sure that the naptime isn't too late- you don't want him to become overtired, and you want to leave enough wake time before bedtime. Be calm, firm, and consistent in your naptime routine. Also, remember that sometime between age 3 and age 6 kids drop their naps... look for more on that later this week.

Sunday Sleep Tip

Sleep begets sleep. I think many of us are under the natural assumption that the later we keep our kids up the later they will sleep. This idea is false. My kids sleep best when they are well slept. Simply remember that sleep begets sleep.