Sawyer's naps are based on timing as well as sleepy cues. Depending on your babies age their awake time could range from 30 minutes to 3 hours. Being aware of their optimal wake time helps you know when to watch for those sleepy cues that make nap time a breeze. Putting down a baby that's energized or over tired is way more difficult than one who is ready for sleep.
1. Dim lights in room
I usually just have her lamp on when we go into the nursery for nap time.
2. Diaper change and sleep sack
I change her diaper so that she's perfectly dry, and put her in her sleep sack every time she naps.
3. Sound machine
We have the Hatch rest sound machine that we can control from our phones which is amazing! It has a ton of different sounds, but we usually use ocean.
4. Sing a song
As I'm putting Sawyer down I sing a lullaby and give her kisses and cuddles.
5. Lights Out
I turn out the lights and leave the room. There's no sneaking out. I want her to know that being alone isn't a bad thing!
This routine has let her fall asleep on her own for naps since she was about 3 months old. After lights out I would softly bounce the crib mattress until right before her eyes were closing. I slowly progressed to putting her down fully awake and letting her fuss if necessary. Sometimes she will fuss for 5 minutes then fall asleep.
The most important thing is establishing a CONSISTENT routine. If every time you put baby down for a nap it looks different then they don't know what's going on. Sawyer knows exactly what is happening based on these cues I give her and they prepare her body for nap time! If you're stuck rocking your baby to sleep for 20 minutes then establishing a consistent nap time routine might help baby fall asleep faster. I'll be sharing how I broke the cycle of rocking Sawyer to sleep very soon too!
