Enrolling your child in child care away from you can be nerve-racking. It’s normal as a parent to worry about your little one’s well-being. One common concern is how well your child will nap in child care. Here are some tips you can try to help your little one nap better: Visit the Care Center Before Your Child is Enrolled If you are just getting your little one into a childcare center, it’s important to arrange for your baby to play, experience the new sounds, noises, and smells, and
Naps
5 Nap Tips for Twins From the Land of Nod
Sleep is huge for new parents of multiples. We all know the challenges of a new baby who is awake around the clock, but two at a time! Let’s just set the coffee pot on continuous brew, shall we? Although sleep can be difficult for new twin parents, good sleep in your house is possible. We all know that sleep is wonderful for healthy growth and development, but how do we get good sleep? Instead of looking at sleep (or lack thereof) as something that just happens to you, let’s try viewing it as
Baby Nap Chart: Learn How Long Baby Should Nap, and How Many Naps Baby Needs
We get nap questions really frequently from our clients - particularly these two questions: How many naps does my baby need? How long should my baby's naps be? Well, we're answering both in today's article. We hope you'll use this chart as an ongoing reference tool since it covers nap totals and lengths from the newborn stage all the way through age 3. Print off a copy for yourself and use it as an easy reference tool - and consider printing off a few for your friends or family
3 Signs Your Baby or Toddler Nap Expectations Are Unreasonable
We all want our babies and toddlers to take long, restorative naps at regular times each day, right? Judging by how popular our nap articles are with all of you, I'm betting you answered 'Yes!' to that question! But here's something to consider - are the expectations you have for your baby or toddler's naps unreasonable? How can you be sure that your nap expectations are reasonable, and are in keeping with what your baby or toddler is capable of? Sometimes, when we work with parents who say
Can the “Wake to Sleep” Method Help Lengthen Your Baby’s Short Naps?
An older, wiser friend once told me, “Baby naps are God’s way of saying to parents, ‘I love you. Now go take a shower.’” Pretty accurate, right? Most parents look forward to naptimes, those brief interludes when you can actually pause for breath, do the never-ending chores, or have a little "me" time. Of course, when it comes to naps, not all babies are created equal, are they? Some of you may have babies who are marathon nappers, providing you with several hours of uninterrupted time
Does Your 6-Month Old Baby Need 2, 3, or 4 Naps?
There is a lot of confusion about how many naps your 6 month old baby needs. The short answer is "It depends on the baby." This article will go into more detail about how many naps your 6 month old baby needs for her development. During a recent sleep consultation, I was contacted by a mom of a 6 month old who was only giving her baby two naps per day. When I asked her why, she said a competing website's product said that 6 month old babies don't need more than two naps and she
How Many Baby Naps: Sleep Quick Tip
In the beginning, your newborn sleeps most of the time and you don't have to worry too much about naps. Your newborn's sleep schedule and patterns are highly unpredictable, usually, so it's hard to tell if she will have 5 naps or 8 on any given day. You've just given birth (or partnered the birth), so as long as she sorts out the difference between day and night, you probably won't stress too much about it, unless she isn't "sleeping like a baby." Once the fog lifts, you most likely want more
When Baby Won’t Nap
Naps can be challenging to get from your baby and sometimes it seems like he just won't nap. Part of the reason your baby won't nap is because day and night sleep are handled by two different parts of the brain. What your baby knows how to do at night doesn't necessarily mean he will do the same thing during the day. Depending on how perceptive he is, the sunlight can keep him up or just playing with the smallest piece of lint in the crib. There is a whole lot of fun to miss during the
Your #1 Nap Question
I goofed had a technical difficulty, so I apologize for the incomplete post on Tuesday. I didn't want you to miss adding your question, so here it is again. I will be writing a series of posts on baby and toddler naps and implementing schedules in the very near future. You might have reviewed some of my sample schedules on the site and have some questions or you have other questions about naps or sleep schedules. Please let me know via e-mail info (at) picknicksbrain (dot) com or post a