Almost all infants require naps but you will start to worry if your baby won’t take naps. There are several reasons such as having a unique sleeping pattern, getting more sleep during the day or getting most of his/her sleep during the night-time hours.
A baby requires around 3 hours of sleep in the day until he/she is around 9 months old. Many babies have a longer nap session in the morning and a shorter one in the afternoon. Between 9-12 months old, the length of the naps will lessen to around 2 ½ hours in total in a day.
If you want your baby to have a 7 PM bedtime, you must make sure that he/she does not take a nap after 3 PM since this can disrupt his/her bedtime routine.
Effective solutions to try if baby won’t take naps
Babies will not always take naps when needed. If your baby won’t take naps, there are a few techniques that you can try.
Establish a routine
If you will create a routine, it helps your baby know what to expect. It will also help you figure out what time of the day your child is typically hungry, tired or wants to play. A routine usually involves a few tasks at the same time every day such as feeding and sleeping. If your baby won’t take naps, this is enough to get your baby on the right track.
For babies 6 months or younger, keep him/her in the same room as you when he/she naps to closely monitor on him/her. This has been proven to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In case you want to do some household tasks while the baby is sleeping, you can place him/her down to sleep on his back in his/her stroller or Moses’ blanket and bring it along from room to room.
Your baby must sleep in the same place most of the time. Only utilize the car seat in the vehicle when driving around, not as the place of sleep while at home. If your baby attends nursery, make sure that he/she naps in the same place on days when he/she is at home.
Quiet time together
Just like with having a quiet time before bedtime, it is recommended to enjoy some peaceful time with your child before he/she takes a nap. This will surely come in handy as one of the ways on how to get baby to nap in the crib during the day. You can sing a lullaby or read a story to signal that it is nap-time.
Put your baby down to sleep if he/she is tired
Do not wait long before putting your baby down for a nap. In most cases, there is a window of opportunity when your baby will fall asleep quickly and easily.
If you are going to wait too long, your child will be too tired and has a difficult time falling asleep. An overtired baby won’t go to sleep easily. You must learn how to read the signals of your baby such as fusses a lot, rubbing his/her eyes or stares into space. Once your baby tells you that he/she is tired, put him down to sleep.
Encourage your baby to fall asleep on his/her own
Once your baby reaches 3 months old, you can help him/her begin to learn how to soothe himself/herself to sleep. It might be sucking on his/her thumb or a dummy or as simple as drifting into sleep when he/she feels tired.
You must give your baby the chance to settle himself, instead of rocking or feeding him to sleep. Once your child learns to rely on himself/herself, he/she can nap for longer periods.
Final thoughts
If your baby won’t take naps, it is vital to establish good sleep habits early on but it will take time and patience. Nevertheless, it will help prepare your child for getting a good sleep in the months and years to come.
Read also:
- [The Normal Timeframe When Your Kid Stop Napping]
- [How to Get a Child to Nap Until Four Years Old and Beyond?]
- [Soothing and Calming: The Positive Effects of Classical Music for Babies]
