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When you are a new parent, or even if you’re on your second or third child, nap time for your newborn is precious not only for their small growing bodies, but for you as well. Getting into a good rhythm with your baby is an important way to make sure your life is staying in balance. There are a few ways that you can keep naptime a peaceful, restful time for both you and your baby.
Routine, Routine, Routine
There are a lot of things in life that become much easier once you get into a good routine. Dieting, exercising, and your own sleep are a few examples. This goes double for your baby. Babies are already programmed to follow a routine of eating and sleeping, so if you can get on a schedule that works well for both of you, you’ll have a happy household. If you’ve begun to do certain things at bedtime, don’t hesitate to use them at naptime, too. If you hum a little ditty in the evening, do the same at nap times during the day. If your child responds to a particular tune, use it for all it’s worth.
See the Signs
Knowing when your baby is tired will help you get into the routine that will make your life easy and peaceful at naptime Again, the tip-offs to your baby being tired at night can be used during the day as well. The key is not to not wait too long, because your baby can become overtired, which will actually cause them to fidget and not fall asleep quickly and easily. As soon as you see your child’s tired signs, which could be a particular movement or putting down toys they were playing with, it’s time to jump into action. Remember, he who hesitates is lost.
Stop the Madness!
Ok, maybe not madness, but if you are amped up when handling your baby before putting them down, they’ll feel it. So even when you see the tired signs, keep a cool head, and remember that slow is smooth and smooth is faster. If you know you’ll be too stressed to do the job, have a partner or babysitter do it for you. Stay calm and your baby will ease right down into their nap.
When you’ve put your baby down, don’t worry if they don’t all asleep instantly or if they wake up after a short time. If you want to keep an eye on them, add a security system or baby monitor with a camera and don’t be so quick to run back in to check on them. What happens if my ADT security system loses power? Or if your monitor runs out of batteries? In these cases, it might be best to listen for signs of waking on your own. You could even leave the door open a crack just to check. They’ll often work it out all on their own, so relax and perhaps take a nap of your own.
