5 Ways To Encourage Longer Naps In Babies

Some parents think that their baby is not napping long enough since sleeping is an essential part of a baby's growth and development. Here are five ways to encourage babies to have longer naps, regardless what time of day it is.

1. Create A Comfortable Sleeping Environment

Parents should make the crib a safe and comfortable place to sleep in for naps or bedtime. Dimming or darkening or room should be done so that bright lights would not make the babies alert in between cycles.

Any ringers should be turned off to avoid startling the baby. Sounds such as sibling screaming and vacuum cleaners can cause interruptions in your baby's sleep.

Aside from lighting and noise levels, the room should feel comfortable and consistent with the right temperatures. Extreme hot or cold temperatures will force babies to wake up sooner than they would otherwise.

2. Watch For Signs Of Tiredness

Parents should learn to spot the signs of a tired baby such as rubbing the eyes, lowered eyelids, nodding of the head, excessive yawning and fussiness. Babies can be put down at the first signs of displaying any of the signs of sleepiness.

3. Observe Sleeping Patterns

Every baby has his or her own sleep schedule such as two short naps in the morning and one long nap in the afternoon. Other babies don't nap at all but sleep earlier by nightfall.

There is not one definite sleeping pattern for all babies, which requires trial and error on the part of the parents. Once a sleeping pattern is established, try to stick to it.

4. Allow Plenty Of Exercise

Kids need plenty of sunshine, fresh air and a ton of exercise daily, both in the morning and afternoon. Staying active helps babies sleep better as it reduces the levels of stress hormones that circulate the body.

5. Consider No Naps

A sign that babies are starting to grow and develop is when they start to take fewer naps. When this happens, it might best to do away with the shortest nap. Babies might be ready to take one or two longer naps instead of three short ones.