Catnapping
One of the most common requests we get at The Sleep Store is to help babies sleep longer during the day. Not only are babies often not rested after a 20 or 45 minutes sleep, but it makes for a very tiring day when mum or dad don't get any time for a rest either. Catnapping is also one of the things which causes parents a lot of stress. It can feel like the whole day is taken up with battling to get a baby to sleep, only to have them awake and crying a short time later. And so the cycle goes on.
Before reading our solutions, have you read our article on Worrying about Catnapping? Sometimes just changing our thoughts about shorter sleeps can take away some of the stress!
Does My Baby Need to Sleep Longer During the Day?
If your baby wakes up grizzling or crying after 20 or 45 minutes, it is likely she is crying from tiredness rather than hunger. So we recommend that you try to resettle her for another sleep cycle and then feed her when she next wakes.
However if she wakes happy and can easily last until her next sleep time, then your baby may be happy with shorter sleeps....even if you would prefer she slept longer!!! You may just need to have an extra short sleep later in the day if your baby starts to get over-tired later in the afternoon. See our info on Worrying about Catnapping.
Over time many babies do learn the resettling skills that means he can put himself back to sleep after one sleep cycle and learn to have longer day sleeps without your help. Plus as babies get older they usually burn more energy and this in turn leads to longer day sleeps.
However it is well worth trying our tips below to see if you can increase the length of day sleeps - you will benefit from the longer opportunity for a rest and you will help your baby develop habits of longer day sleeps.
If your baby wakes up grizzling or crying after 20 or 45 minutes, it is likely she is crying from tiredness rather than hunger. So we recommend that you try to resettle her for another sleep cycle and then feed her when she next wakes.
The following tips should help you increase the length of your baby's day sleeps:
Swaddling
Firm wrapping or swaddling is by far the most most effective ways to increase the length of day sleeps for newborn babies. Newborn babies have such a strong startle reflex that unwrapped, they are very likely to startle them self awake after one sleep cycle.
By firmly wrapping your baby and keeping their arms inside the wrap, your baby is more likely to remain relaxed and resettle.
Also if you do need to use some other techniques to help your baby into another sleep cycle (such as patting), this will be far more effective is baby is still wrapped.
We recommend the Miracle Blanket as the best wrap for newborns. Other good options include Dream Swaddle, SwaddleMe, ergoCocoon and the Halo Sleepsack Swaddle.
Arms down swaddling is often the most effective for helping babies sleep for longer. So if you are currently wrapping with arms up or on the chest, give our arms down technique a try.
If you aren't usually swaddling or prefer the arms up position, we really recommend trying one of the Love to Swaddle UP range. These are great for babies for allowing babies to sleep in the arms up position but provides some startle control.
Read more about Swaddling
Instructions for effective wrapping
Swadding FAQ
Choosing the Right Swaddle for Your Baby
What to Wrap With
Stretchy Wraps are more effective than muslins - at least 1m x 1m for newborns & 1.2 x 1.2m once baby is over 3 months. This one pictured is a Sleep Store Organic Wrap.
Alternatively use a Miracle Blanket or Dream Swaddle for the firmest wrap.
Other effective fitted wraps are here.
Choose Love to Swaddle UP or Sleepy Wings if your baby sleeps better with their arms up.
We have had many customers tell us that their baby doesn't like being wrapped, so they don't do it. However these babies have all slept far longer when their parents started effective swaddling during the day. We believe that babies don't know what they like, they are just babies!!! They are used to being firmly packaged in the womb, warm and snug, with little room to move. So swaddling is as close to that environment!
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White Noise
Along with swaddling, we believe that white noise is one of the most effective ways to help newborns sleep longer and resettle during the day.
White noise is similar to the swooshing, heartbeat and gurgling noises your baby heard inside your womb for 9 months - it's louder than a vacuum inside the womb!!!. It makes sense that babies find it hard to settle and resettle in a quiet room when they are used to 80-90 decibels, 24/7 for 9 months.
White noise is also a very effective way of creating a consistent ssssshing sound, a sound which babies respond so well to. Ssssshing can be very exhausting to do, so why not let a CD do it for you?
Play your white noise at the start of the sleep and on repeat through the sleep. You can use radio static, vacuum cleaner, dehumidifier or buy a white noise CD. We recommend Baby's First White Noise CD, if you haven't tried any other white noise. This sounds like sssshing and we get amazing feedback about how effective it is.
There are also white noise machines available, both battery and mains power operated. Our most recommended white noise machines are those made by Marpac, the world's leading white noise machine manufacturers! If you choose a machine that uses batteries, such as a Lulla Doll or Baby Shusher, just be aware that your battery use will be quite high if you are not using rechargeables.
If you aren't currently using white noise, definitely add this to your catnapping plan of attack immediately. Even try the vacuum cleaner running under the bassinet if you need something to try right this minute!!!
Wake to Sleep - Reset the Sleep Cycle with a Gentle Prod!
Here's a trick that may just be what you need! Go into your baby about 5 minutes before she usually wakes up from her nap. Gently prod her, enough that she stirs or moves slightly...but not enough to fully wake her.
At that point your baby should fall back into a deep sleep, and sleep through the waking that was about to occur.
We have had amazing feedback on this technique from lots of mums, so we look forward to hearing how it works for you.
Wake to Sleep is more likely to be successful if you are using it with swaddling and white noise.
Resettle Before Baby Wakes Fully
Another technique is to rush in as soon as you hear your baby stirring. So rather than wait until baby wakes fully and starts crying, some parents find it much easier to listen out for stirring sounds and start their resettling technique and try to avoid baby waking right up.
You could use loud white noise, put a dummt back in or do some patting or stroking. Stroking baby's forehead in an upwards direction and loud ssshhing can work well here.
Dummy
One of the most common requests we get at The Sleep Store is to help babies sleep longer during the day. Not only are babies often not rested after a 20 or 45 minutes sleep, but it makes for a very tiring day when mum or dad don't get any time for a rest either. Catnapping is also one of the things which causes parents a lot of stress. It can feel like the whole day is taken up with battling to get a baby to sleep, only to have them awake and crying a short time later. And so the cycle goes on.
Before reading our solutions, have you read our article on Worrying about Catnapping? Sometimes just changing our thoughts about shorter sleeps can take away some of the stress!
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Baby Wearing
Many newborns just want to be as close to mum or dad as possible, as they miss the sensations of being in the womb. So often when your baby wakes after a very short sleep, having her close to you will help her fall back to sleep. The easiest way to achieve this is to use a comfortable baby carrier. This means your baby is in almost the same position as in the womb, but you are hands free and can carry on with whatever you are doing. It also means you can carry your baby comfortably for as long as you need without it being as tiring as just carrying in your arms.
There are lots of different slings and wraps available - click here to see our current options. Stretchy Wraps, Ring Slings and Woven Wraps are the best options for newborns, though there are a lot of other options such as soft structured carriers (such as Beco, Boba, Tula, Ergobaby etc) and Mei Tai - which are similar to buckle carriers but have tie straps.
Here's our introduction to our Newborn Babywearing article. We also have a dedicated Facebook Page for babywearing and heaps of other information on our website.
If you are not sure where to start, we recommend a Stretchy Wrap with newborns - as pictured. They are really comfortable and easy to use. You can use a baby carrier for the whole sleep or pop baby in to the carrier if they wake grumpy and won't go back to sleep in bed.
Panting & Rocking
If your baby is still swaddled and you have had constant white noise playing loud, and baby will still not go back to sleep, try some patting, rub babies tummy or stroke her forehead, or gently rock the bassinet.
Often this gentle movement will be enough to stop baby crying, relax and fall back to sleep.
As your baby gets closer to 3 months old, we strongly recommend that you work on weaning your baby off needing this type of intervention to get back to sleep. Try just patting until she is calm, rather than asleep. Then over the next few sleeps, try just a few pats then leave her to resettle herself.
Walks in the Pushchair
Movement is another thing your baby was used to in the womb, and it is another very effective tool for helping your baby sleep for longer during the day.
You can either walk your baby for the whole sleep or use a walk to resettle baby for a 2nd sleep cycle. It works well to settle baby in their bed, swaddled and with white noise (see below). Then if your baby wakes after 20 or 45 minutes and won't resettle in the bassinet, you can then take them for a walk to get them back to sleep. Keep baby firmly swaddled, as she will be much more likely to go back to sleep if she is still snug and unable to startle.
You may also want to use some portable white noise, such as a Lulla Doll, Baby Shusher, Soothe & Vibe or portable Marpac. Another option is a small radio on static (a $10 cheapie from the warehouse or similar is ideal for this use).
Look for a bumpy place to walk, rather than smooth concrete. It seems the bumpier the walk, the better babies sleep!
Adding a SnoozeShade over your pushchair will also help with resettling and longer buggy sleeps.
Battery Operated Baby Swings
We love baby swings, as they can help newborns have great day sleeps. They are perfect for 2nd or subsequent babies, as mum or Dad have so much else to do already without having to constantly be jiggling and patting and rocking. Swings use a battery powered motor to rock baby back and forth, creating a motion that helps baby settle quickly, resettle when in a light sleep and stay asleep longer.
As with other settling techniques, a swing works far more effectively when your newborn is swaddled. Either leave the swaddling loose around the legs so you can pull the harness up between the legs, or use atravel swaddle such as SwaddleMe (which has a slot in the back for pushchair or swing harness). Use your swing on the fastest setting to get your baby to sleep. Then once baby is sound asleep, you may want to turn it down to a slower setting.
It's a good idea to alternate day sleeps in a swing with sleeping in bed, so your baby also learns to sleep and resettle without the swing. However for the majority of babies, the effectiveness of the swing for day sleeps starts to wear off at about 4-5 months anyway, so you don't need to worry about baby needing to be weaned off the swing. If your swing has toys on it, we recommend that you take these off when your baby is in the swing for sleeping.
Opportunity to Resettle
Once your baby is over a couple of months of age, we recommend that you try giving your baby the opportunity to resettle by himself if he wakes at the 20 or 45 minute mark.
If you always rush in as soon as he makes a little noise, over time he learns he needs you to help him back to sleep, and he never gets the chance to practice going back to sleep.
Many babies grizzle or cry for a few minutes as they stir, wake and resettle back to sleep. This is quite normal and doesn't mean your baby is upset, hungry or ready to get up. For many babies it is just what they do in between sleep cycles, both day and night.
How long you give your baby to resettle is completely up to you, how hard your baby is crying and how old they are. However a good rule of thumb would be to give your baby about 5 minutes to see if they can go back to sleep before you try any other techniques.
Dark Room
Close your baby's curtains and make his room nice and dark. Bright light can be stimulating to a baby, and may effect your baby resettling after one sleep cycle.
Invest in blackout lining on your curtains, or pin a blanket or black polythene over the windows to see if that helps.
This becomes more of an issue with babies once they are over 4 months and are far more aware of their surroundings...and can seethere are fun things to do when you get out of bed. However lots of babies can still sleep really well in a lighter room, so this isn't an issue for all babies!
Feed / Awake Time / Sleep Routine
We recommend using the feed/play/sleep routine during the day, which means you put your baby into bed when she shows tired signs. Then feed her when she wakes from her sleep.
However if your baby is a catnapper and sleeping for 45 mins or less, this means she would be getting fed every couple of hours or even more frequently. So do try to resettle her for another sleep cycle, so you don't feel like all you do is feed/into bed/feed etc!
It's very unlikely that your baby is hungry after an hour or 2 (once she's over a couple of months), it's much more likely that she needs more sleep and a bit of help to get back to sleep. Try some techniques like a swing, sling or walk in the buggy to try and get another sleep cycle.
Avoid Falling Asleep in the Car
With babies over the age of 3 months, we recommend that you try to avoid letting your baby fall asleep in the car, as this can reinforce cat napping habits.
For example, your baby may fall asleep 10 minutes before you get home, and think he has had his sleep. That means he then won't settle for another sleep in his cot, your routine will get completely out of whack and you will have a baby that will be really over-tired later in the day.
We find it works best to either go out after your baby's morning sleep or to go out early and put baby into his pushchair for his morning sleep when you get to your destination (wrapped or in sleeping bag, whatever you do at home).
Build Great Sleep Habits
As your baby reaches 3 months old and beyond, it's a good time to look at building great sleep habits for the future. A lot of the things that help with overnight sleep can also help with catnapping.
Read our article on Building Great Sleep Habits here (it's from our 3-6 month info).
Read more about Sleep Habits
Building Great Sleep Habits
Building Great Sleep Habits
Building Great Sleep Habits
But I’ve Tried All Those Things & Nothing Works!!!
For starters ,did you read the info about babies who wake happy are really hard to get back to sleep? If your baby is tired and grumpy when waking, make sure you have persevered with the tips and not just tried things once or twice.
You may need to increase the intensity that you try the techniques with - for sample, very quiet white noise doesn't have much impact on catnapping but loud white noise makes a difference with most babies. Arms down swaddling is usually much more effective compared to arms up swaddles or loose swaddling with muslin.
But if the above info doesn't make a difference for your baby, perhaps she is just going to be a cat-napper in the near future.... some babies are determined catnappers and are fine with less sleep!
We do find that some parents get fixated on how much their babies sleep in the day, rather than just seeing this as a phase and enjoying their baby for who they are. Please try not to stress about it, just go with the flow in the meantime and your baby may naturally start to sleep for longer as they get older. Some of the techniques like babywearing and walking with your baby can also help avoid some of the stress that catnapping can cause.
Build Great Sleep Habits
For more information on helping newborns sleep longer, we recommend ordering a copy of The Happiest Baby DVD and Secrets of the Baby Whisperer.
To order other tools to help woth cartnapping, please click the links below.
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