Getting a toddler to nap is not always an easy task. Here are 5 tips to help your toddler nap better.

1. Age-appropriate nap schedule for your toddler

The first tip is to make sure you are napping your toddler at the right time. Some people are surprised to know that toddlers do not typically transition to just one midday nap until 15-18 months, on average. At many daycares, for example, they tend to transition many toddlers to one nap around their first birthday. While this may be okay for some (my first did, in fact, transition to just one nap around his 1st birthday), it can have disastrous results for others. Not only may it make a very cranky toddler, but they may not nap long enough because they are overtired and they also may not sleep through the night.

If your toddler is still taking 2 naps, a typical schedule might be 7-10-2-7 (that’s wake at 7, naps at 10 and 2 with a bedtime at 7pm). A one-nap schedule might be 7-12-7. Please review how much sleep your toddler needs.

2. Have a nap routine

Routines set the stage and expectations of your toddler so he will know what to expect at any given time of the day. So, to help transition him from playing hard to a nap, it is best to develop a routine. If he is on one nap, for example, his nap may fall soon after lunch. Therefore, you should not get into an exciting game, but perhaps “storytime” is a good activity after lunch. A typical routine might be a quiet game for 5 minutes, some light music, read 2 books, cuddle for a minute and then put him down for his nap. If you are consistent, he will likely start to know what’s coming next and start to get tired before you even get to step 2.

3. Be careful of how she falls asleep

It is important to encourage your toddler to fall asleep a certain way that he can go BACK to sleep after his sleep cycles. We all wake periodically while we sleep going from deeper sleep into lighter sleep and back into deep sleep, again. It is when she is in lighter sleep and needs to go into deep sleep again, but is no longer rocking or sucking a pacifier or nursing or some other sleep association that she has trouble going back to sleep, making for a too-short nap. Encourage her to learn to fall asleep without your assistance. Of course, if you enjoy the snuggle and she takes a nap that is at least one hour (the minimum to be considered restorative), then it’s not a problem at all for you to do that.

4. Avoid snoozes

Have you ever napped at 6 pm and then had trouble falling asleep at your normal bedtime of 10 pm? Similarly, a short snooze in the car, stroller, etc. may recharge your toddler making it hard for him to nap during his normal nap time. If you know he gets sleepy around a certain time, try to avoid car rides or walks in the stroller.

5. Have a set amount of nap time

Establish a “nap hour” where your toddler will be in bed, regardless if he is asleep. This gives him some down-time, away from the household hustle and bustle, at the very least. And, it gives you, mom and dad, a much needed break to recharge yourself. If he naps 45 minutes and you leave him alone for another 15, he just might drift back off to sleep. If you are consistent, they will come to expect that their nap hour is just that, and will either play or learn to sleep at least that long. Sometimes all they need is 5 minutes to drift back off to sleep.

Need more help with your toddler’s sleep problems?

If you need more help with your toddler’s sleep, you may be interested in my e-Book, Help Your Child Sleep, a Detailed Guide which discusses toddler sleep issues such as waking up too early (or going to bed too late), transitioning to a big boy bed, and more! Or, you may be interested in custom sleep advice for your unique child and situation.

Do you have any toddler napping tips? Please share!

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I received a question through my Ask Nicole e-mail address (asknicole [at] picknicksbrain [dot] com) this week. It came at the perfect time because I was contemplating what to write about for my blog posts this week (I try to post every Tuesday and Thursday and have a lot of ideas, but like to vary topics) and it was a good question. The gist of the question is whether it’s OK to put a 9-month old on his tummy to sleep.

First, Back to Sleep

It is highly recommended to place your baby on his back to sleep to reduce the risk of SIDS. If you haven’t already, please review the ten ways to reduce SIDS risk, one of which is to make sure baby sleeps on his back to sleep. Some parents are worried baby will choke on spit-up, but babies will automatically swallow fluids or turn to the side. The #1 way to reduce the risk of SIDS is to put baby “back to sleep”.

When can baby sleep on his tummy?

So, when can we put our babies on their tummy to sleep? Please note you should check with your pediatrician, first and foremost. I am not a doctor, but it is my understanding that once your baby can roll onto her tummy, it is OK to allow her to sleep that way and you do not need to worry about continuously flipping her back over. Dr. Sears’ website states “It does not mean that if your baby sleeps on her tummy she’s going to die of SIDS. Current SIDS rates are around one in a thousand babies; meaning that there’s a 99.9 percent chance your child will remain a healthy little girl regardless of her sleep position.”

Some babies start to roll and don’t like it and wake you up numerous times per night. That is never fun. I was lucky that once my son learned to roll that way, he actually slept better!

But, what about older babies?

Even though SIDS can happen anytime in the first year, the peak risk for SIDS is between 2 and 4 months old and 95% of all cases have occurred before 6 months, so that is probably less of a concern in a baby as old as 9 months old (the question at hand I mentioned at the beginning of this post). Many babies are rolling by 9 months old and likely would roll in their sleep, too.

Should you “force” tummy sleeping to get better sleep?

While encouraging your baby to sleep on his tummy when he hasn’t done it himself can work, it may be difficult to implement. It is best to develop a plan that you can 100% commit to and the #1 question to ask yourself when you consider a plan such as this, is whether you can stand at the crib and rub/pat his back for 2 hours. Of course, most babies probably will not take that long, but in most cases, if you had to visit this site, you do not have an “easy” sleeper and thus, certain methods may take a little longer than with other babies (especially in this case if he isn’t used to sleeping on his tummy). While some may drift off to sleep in 5-10 minutes, yours might take 30, 60 or 90 minutes. The #1 key is to be consistent with your plan, so make sure whatever you choose to do, you feel 100% committed you can stick with it for as long as it takes and then hope he doesn’t take that long. Of course, you will never know unless you try, either.

However, as with any method, you should be very careful not to create yet another sleep association that you will need to break. Don’t break one sleep association in exchange for another. That’s very important!

When did your baby start to sleep on his tummy?

Many parents want to know what a common schedule is for their baby’s age. This article outlines the average 6 month old baby schedule, including feedings, solids, naps and night sleep. If your baby is having trouble napping, you may be interested in how you can get your baby to nap.

I have two sample schedules for breastfeeding mothers and two for formula feeding mothers. If you do a combination, you may need to tweak the schedule.

Jump to: breastfeeding section or the formula section

Sample 6 month old baby schedule

At this age, if you are not lucky enough to have a baby who sleeps through the night, many 6 month olds are still waking 1-2 times to eat at night. Anything more and likely you have a sleep problem (aside from the 6-month growth spurt that should only last a few days). Obviously, all babies vary, but here are some rough schedules you can use to make your own for your unique baby.

Breastfeeding

Goal per day:

• 5-6 nursing sessions per day, on-demand
• 2 servings baby cereal
• 2 servings (2-3 Tablespoons) fruit
• 2 servings (2-3 Tablespoons) vegetable

If you breastfeed, here is a what I call a “staggered” approach. My first son did better nursing fully and then having solids a bit in between nursing sessions. He was a little hungry but not famished. He just didn’t do well with stopping nursing mid-way to eat solids.

Schedule 1
7:00 - Wake and breastmilk
8:30 - Breakfast - Cereal mixed with breast milk and fruit
9:00 - Morning Nap (at least 1 hour)
11:00 - Breastmilk
12:30 - Lunch - Crackers / Bread + Veggies
1:00 - Early Afternoon Nap (at least 1 hour)
3:00 - Breastmilk
4:00 - Optional catnap (30-45 minutes, on average)
5:00 - Dinner - Cereal + Veggies
6:30 - Begin bedtime routine
7:00 - Breastmilk and Bedtime (goal to be asleep at this time)
2:00 - First (and possibly only) nighttime feeding - Note: Feeding shouldn’t need to be earlier than 2 or 3 a.m.

If your baby doesn’t mind a more “consolidated” approach to eating, here is another type of schedule:

Schedule 2
7:00 - Wake, nurse 1 side, cereal with breastmilk & fruit, and other side
9:00 - Morning Nap (at least 1 hour)
11:00 - Nurse 1 side, lunch Crackers / Bread + Veggies, and other side
1:00 - Early Afternoon Nap (at least 1 hour)
3:00 - Nurse
4:00 - Optional catnap (30-45 minutes, on average)
5:00 - Nurse 1 side, dinner (Cereal + Veggies), then other side
6:30 - Begin bedtime routine
7:00 - Nurse (probably won’t eat much) and Bedtime (goal to be asleep at this time)
2:00 - First (and possibly only) nighttime feeding - Note: Feeding shouldn’t need to be earlier than 2 or 3 a.m.

Formula

Goal per day:

• 3-5 6-8 oz bottles per day
• 2 servings baby cereal
• 2 servings (2-3 Tablespoons) fruit
• 2 servings (2-3 Tablespoons) vegetable

Here is a “staggered” approach. Like I said above, my first son did better nursing fully and then having solids a bit in between nursing sessions. He was a little hungry but not famished. He just didn’t do well with stopping nursing mid-way to eat solids.

Schedule 1
7:00 - Wake and bottle
8:30 - Breakfast - Cereal mixed with formula and fruit
9:00 - Morning Nap (at least 1 hour)
11:00 - Bottle
12:30 - Lunch - Crackers / Bread + Veggies
1:00 - Early Afternoon Nap (at least 1 hour)
3:00 - Bottle
4:00 - Optional catnap (30-45 minutes, on average)
5:00 - Dinner - Cereal + Veggies
6:30 - Begin bedtime routine
7:00 - Bottle and Bedtime (goal to be asleep at this time)
2:00 - First (and possibly only) nighttime feeding - Note: Feeding shouldn’t need to be earlier than 2 or 3 a.m.

If your baby doesn’t mind a more “consolidated” approach to eating, here is another type of schedule:

Schedule 2
7:00 - Wake, 1/2 bottle, cereal with formula and fruit, then rest of bottle
9:00 - Morning Nap (at least 1 hour)
11:00 - 1/2 bottle, lunch Crackers / Bread + Veggies, and rest of bottle
1:00 - Early Afternoon Nap (at least 1 hour)
3:00 - Bottle
4:00 - Optional catnap (30-45 minutes, on average)
5:00 - 1/2 bottle, dinner (Cereal + Veggies), rest of bottle
6:30 - Begin bedtime routine
7:00 - Small bottle (probably won’t eat much) and Bedtime (goal to be asleep at this time)
2:00 - First (and possibly only) nighttime feeding - Note: Feeding shouldn’t need to be earlier than 2 or 3 a.m.

If you need help with your baby’s schedule, you may be interested in Help Your Child Sleep, a Detailed Guide, which discusses naps, schedules, and shifting schedules for babies waking too early or going to bed too late (among many other things) or get one-on-one sleep advice.

What is your 6-month old’s schedule?

Many people wonder when they can put their baby on a schedule. Today’s sleep quick tip is that babies will vary, but the average age that I recommend to start trying a sleep schedule is around 6 months old. Depending on how consistent they are, how sensitive they are to becoming overtired and how over-tiredness affects their napping will drive when a schedule is comfortably achievable. Of course, many people try schedules sooner and some will succeed, but if pushing them to be awake too long makes them nap worse, you aren’t helping you or him get enough sleep. The main obstacle in short-napping in babies under 9-10 months old is over-tiredness. When they are over-tired, they have more trouble settling down to sleep. This is usually done by keeping them up too long between naps. Strange, but true!

Would you like to learn more about baby schedules?

I will be posting sample schedules for a variety of ages. So far, I have the 8 month schedule done. On Thursday, I will post the 6 month schedule. I’ll update this post as I get more up.

You can also read about napping in my free guide, 5 Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night as napping can affect nighttime sleep. And, I also talk a lot about schedules in my e-Book, Help Your Baby Sleep, a Detailed Guide. The e-Book also covers how to shift schedules in 8+ month olds and toddlers when they are waking up too early and/or going to bed too late, complete with examples on how to shift the schedule.

When did you put your baby on a schedule?

I just had my first free giveaway last week and here are the winners! There weren’t too many entries, so you had a good chance to win! Next time, I need to find ways to advertise it more, I suppose, but I don’t mind giving away to most people who entered!

To choose the winner, I counted up the number of entries and asked my husband to choose 5 numbers, randomly, so here are the winners:

A copy of my e-book: Shay and Jessica
A free 2-email consulting services package: Laura
A custom-made baby blanket by Elizabeth Artiz: Julie and Jennifer

Congratulations!! I’ll send you an e-mail with either instructions on getting your prize or send you my e-Book, directly. I’m going to plan another giveaway next month. Maybe I can try to do one once a month or every other month.

And, thank you for any feedback you gave me on the site! I really appreciate it!!

Babies can begin to teethe as early as just a few months old, but it might take awhile before the actual tooth even appears. Some babies never show many signs of teething apart from drooling and chewing on everything while others will get fussy and cranky as the tooth is popping through. Some babies will sleep through it all while others will have numerous night wakings. Some experts have said it will not disrupt sleep, but I wholeheartedly disagree. As everything else, all babies are different and they will all have different pain tolerances. I know that my son did seem to be affected and since none of us can go back and know what it feels like, I believe it’s our job, as parents, to be sympathetic, while also making sure they get enough sleep.

Here are my tips for handling teething and your baby’s sleep:

• If baby is extra fussy during the day when he’s awake (i.e. he is not fussy because he is sleepy), make sure you make him extra comfortable at bedtime with a dose of Motrin or Tylenol or teething tablets and possibly, Orajel. Note: My pediatrician did not OK Motrin until 6 months old. I prefer Motrin because it lasts longer (6 hours) than Tylenol (4 hours), but you should check with your pediatrician about when you can give it.
• Given a baby teethes for what feels like a constant 2 years, you should figure out a plan for how you will handle it because you can’t allow too much sleep deprivation in the name of “teething”, since you may think something is a teething problem, but it’s really a sleep problem.

  My plan with my first son was that if he was extra fussy during the day, I’d give him Motrin and Orajel at bedtime. If he had any night wakings 6+ hours (give or take 1 hour) after the medication, I’d tend to him with another dose and then stay with him for 30 minutes until it kicked in and then put him back down. It was usually only about 2-4 days of super fussy times that he needed extra soothing until the tooth popped through. Other times, I’d have to be more stringent on my nighttime visits, because of the problems it would create.

• If you are nursing, expect baby to possibly nurse more frequently as it feels good on their gums. As always, you may have to set limits and be careful not to create a sleep association with nursing to sleep.

Should You Stop Sleep Training During Teething?

In general, my answer will be no. If you waited for all your baby’s teeth to pop through before you sleep train, you might wait over 2 years! Some baby’s teeth pop through at a few months old but others don’t until past a year old! Since you have no way of knowing, you need to just do your best and make sure you prioritize your baby’s sleep. Having said that, you may need to alter your plan a bit, as I suggested above, during the few days the teeth are about to erupt through the gums (you might notice them right on the surface of the gums and your baby is extra fussy), but otherwise, help them feel comfortable, but continue to be consistent and help them learn to sleep better.

Do you have any teething tips?

I breastfed my first son for 13 months and am still breastfeeding my second (he’s now 5 1/2 months as I’m writing this). As I’ve said before, we also used a crying sleep training method with my first and a no-cry sleep training method for my second (so far). They are just two very different temperaments.

Although I used a crying sleep training method for my first son, I was pretty turned off by an article I read that promoted crying it out to wean breastfeeding. Part of my philosophy is that we all must find a method of sleep training that works for our families.

Another part of my philosophy is that you need to be fair to your child. For example, I never recommend cry-it-out to families who have been co-sleeping for a lengthy amount of time. I believe you need to start slower. With my son, I made sure he could fall asleep unassisted before I expected him to do it alone. Some babies have more trouble self-soothing than others. Once my son knew how to fall asleep, it was more of a matter for us to set limits that he had to do it daily, without our “help” only because our “help” turned into a 3 hour marathon event.

Back to that article. She mentions going on a vacation, separating from baby abruptly, for a week or more and another method is to sabotage your breast milk so it doesn’t taste good. Her final method is to let your baby cry and increase the time before you nurse until you work your way up to letting your baby “cry itself out”. First of all, my baby is not an “it”.

Second of all, there is another method (and there are others!) that worked well for me and that is the “Don’t offer, don’t refuse” method. I had plenty of time, so I could take my time and we took 2 months to wean. Even going slow, my son showed signs of weaning too fast, so I can’t imagine if I had used any of the methods outlined in the article I read!

Granted, had my son taken “too long” (whatever that means to each of us) to wean, I do understand that sometimes you do have to set limits and yes, they might cry, but just like sleep training, there is a range of things you can try before you jump to cry-it-out. I was completely turned off that the article seemed to only list extreme methods. At least give a variety of methods like I have on this site about sleep training with my sleep training series, ya know?

I know this post isn’t really about sleep, per se, but when I read the article and it mentioned “cry it out” for weaning, I felt compelled to write. Cry it out gets such a bad rap, sometimes, and this doesn’t help. What I want to emphasize is that you let your baby cry-it-out to fix sleep problems, but only after your baby is fed, dry, comfortable, and any other needs are attended to. A baby’s cry is protesting the changes you are making when you are breaking sleep associations and other habits. But, breastfeeding is about more than just a mother’s milk as it’s a source of comfort and a connection between mom and baby, too. Even when you sleep train, you can (and should) breastfeed or bottle feed your baby. The idea is just not to do it until baby is all the way asleep. Easier said than done, unfortunately.

I hope this article lets you get to know me and my philosophy better. For more weaning techniques, please visit Kelly Mom. You can also visit BabbleSoft for breastfeeding support.

What do you think about cry-it-out to wean?

I am so happy that I have been featured in 5 Minutes for Mom’s weekly column 5 Minutes Around The Blogosphere. My contest to win a copy of my Help Your Child Sleep, a Detailed Guide e-Book, sleep consulting services , or custom-made baby blanket was listed as a “Baby Essentials” contest.

If you haven’t heard of this website, you should check it out! It’s a place that brings moms together and gives you great places to visit while online. You should definitely check out their readers blogs and mom-run websites. The owners also have this really cute store that sells rocking horses called A Rocking Horse to Love.

If you haven’t already entered my contest, please make sure you post a comment on this blog post for a chance to win!

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