The Joys of Sleep Training Part Two: Nap Time and Schedules

I can't express enough how important naps have been for Mr Noah from day one. If he doesn't get a good nap through out the day he won't sleep well that night. My approach to nap time is pretty similar to bed time minus the bath. The little man takes two naps a day. The first is always within an hour or two of waking up in the morning. Then the second is somewhere between 12:30pm-1:30pm. The afternoon nap changes depending on if we are home or out. I'm a big believer in schedules and routines (for just about everything in life) but I also believe that its important to change up the times on their schedule so that they learn to be flexible. I would hate if we couldn't make certain plans because of his bedtime or nap time.

Getting ready for a nap in his stroller 

If we are home for his naps I lay him down in his crib, turn on the music and give him his lovey blankie. Usually for the morning nap he goes right to sleep. The first nap is around an hour. If he wakes up before the hour I usually go in there and help soothe him back to sleep. Anything less than 30 minutes does the opposite for him. He becomes Mr. Cranky Pants and is no fun. His afternoon nap is usually two hours. But he fights this one. I usually put a little Ylang Ylang DoTerra oil mixed with his lotion on him for relaxation. I also put on the diffuser with Lavender. Its his own personal spa! Then after a few cuddles on the rocking chair I put him in his crib still drowsy. If we are out during his afternoon nap I usually just walk around with him in his stroller and he puts himself to sleep.

If Mr. Noah doesn't take his naps he becomes extremely exhausted and over tired. Then bed time turns into a battle. I try at all cost to avoid this.

Here is a look into Noah's typical day if we are just hanging at home:

Happy baby after his two hour nap :) 

6:00am-7am: wakes up
7:45am: breakfast
8:30am: morning nap
10:00am: snack
10:30am: first walk
11:30am: play time on the floor
12:00pm: lunch
1:00pm: afternoon nap
3:00pm: snack then second walk
4:00pm: either play time at home or at the park
5:30pm dinner
6:00pm: bath
7:30pm: bedtime :)




I know it looks very planned out (and very much OCD haha) but he sorta created this schedule himself. I just watch for his cues to tell me what he needs. But I love it because I am all about knowing whats next. Of course as he gets older it changes. This has been his schedule for the past few weeks. I'm sure within a month it will be different. Since I have the little man on a schedule it makes it easy for my mom to watch him when I am at work and it also gives me a heads up if he is starting to get sick. He will usually sleep a lot more than usual or not sleep at all.


Some important things I learned from reading my sleep training book and from trial and error is:

1. Watch for cues of sleepiness. Mr Noah usually starts to rub his eyes or will all of sudden lose interest in whatever he is doing. Sometimes he will show signs of being tired an hour before his usually bedtime. Trying to keep him up just makes things worse so if he wants to fall asleep at 6pm I let him.

2. Pick a blanket or lovey that will only be used for nap and bedtime. He rubs his all over his face and under his nose to help him fall asleep. He even looks for it at night now if he wakes up to help him fall back asleep.

3. Remove all toys from the crib so that they know its bedtime not play time. I do put his favorite Dr Seuss toy in his crib with him though because he likes to cuddle.

4. Always put them in their crib drowsy. This was crucial from Mr Noah and sleep training but once he learned to put himself to sleep it was a miracle. Prior to it I would spend almost an hour rocking him into a deep sleep. If he wasn't in a deep sleep before putting him down he would wake up immediately and start crying. Bedtime would last for hours then. 

My Bible 

I hope this helps with any mamas who are on the fence about sleep training. I know its scary and I know its hard but its so worth it in the end. I feel like it helps set them up for healthy sleep habits as they get older and most importantly it helps you keep your sanity :)