5 Tips To Get Your Kids on a Nap Schedule So You Can Work
With everyone adjusting to a new "normal", lots of parents are working from home. This is a strange uncharted area for everyone, so coming up with a bit of a schedule, especially a nap schedule, is helpful to keep the stress levels down. Planning work around consistent naptimes is essential to ensure your little one gets the rest they need, and you have time to get work done. The better your child naps, the better their mood will also be -- meaning they can happily play by themselves or along side you if you need to get things done outside of nap time. Use the tips below to get smooth days for everyone!
Tip#1: Know How Many Naps They Should Take
One key piece to be able to know in order to be able to make a good nap schedule to work around is knowing how many naps your little one should be taking. Take a peek at this graphic (and share it freely!) to know where your child should fall.
Tip #2: White Noise
White noise is KEY to being able to work while having a baby napping in the next room. White noise or pink noise (ocean sounds, rain) is very helpful in drowning out the background noise. We personally have the Dohm machine and love that it is able to be adjusted based on how soft or loud you would like the noise to be.
Tip #3: Awake Times
This is along the same lines as knowing how many naps your child should be taking, but a step further. Knowing how many naps is honestly just half the battle! So yea, maybe your little one is in the age range of taking two naps, but what time should those naps be?
Tip #4: Naptime Routine
A lot of parents will know to implement a bedtime routine, but not many know that a naptime routine is just as important! While a naptime routine isn't as long and complicated as a bedtime routine, there needs to be something before a nap to signal that sleep in expected. A sample nap time routine can be:
Diaper change -- 1 book -- light off
For a video on a toddler naptime routine visit my TikTok Profile: Baby O and I
Tip #5: Independent Naps
The most most MOST important piece of having your child nap so you can work, is that they can nap on their own. Yes, maybe you know how many naps your child needs, and how long they should be awake between each nap, but if you need to hold the/rock them/ drive them to sleep, then none of the other things make a difference! If your child is not taking independent naps, then you will not be able to work!! Identify what it is that your child is needing in order to fall asleep (motion, feeding, etc) and find another consistent way to help them learn self soothing skills.
Sleep consultants are here to help with all of these things. I can help create a custom nap schedule, as well as evening schedules made just for your family and getting children to sleep independently is just some of the magic I can provide for your family.
Looking for some support for nights as well? Check out this post!
Want to get your child sleeping (and you) to be your best during the unprecedented time? Contact me today.