When your baby is a newborn, you can’t hold them enough! Looking down at your new baby asleep in your arms is the best feeling. You can hold them all day and snuggle for every nap if you want to. There comes a time when you need to lay them down for naps and end the contact nap cycle. Contact naps are essentially when you hold your baby, co-sleep, let them lay on your chest, or any other form of laying on or near you for sleep. So the big question is…how to stop contact naps? How can I break the habit of contact napping?
How to Stop Contact Naps
When babies fall asleep on or near you only, they have a hard time entering that deep sleep phase that we want them to reach. If your baby is having trouble getting good, solid, deep sleep, they aren’t recharging or restoring their body or brain. Babies and toddlers both need good, restorative sleep to grow, learn, and develop. They aren’t getting deep sleep while napping on you. So unfortunately, they aren’t learning how to connect sleep cycles which can prevent independent sleep habits from forming. As rewarding as parenting is, it’s also hard– especially when it’s filled with sleepless days and nights. Below I’ve listed some sleep tips that can help you get out of the cycle of contact naps. Following these tips can help get your baby sleeping on their own. Independent sleep will give you more time to yourself as well! There’s NOTHING wrong with feeling this way – it doesn’t make you any less of an amazing mom and parent!
Tips: How to Stop Contact Naps
Tip #1: Sleep Training
Sleep training is the first and best tip I can give anyone looking to stop holding their baby for nap time. When should you stop contact napping? The choice is entirely yours. If your baby is 4 months old, you can start sleep training. Sleep training involves implementing an age appropriate sleep schedule, setting up a sleep environment conducive for sleep and teaching your baby to put themselves to sleep on their own!
Please remember that sleep training does not mean setting your baby down in their crib wide awake, letting them cry and scream themselves to sleep! There are SO many different ways you can sleep train your baby. From slow, gentle sleep training methods to faster methods involving some crying- but not torturous crying. Don’t worry! I have an entire post dedicated to the benefits of sleep training that goes into more detail!
Tip #2: Sleep Environment
Make sure your baby’s sleep environment is conducive to getting good sleep! Your baby should sleep in a safe sleep space (firm, flat mattress with nothing else in the crib) in a dark room with white noise of some kind in the background. Getting your baby to sleep independently is so much easier when you have a calming room or space set up for them to sleep soundly. There are a ton of baby sleep products that can help them sleep better!
Tip #3: Nap / Bedtime Routine
Babies and toddlers THRIVE on routine! A good bedtime routine signals to their brain that it’s time for sleep. Using a sleep sack, turning on white noise, and setting your child down awake can be a great start. A nighttime routine does not have to be long and drawn out with many steps. It can be as simple as changing, feeding, rocking, and putting them to bed. Apply whatever routine you choose for day and night sleep. If you’re consistent with your routine, your baby will learn that these steps lead to sleepy time and develop solid sleep patterns.
Tip #4: Be Consistent
Consistency is KEY when teaching your baby the new skill of sleeping independently. Once you decide to stop contact napping and have them start sleeping on their own, it’s best to stick with it. If you’re not following a routine every night, it sends mixed signals to your baby and can ultimately lead to confusion and lots of protesting, because they know you’ll eventually give in and soothe them.
Tip #5: Avoid an Overtired Baby
Overtired babies lead to grumpy babies which leads to babies who have a hard time falling asleep. Keep a close eye on age-appropriate wake windows for your baby when you’re switching to independent naps from contact naps. If your baby is overtired they have a much, MUCH harder time falling asleep in their crib. Staying on a consistent nap schedule can be so beneficial for everyone!
Tip #6: Don’t Give Mixed Signals
This goes hand in hand with being consistent! If you are going back and forth and eventually giving in to holding your baby for naps, this sends very mixed signals to them and can confuse them. Stick with a process and follow through- they will learn to self-soothe and your life will get a lot easier!
Sleep Shore Sleep Consulting
Is your little one having a hard time transitioning from contact naps to crib naps? If your child is unable to fall asleep, stay asleep, or wake up at a normal time, it may be time to consider sleep training. Sleep Shore offers personalized solutions for each unique sleeping situation to get your little one on track- whether they’re a newborn, infant, or toddler. We also offer in home sleep training services in the Boston, Massachusetts, Central Michigan (Midland, Clare, Mt. Pleasant) and Traverse City, Michigan. Sleep training offers babies and children with the skills to fall asleep on their own so they can wake up feeling more well-rested- and in turn, you’ll feel more energized, too! See what this mama had to say about our sleep services below:
“Sleep Shore has been a game changer for us. Within two weeks we were able to stop early walking’s AND get 4 naps a day in the crib instead of contact napping for each of them. Having someone just a text away (definitely do the texting add-on — it’s a must-have) to answer all my questions and help me navigate through the process was so helpful. It was worth every penny!”
-Mom of 4-Month-Old