The world is a lot different than it was a few weeks ago. With Austin issuing a shelter-in place order for the next couple of weeks, many parents are now facing a quaratine and working remotely from home. Parents have more jobs than they had before– full-time work out of or in the home, full-time chef, substitute teacher, nurse, constant sanitizier of all of the things. Your child may have been in a school or daycare environment where they nappped on weekdays and now all of a sudden, you’re responsible for naptimes everyday. I’m hearing from a lot of parents who are struggling with this, so I wanted to give you some tips to help your child nap during the Covid-19 quarantine.
Keep a Schedule
This is important for the parents of babies and toddlers. It’s important to maintain consistent wake up and nap times in order to give your little ones the most restorative sleep possible. You might be tempted to not have your child on a schedule during quarantine. For flexible babies and toddlers, this may not be a problem. However, some children are sensitive to change. Not all naps are created equal and if the timing of sleep is off because your child “sleeps in”, you may find you have a nap fighter on your hands. Here are some cheat sheets for figuring out the best sleep timing for your child.
Three Nap Babies:
Wake up: 6:00-7:00
Nap 1: 8:30- 9:00 (begin)
Nap 2: 12:00-1:00 (begin)
Nap 3 (sometime between 3:00 and 4:00)
Bedtime– varies based on nap quality (between 5:30 and 7:30 for most)
Two Nap Babies
Wake Up: Between 6:00 and 7:00
Nap 1: begin sometime between 8:30 and 9:00
Nap 2: begin sometime between 12:30 and 1:00
Bedtime: varies based on nap quality (between 5:30 and 7:30 for most)
One Nap Toddlers
Wake up between 6:00 and 7:00 (might be able to sleep a little later)
Nap begins: sometime between 12:00 and 1:00
Bedtime: varies based on length of nap– between 5:30 and 8:00.
But My Baby/Toddler is NOT Napping and they need one!
It may take some time to get the naps going again, but it can be done! If timing is in place, the next things you want to tackle are your sleep environment, nap routine, and space.
Nap Environment
Nap environments should be dark and cool. A lot of people think these sleep spaces should be brighter so that children do not sleep too long, but this is rarely a problem. The darker space will encourage the onset of drowsiness. This can help your child fall asleep faster, but it can also aid in lengthening a nap for a short napper. Need to make your child’s sleep space darker, but can’t go to the store? No problem! Hang some black trash bags in windows or tack up some towels to cover cracks of light. Dark construction paper can also come in handy if you don’t have bags.
Nap Routine
Your child’s nap routine can be a smaller version of your bedtime routine. Chances are, there was a nap routine at your child’s school or daycare that involved a story or some relaxing music, some calm teacher talk, and some encouragement for children to lay down and rest their bodies. You can implement a similar routine at home. Keep your routine to about 10-15 minutes.
After lunch, allow for some quiet activities rather than ramped up play. For older children who do not like the idea of a nap, avoid the word. Emphasize “resting” and “recharging”. You can even be real with them and explain that you need to work or have a conference call and it’s important that they are resting during this time. If you don’t have work to do, you can shut down the entire house for a rest period. We all need to take that little bit of extra time right now for our health and this is a great way to do that.
Give it Time
I can’t emphasize this enough– be patient and give the nap time. If your child is under one year of age, allow your child to be in their crib for at least one hour for their first two naps. The third nap can be shorter, about 30-45 minutes. Giving your child this time allows space for falling asleep and falling back asleep if they wake up after a short nap.
If your child is over one year, your child may need more time to fall asleep. Allow for 1.5 hours in the crib or bed, possible 2 hours if your child is only taking one nap a day.
It’s also important to be patient as the naps come together. It may take two weeks or more for older children to begin napping again. Expect that there will be days your child does not nap. If this happens, you will use an earlier bedtime to help preserve their nighttime sleep. Better nighttime sleep will also drive those naps to get into place again.
Early Bedtimes are Always an Option
Whether your child is 5 months old or 5 years old, an earlier bedtime can always help with early evening crankiness that may come from not taking that much-needed nap. Contrary to popular belief, an earlier bedtime will not cause your child to wake up earlier! It will not also be a magic bullet that automatically helps your child nap, but it really can help over time. Once your child’s naps fall into place, you can be a bit more flexible with pushing bedtime a little later again. Since most of us are at home all day with our children now, this earlier bedtime can be a sanity saver for parents and for children. All of this is hard work for everyone!
A Few Small Reminders
Watch the Screen Time
We are not going to tell you that you shouldn’t use screens with your children during this quarantine. However, try to be mindful of screen time happening 1 hour or so before a nap and at least 1 hour before bedtime. The blue light exposure can be very stimulating and make it hard for children to wind down and fall asleep easily.
We are Here for You!
If your child does not know how to fall asleep independently, you may find that your child may struggle as you implement some of these tips. Sara and I are still working with clients during this time (although our response time may be a little slower as we are also trying to navigate working with children at home.). We can help you get a sleep plan in place to help your child sleep better during the day and at night. We can also help you with encouragement and accountability that comes with our follow-up support.
Be sure to also check our Facebook and Instagram pages for more sleep tips, encouragement, LIVE sessions, and more.
This time is uncertain, stressful, and exhausting. We will get through it together. You’re not alone!