The No Cry Nap Solution (12 page)

sleep pressure (“the Volcano Effect,” page 14). Also, it’s clear that

your baby
will
eventually go to sleep at bedtime, even if it takes

a while to settle him down, whereas naptime is often considered

optional.

Do Children Who Sleep for Less than

Thirty Minutes Have OCSS?

In order to be classifi ed as OCSS, your baby would sleep more

than a half hour. If your baby manages only a blink of a nap, then

you’re dealing with an entirely different problem. In fi ve to thirty

minutes, your baby will only be passing through stages 1 and 2 of

sleep, which are the light sleep stages and from which he can eas-

ily be awakened.

If this describes your baby, you’ll need to identify the condi-

tions under which your baby gets
sleepy
and then how he falls

asleep
and what is happening in between to wake him up. For

example, if he falls asleep in your arms but wakes up the minute

you put him in bed, you can fi nd solutions in the chapter “Chang-

ing from In-Arms Sleep to In-Bed Sleep” (page 136). If your baby

is a great car-seat sleeper but can’t be moved out of his seat, check

page 198; if your baby breastfeeds or bottlefeeds to sleep, check

page 154; and if your baby sleeps in a swing or vibrating seat, then

check for solutions on page 166.

Catnaps
67

The Newborn Babies Exception

If your baby is newborn, she’ll have an irregular sleep pattern for

the fi rst four to eight weeks, and catnaps are common. You will

enjoy your new baby more if you stop wishing for two-hour naps

and instead take cues from your newborn. It’s time to go with the

fl ow and be patient. Also, your newborn can stay awake for only

one to three hours before needing another nap, and catnappers

will often be closer to the one- to two-hour range.

You’ll see a more regular pattern emerge over time. By learning

the facts in Part 2, “Newborn Babies,” and casually following the

tips in this section, you can give nature a bit of a nudge toward

regular, longer naps.

Newborn baby catnappers can often be coaxed into long, bliss-

ful naps by being carried in a sling carrier. If you are comfortable

wearing your newborn for naps, then allow him to have some naps

in a sling, maybe one each day, perhaps at his fussiest period of the

day. Newborn sling-naps are a beautiful life experience for both of

you. Be cautious, though, that you don’t sling your baby for every

nap, because then you’ll likely be facing a diffi cult transition to

naps in his bed when he gets a little bit older.

Is OCSS Always a Problem?

A one-cycle nap is not
always
a problem that requires attention.

There are some babies who sleep for one cycle and cannot be

coaxed into a longer nap no matter what solution you attempt.

There are a small percentage of children who seem to be perfectly

suited to a catnapping schedule. You will be able to tell if your

child is a natural catnapper if after a short nap, he

• usually wakes up happy, refreshed, and alert

• stays cheerful until the next sleep period, whether it’s the

next nap or bedtime

68 Solving Napping Problems

• goes to sleep easily at naptime

• sleeps an overall adequate number of sleep hours (See chart

on page 8.)

It is likely that a child who meets these conditions will be per-

fectly served by his short nap schedule. If your child is happy and

well rested with his catnapping routine, then the biggest issue is

for you to learn how to schedule your days around your little cat-

napper. The best resolution for you may be to fi gure out how to

do most anything with your little company as part of the process.

Save those tasks that you cannot do with your baby for those short

naptimes, and get right to it as soon as his head hits the pillow.

If you determine that your child is a perfect catnapper, don’t

assume that it will always be that way. It is possible the he will

eventually take longer naps as his sleep cycle lengthens.

Analiese, fi fteen months old

Catnaps
69

A contented catnapping baby is rare. Most children do not fall

into the happy-with-a-short-nap category. For all those babies,

we’ll now talk about what causes OCSS and various solutions to

help your baby take a longer nap.

Solutions for Gaining Longer Naps

While I suspect that most short nappers have one-cycle sleep syn-

drome, it doesn’t mean that there is only one
solution
to gaining

longer naps. Just like any parenting problem, there are as many

solutions as there are children who need them! The remainder of

this chapter is a menu of various solutions. Choose as many as suit

you and experiment with them. Modify your plan as you go, and

scan the rest of this book for additional ideas to add to your plan.

Don’t be afraid to modify what you learn based on your child’s

needs, since you know your child better than anyone else.

Create a Cycle-Blender Nap

One way to help your baby sleep through from one cycle to the

next without waking is to put him down for a nap in a setting that

will lull him back to sleep when he has a brief awakening. The

most common and effective “cycle-blender” naps occur in cradle-

swings, rocking cradles, or baby hammocks. Any of these options

can help catnappers extend their sleep time because when your

Mother-Speak

“Our baby took only forty-minute naps in her crib. She takes

two-hour naps in her cradle-swing—it has been pure sand-

man magic.”

—Fiona, mother of four-month-old Jaelyn

70 Solving Napping Problems

baby begins to awaken, the rhythmic motion can help lull him

back to sleep. (For more information about motion naps, see page

166.)

If you don’t wish to purchase a swing just for napping, you can

create a wonderful “cycle-blender” nap for your baby in his stroller.

If it fi ts your schedule and lifestyle, a daily walk outside is good for

both of you. If you prefer, you can bring your stroller in the house.

(Or use inside and outside walks in combination.) Inside, walk

your baby around the house until he falls asleep. You can even

just roll the stroller back and forth over a ridge like a doorway

threshold, as this is often relaxing for a baby. When your baby

falls asleep, park the stroller near you. If he starts to move about

or make noises, resume walking or give him a bit of a bounce and

jiggle.

Once your baby gets used to taking a longer nap in the stroller,

then you can begin to make a step-by-step transition to naps in

the bed. Start by reducing the amount and intensity of movement,

rolling slower and for less time. After your baby is asleep, park the

stroller in a quiet place, perhaps in baby’s own bedroom, next to

his crib, to help him get familiar with that sleeping place. Listen

in with a baby monitor, and if he makes noise mid-nap, try the

jiggle and roll to see if your baby will return to sleep. Over time,

work toward letting him fall asleep in the stationary stroller. If

your baby is a deep sleeper who can be moved when he’s sleeping,

move him to bed when he’s asleep to help him get used to taking

naps in his crib.

To further enhance the “blend” and add to the nap-inducing

ambience, keep the environment dark. To help soothe your child

through sleep-cycle changes, add white noise, a recording of nature

sounds, or soft, relaxing music to your routine. This can also mask

noises from elsewhere in the house that can wake a child who

is just shifting through to the second sleep cycle. Improving the

quality of the air may help as well, particularly for a baby with

asthma, allergies, or refl ux, so consider using a humidifi er or air

purifi er in your baby’s room.

Catnaps
71

Set up the napping room and the sounds in advance so that

everything is ready before your baby falls asleep and is kept on

throughout the entire nap.

Build a Better Bed

Many catnappers will fall asleep at fi rst because they are so tired

that they welcome sleep. Then, after a short nap, the edge has

been taken off, and a brief awakening turns into a full awaken-

ing. If you want to entice your baby to have a long nap, re-create

the crib environment into a cozier nest. If the bed is comfortable,

your baby might fall back to sleep on his own. There is a full list of

ideas on how to make the crib cozy on page 140.

Do a Comfort Check

Make sure that the napping environment is perfect for your child.

What’s right for one isn’t for another, so this may take a bit of

detective work. Think about the room temperature: too hot or

too cold? Does your baby sleep better with the window open or

closed? Is it too light or too dark? Is his sleeping attire comfortable

and nonbinding? Does he sleep better with socks on or off? Would

pajamas improve his nap? Are his diapers adequate for the job, or

is cold wetness waking him?

Are You Correctly Interpreting Signs

of Tiredness?

If you put your child down for a nap
before
he is tired or when he

is
overtired
, he won’t sleep as well as when you hit that perfect just-

tired moment. Review the signs of tiredness on pages 44 and 88

and observe your child for these indicators. Put your child down

for a nap the moment you see any indication of fatigue. If you take

72 Solving Napping Problems

note of the time that this occurs over a period of a week or so, you

should see a pattern emerge. This can help you set up a daily nap

schedule that suits your child’s tired times perfectly.

In addition to signs of tiredness, also watch to see how long

your child has been awake. Remember from Part 1 that homeo-

static pressure builds and children can stay awake for only a cer-

tain period of time until they receive a biological pull toward a

nap. Take a peek at the sleep chart on page 8 for appropriate time

spans between sleep periods.

Keep in mind that children grow and change, and their nap

schedule should change with them. What’s perfect today may be

different from what is perfect next month or on any given day

if it’s particularly busy. Keep your eye on your baby
and
on the

clock.

Intervene
Before
the Cycle-Change

Awakening

Baby sleep cycles fall in a range of forty to sixty minutes, but

because they spend varied amounts of time in each stage, there

is not an exact time span—each baby is unique. Many babies will

sleep for a precise amount of time before waking; others will be

more affected by the activity of any certain day but will usually

have a consistent pattern. So, the fi rst step is to determine your

baby’s nap sleep cycle.

For a few days, pay close attention to your baby’s naps. As you

are preparing him for sleep, watch him and jot down the time

when he closes his eyes and appears to be falling asleep. Put him

in bed as you usually do, and then note the time that he wakes

up. Calculate how long your baby sleeps before he wakes up. Time

his naps for three or four days to fi nd the exact length of his sleep

cycle. If you can’t identify a pattern, use the shortest time span

you counted.