Naps 101 (Part 2): How Can I Teach My Baby to Nap in the Crib?
(Revised and updated from an earlier version.)
This is the second in our nap series. Please read through our first nap blog to make sure you have appropriate expectations for your child’s age and development before trying to fix any nap problems. Also, please note that this post assumes that you want your child to nap in a crib. Your baby doesn’t have to nap in a crib; he or she just needs to nap in a safe location. If your baby naps well while being held, and you don’t want to stop doing that, then that’s just fine.
The Science
Nap sleep is very different than nighttime sleep. Sleep during naps is typically lighter than sleep at the beginning of the night making it much more susceptible to environmental disruption. At night, you can rock/nurse/bounce your baby to sleep and then successfully transfer him or her to the crib pretty easily, because deep sleep comes first. At nap time, sleep is so light that if your baby falls asleep in your arms, he or she might wake up the moment you move him/her away from your body heat. If you’re really skilled at baby transfer, you might get your baby over the crib rail before he or she wakes up. If you’re a master of baby transfer, you’ll get your baby into the crib, but your baby's sleep might not last very long. The key to teaching your baby to sleep in a crib or bassinet starts with teaching your baby to initiate sleep independently. At nap time this is no easy feat. Here’s what you need to do:
Create the optimal sleep environment
It may seem like we are obsessed with sleep environment, but that’s because an optimal sleep environment is the key to a successful plan. Think about it this way: It’s easy to cover the window but it’s not easy to entertain an overtired baby. If a little effort saves even a minute of crying, isn’t it worth it? For naps, you need your baby’s room to be really dark in order to keep your baby from visually scanning the room. A well-lit room will sabotage a nap. Even a nightlight can prevent your baby from falling asleep easily if it's bright enough. If your baby already falls asleep on his or her own, then simply darkening the room may lead to your baby sleeping longer. You should also ensure your baby’s room is cool and quiet. Naps are easily disrupted by noise, so you need to keep your baby’s room quiet or put a white noise machine near any source of potentially disruptive noise (window, door, etc.).
Do a nap routine
You don’t have to do anything long or elaborate but do a few things before every nap that cue your baby for sleep. This could be singing a song while swaying in your baby’s room; that’s enough for a nap routine. If you need inspiration, this post will help you figure out what to do.
Need More Help?
We offer several options for optimizing your child's sleep:
SLEEP TRAINING CLASS (for well babies 6-15 months)
PHONE CONSULTATIONS (with one of our sleep experts)
THE SECRET TO NAPS (downloadable e-book)
Teach your baby to fall asleep independently
There isn’t a “right” way to do this, and there are an infinite number of possible techniques you could use which we outline in detail in our napping guide. Here are a few examples:
You could opt to very gradually and casually give your baby a chance to fall asleep in the crib, but without forcing the issue. For example, put your baby down awake, but if he or she starts to get upset, rock your baby to sleep. Keep doing this each day at each nap until your baby is comfortable falling asleep in the crib. (This is the core concept of our baby-led approach called Happy Crib Time that is described in our 0-6-month-old class. It may take a few weeks to a month or more but it should work if you are persistent.)
Alternatively, you could sing and sway with your baby, then put him or her in the crib. If your baby gets upset, pick him or her up and sing and sway, then put your baby back in the crib again. Keep repeating this process in twenty-minute bursts taking a break in between OR for up to an hour until your baby falls asleep. This approach is described in more detail in our blog on the pick-up-put-down sleep training strategy.
Yet another way to do this is by using the camping out strategy. This involves putting your baby down awake, sitting near the crib until your baby falls asleep or until 20-60 minutes have passed. If your baby isn't asleep within 20-60 minutes, leave the room, take a break for 20-30 minutes, play, and try again. You might find it helpful to lie on the floor to model sleep for your baby (especially if your child can stand) or sit on the floor and provide soothing through the crib rails.
You can also use extinction for naps. This strategy is best if your child is distracted by your presence and cries harder when you are in the room but not doing the usual routine. In this case, you would monitor your baby from another room until your baby falls asleep. If you opt to do this, do not leave your baby in the crib awake for more than an hour. If your baby isn't asleep within 20-60 minutes, take a break for 20-30 minutes, play, and try again. If your baby can stand or climb, it's best to stay in the room to monitor your baby for safety.
Although it’s not always pleasant, it’s often better to stay in the room or stay out of the room for nap interventions. This is why we don't often recommend strategies that involve going in and out of the room over and over, like the Ferber Method. A key difference between daytime and nighttime sleep is that your presence may be much more disruptive to your baby during the day, especially during phases of separation anxiety. Going in and out can create peaks and valleys in your baby’s response to you and may lower the probability that he or she will fall asleep at a given nap opportunity. (The exception to this rule is if you’ve recently, successfully used an in-and-out strategy at bedtime; then it may be fine.)
The technique you choose is much less important than your consistency. There are several things to consider before beginning any nap intervention:
Don’t start a nap intervention until your baby has mastered the ability to fall asleep unassisted at night. This is because the sleep drive is stronger at night making skill-building easier (more on that here).
Don’t worry about how long your baby sleeps when beginning a nap intervention. Focus on simply teaching your baby to fall asleep. If your baby fell asleep on his or her own, then a 20–30 minute nap is a success!
This process will not be easy. Don’t do it unless you are ready and your baby is ready.
Know that failed nap attempts are normal. If your baby didn’t fall asleep within the hour, take a break and play for 30–60 minutes, and then try again or help your baby sleep and try again the next day.
Whatever your strategy, keep it up until your baby falls asleep or until an hour passes—whichever comes first.
Avoid all unintentional catnaps during this process (e.g., in a car seat/stroller). Once your baby learns to fall asleep in the crib, then you can go back to living in the real world.
If you are doing anything other than a very gradual approach, clear your calendar and make sure your baby sleeps in the crib and only in the crib until s/he’s learned to fall asleep there (in most cases this will take five days to two weeks).
Don’t start a parent-led nap intervention until your baby is old enough, usually over six months or earlier if your pediatrician approves (you can do a gradual strategy anytime). For more on reasonable expectations and appropriate ages to start working on naps, see our previous post.
In most cases, these steps will lead to your baby sleeping as much as s/he needs to sleep for each nap. If your baby's naps remain shorter than you expected, it could still be normal, especially if your baby has low sleep needs or long night sleep (discussed in our first nap post). If you feel confident that your baby needs longer naps, our next blog in this series covers how to extend naps when they don’t extend on their own.
Need more help?
It’s important to note that the “rules” outlined above will work for the majority of babies, but of course, there are situations where you might not be able to be consistent due to your schedule, juggling multiple children, changing caregivers, etc.
We are moms with formal education in sleep medicine, nursing, and behavior analysis. We always appreciate it when you share our blogs and resources with other parents who could benefit from the information. If you need a little help to figure naps out or if you are facing other challenges, then please check out our other blogs, our newborn class, and sleep training class. We have blogs on schedules, travel, toddler issues, and more! If you just need to talk to someone who can help you devise a sleep plan, then feel free to book a one-on-one consultation with us. We are always happy to help!
References
Kahn, M., Juda-Hanael, M., Livne-Karp, E., Tikotzky, L., Anders, T.F. and Sadeh, A., 2020. Behavioral interventions for pediatric insomnia: one treatment may not fit all. Sleep, 43(4), p.zsz268.
Whittall, H., Kahn, M., Pillion, M. and Gradisar, M., 2021. Parents matter: barriers and solutions when implementing behavioural sleep interventions for infant sleep problems. Sleep Medicine, 84, pp.244-252.
Blunden, S. and Dawson, D., 2020. Behavioural sleep interventions in infants: Plan B–Combining models of responsiveness to increase parental choice. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 56(5), pp.675-679.
Hiscock, H. and Wake, M., 2002. Randomised controlled trial of behavioural infant sleep intervention to improve infant sleep and maternal mood. Bmj, 324(7345), p.1062.
Gradisar, M., Jackson, K., Spurrier, N.J., Gibson, J., Whitham, J., Williams, A.S., Dolby, R. and Kennaway, D.J., 2016. Behavioral interventions for infant sleep problems: a randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics, 137(6).
Sadeh, A., Juda‐Hanael, M., Livne‐Karp, E., Kahn, M., Tikotzky, L., Anders, T.F., Calkins, S. and Sivan, Y., 2016. Low parental tolerance for infant crying: an underlying factor in infant sleep problems?. Journal of sleep research, 25(5), pp.501-507.
Loutzenhiser, L., Hoffman, J. and Beatch, J., 2014. Parental perceptions of the effectiveness of graduated extinction in reducing infant night-wakings. Journal of reproductive and infant psychology, 32(3), pp.282-291.