Nap Time

As published in the LaPorte County Herald-Argus, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009:

Nuances of Nap Time
By, Michelle Harmon

Nap time A magical time—a saving grace for many a harried mother. But, like every other aspect of parenthood, nap time is not easy. You can't just arbitrarily lay your baby or toddler down for a nap whenever you feel like. Then, there's the business of when to go from two naps to one and when to stop naps altogether. Not to mention, what to do if you child misses his nap because of a doctor's appointment or other such outing. Nap time has to be carefully planned in order to be successfully orchestrated.
First, remember one very important word: routine. It is imperative that you establish a nap time (and bedtime, for that matter) routine with your child very early, during infancy, if you can. To successfully pull off a nap time schedule, you must schedule everything else. That means that you and your baby get up at the same time every day (yes, even Saturday and Sunday), you serve breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner at set times, and so on. This way you can build a nap into your regular routine. For babies and toddlers, build in two nap times during the day. Younger babies will probably sleep for longer periods, but once your baby reaches 1-1 ½ years old, he will probably only nap for about an hour each time. So, this is the time, when you want to consider going down to one nap—usually, after lunch. Once you have a routine established, your child will feel safe and comfortable and will be more likely to lay down for a nap without much fussing. Likewise, when the bedtime routine is established, your baby will sleep better at night with less fussing and less getting up in the middle of the night, until eventually, she will sleep straight through. Kids who sleep better at night, sleep better during the day at nap time When establishing a routine, keep in mind if your child goes to daycare, make sure you find out what the daycare's nap routine is and make your home schedule the same or very close, so that your child has consistency whether she is at home or at daycare. Bottom line, make establishing a routine a top priority. The pay off is well worth it.
Second, once you've got a nap time established, do your best to schedule doctor visits, playdates, trips to the grocery and such so that nap time is not interrupted. This will save you and your child a lot of frustration because once a child gets off her routine, it can be very difficult to get them back on. Of course, there will be times when you cannot schedule appointments or activities around your baby's nap time If you must interrupt the schedule for a day or two, just go straight back to the routine the following day. It will not be easy and there might be some tears and struggles, but, again, the pay off will be well worth it.
Finally, when do kids stop needing naps? Every child is a different. Some will require naps until age four or even five. Some will function fine without naps by age three. Follow your child's lead on this one. If he fights taking a nap and seems to be fine without one, then he probably doesn't need it. The general rule of thumb is that between 3 ½ –5 years old, children can give up daytime naps.
Next week, we're talking sex. When do you have “the talk” with your child? What do you say?