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With great power comes great responsibility, and this is especially true for parents. Becoming a parent can be joyous, but it comes with the immense responsibility of understanding your child and providing accordingly.
One of the key habits that parents need to understand is the baby’s sleep cycle. Babies tend to take naps during daytime as well. They usually take naps for a long duration. However, in certain cases, they can take short naps that last around 40 minutes or so. These are called catnaps.
Now, catnaps usually get parents concerned about the long-term health of the baby. But is this something they should be concerned about? If yes, then what preventive measures can be taken? Follow us till the end to understand the habits of a catnapping baby!
In most cases, there’s nothing to worry about if your baby is catnapping. Catnapping doesn’t affect your baby in most cases, it’s particularly safe for them if they’re getting sufficient sleep every day. Also, note that it accounts for the hours they’re sleeping during daytime as well.
So, how would you know that your baby is getting adequate sleep? Well, as long as your baby isn’t waking up sluggish or cranky, it’s safe to assume that it’s sufficient sleep. However, there are certain instances where you should be concerned about your baby catnapping. We’ll look into that shortly.
It would be easier to understand when you should be concerned, if you know why your baby might be catnapping. There can be multiple reasons. These are as follows:
Most babies tend to sleep during the daytime just because they prefer it. There has been no research that found any specific reason behind babies choosing to sleep during the daytime, but it’s very common and healthy.
However, babies tend to spend more time in REM or Rapid Eye Movement sleep. It’s a state of sleep which is very light, and the person in sleep can wake up very easily due to the slightest of noises. As there’s likely to be a lot of bustle in the morning hours, your baby is likely to wake up easily. In such cases, catnapping is normal and nothing to worry about.
Babies take a few months after their birth to grow a specific sleep schedule. This period can vary from one toddler to another, so don’t be concerned if you feel that your baby is too long to adjust to a specific sleep cycle.
In this adaptation stage, babies tend to spend a lot of time catnapping. There’s nothing to be concerned but you should take measures to help your baby develop an appropriate sleep schedule. For example, you can try putting your baby to sleep at a specific time at night, or you can limit the distractions while the baby is sleeping so it can enjoy a break-free sleep.
The feeding routine can affect the sleep cycle of your baby greatly. During the initial phase, it might be hard for you to develop a proper feeding routine. However, you should be able to fix the timing after three to four weeks. In this initial phase, you might see your baby catnapping a lot.
Another major aspect a lot of parents don’t pay much attention to is the sleeping environment. There should be minimum distractions when the baby is sleeping, and that doesn’t limit to people only. The room temperature should be comfortable for the baby, there shouldn’t be loud noises or bright lights. An uncomfortable sleeping environment can prompt your baby to catnap.
As discussed earlier, catnapping shouldn’t be anything to worry about. It’s okay if your baby is sleeping three to four hours, or even thirty to forty minutes.
What can be concerning is, if your baby is waking up too early from sleep and isn’t getting adequate sleep despite fulfilling all basic requirements. That is, if you’re feeding your baby regularly, maintaining its hygiene, and rocking it, but still failing to put it to sleep, then it’s something to be concerned about. That too, is if the baby is old enough to develop an understanding of day and night, and this usually takes about four months.
In such cases, you should definitely consult an expert because these are usually caused due to illness.
A Catnapping baby can be exhausting for the parents in the long run. It can also affect the baby negatively as it may prevent it from developing a healthy sleep cycle. Fortunately, there are certain measures parents can take to ensure healthier and longer sleep cycles.
There are different approaches you can take to put your baby to sleep, and whether your approach will work or not will depend greatly on your child’s preferences. In most cases, children tend to associate different activities with their bedtime. The more soothing the activities are, the more comfortable they’re going to get, thus making it easier for them to fall asleep.
So, you can try building up the healthy habit of giving it a bath or reading it bedtime stories before bedtime.
If your baby is cranky or fussing, then paying too much attention may not help all the time. Sometimes, leaving your baby alone will give it some time to figure things out, and you can help it fall asleep when it does so. However, remember to stay with your kid as it might be cranky because it’s uncomfortable.
While catnapping isn’t concerning, it should be something to look into when your baby is past the first four months of birth. Catnapping can take some toll as it prevents your child from growing a healthy sleep cycle.
So, if you feel your baby is struggling to figure out an appropriate sleep schedule, then you should follow the mentioned steps to help it build a proper sleep schedule. If that doesn’t work, visit a professional and you’ll be able to figure out the exact issue.