The No Cry Nap Solution (32 page)

free to move around and evade sleep. She’s snuggled into in

a comfy, snug nest.

Changing Car Naps to Bed Naps
201

Car rides imitate a number of facets of the environment from

the WOMB that babies fi nd soothing and sleep inducing. The

good news is that you can re-create this collection of sensations

for your baby at home to create a new naptime routine. Choose

some of the following tips for creating the sensation of a car ride

at home.

W—Whooshing Sounds

The womb is a very noisy place, with the constant sound of a

thumping, whooshing heartbeat. Babies become accustomed to

these sounds, so a newborn may fi nd a completely quiet room a

bit disconcerting. You can help soothe your baby to sleep by add-

ing sound to his sleep environment. The best sounds are sounds

called
white noise
, such as the sound of waves, rainfall, or an air

conditioner. There are a number of recordings and sound devices

or clocks that play a variety of white noise options. You can even

fi nd recordings of car-ride sounds! Shop around and fi nd some-

thing that your baby and you can both enjoy listening to. It is per-

fectly fi ne to have white noise running during your baby’s entire

naptime and nighttime sleep hours, as well.

O—Orderly, Predictable Events

At a very young age, babies come to rely on the familiar sequence

of events in their day. They learn that getting undressed in the

bathroom and the sound of running water means a bath is com-

ing, for example. You can take advantage of this natural instinct

by setting up a specifi c prenap routine. It doesn’t have to be long

and involved, and as a matter of fact, it shouldn’t be—since your

tired baby can get a second wind if your routine is too long. A

few predictable actions will have your baby welcoming naptime.

A simple routine might be diaper change, feeding, lights off, white

202 Solving Napping Problems

noise, rocking, and to bed with a whispered “Night, night, sleep

tight.”

M—Movement

It’s natural for children to be lulled to sleep with gentle move-

ment, especially when coupled with white noise and preceded by

a prenapping routine. There are many ways to provide movement

for naptime, such as a giving your baby a cuddle in a rocking chair,

walking him in a sling, giving him time in a baby swing or bouncy

seat, or even gently jiggling or patting him as he lies in his bed.

Experiment with the intensity and pace of the movement and see

if you can use movement to relax your baby. Then place him in

bed once he is nearly asleep, jiggling or patting him during the

transfer, perhaps using the Pantley Dance (see page 144).

B—Buckled

If your baby is under fi ve months old, the easiest way to create

a snug sleeping cocoon is to swaddle him in a light blanket. For

swaddling tips, see the information and diagrams starting on page

193. Some babies need to adjust to being swaddled if it is new to

them, so give your baby a few opportunities to get comfortable

with it before you abandon the idea.

Another way to re-create the snug nestlike environment of a

car seat is to let your baby sleep in a smaller cradle or bassinet, or

a baby hammock, rather than a large crib.

Changing the Habit Without

Disrupting Naptime

There are a number of ways to approach changing your baby’s

nap routine gradually so that you don’t create tears or disruption

Changing Car Naps to Bed Naps
203

to your baby’s naps. What follows are some ideas for making the

change. You can pick one, or mix and match ideas to come up

with the right solution for your baby. Stick with your plan for at

least a week before you move on to something else, as it may take

some time for your baby to adjust to the change.

Move Your Sleeping Baby

If your baby is a sound sleeper, transfer her to bed as soon as she is

sleeping. Once she becomes accustomed to this, you can experi-

ment with transferring her when she is sleepy instead of fully

asleep. When you move her, stay slow and quiet and pat, rub, or

jiggle her during the walk from the car to the crib, continuing the

gentle motion until she is settled in the crib. (See “The Pantley

Dance” on page 144.) If your baby is not used to sleeping in the

crib, try putting a small travel bed or infant head and body sup-

Grace, fi ve months old, in Daddy Jesse’s arms

204 Solving Napping Problems

port cushion inside the crib to make it a bit more like the cozy

snugness of a car seat.

Invest in a Crib Vibrator

Several companies produce devices to create motion in the crib.

Some have a motor that attaches to the bottom of the crib and

vibrates while it makes a whooshing sound. (One unit, the Sleep-

Tight Infant Soother, was designed by a father who had a col-

icky, nonsleeping infant!) An Australian company produces the

Lullabub, which consists of four canister-shaped modules that are

placed under each leg of the crib and vibrate the crib with a gentle

rocking motion.

These devices can be an effective way to turn the crib into

an at-home car ride. As wonderful as any product may appear,

there is no solution that works for every baby. So look for one that

includes a money-back guarantee.

Let Your Baby Nap in a Cradle-Swing or Hammock

Babies who sleep well in the car will often accept a substitute loca-

tion if it provides some of the sensory stimulation of the car ride,

and a cradle-swing or hammock will do just that. These also cre-

ate the slightly upright angle that is similar to a car-seat position

so are particularly helpful for babies with colic, refl ux, or respira-

tory issues.

It may take a week or so to make this adjustment if your baby

is used to sleeping in the car; after all, you are changing a routine

that your baby is familiar and happy with. It can help if you add

the sounds of white noise, music, or a familiar station if the radio

is typically turned on in the car. It may take some coaxing on your

part, but a daily nap in the swing or hammock is much easier on

you, and safer for your baby, than a car nap.

Changing Car Naps to Bed Naps
205

At some point you’ll need to transition your baby to a bed, but

many parents feel that a long, peaceful nap every day is worth it.

When the time comes to change to stationary sleep, there are plenty

of ideas in the chapter “Swinging, Bouncing, Vibrating, or Gliding:

Making the Transition from Motion Sleep to Stationary Sleep.”

Have Your Baby Take a Ride in His Crib

If your baby is hooked on sleep in his car seat, you can make a

step-by-step transition to the crib. First, place your baby’s car seat

in his crib. Fold a small towel for under your baby’s back so that

he is lying less in a seated position and more horizontal. Turn on

a white noise recording, tune the radio to a talk station, or play

soft lullaby music. Dim the lights. Put a chair in the room for you,

along with a book, a craft activity, or paperwork. Or set up your

yoga mat or a tub of laundry to fold.

Once the room is set up, go through your normal routine,

including picking up your car keys. Then, instead of going to the

car, take your baby to the crib and belt him into the car seat. Sit

beside the crib and slightly jiggle the seat. If he starts to fuss, place

your hand on his belly and say, “shhh, shhh” while you jiggle the

seat. Once your baby is settled and sleepy, experiment with reduc-

ing or stopping the jiggling. Leave the seat motionless once your

baby is asleep.

To keep your baby safe, you
must
remain in the room during his

nap. This is why you’ve set up a quiet activity for yourself. Leaving

your baby alone like this could result in him tipping his seat over,

becoming entangled in his belts, or slumping over in his seat.

After a few days or a week of this, you can begin to modify

your baby’s position so that he is less seated and more lying down.

You can put a bigger towel under his back. Put a large book under

the foot portion to tilt your baby to a more fl at, level sleeping

position. After a week or so, take the seat out of the crib and

206 Solving Napping Problems

• Children should never be left alone in or around a car

whether they are in their car safety seats or not.

• Don’t leave your baby unattended in a car safety seat,

inside or outside of the vehicle.

—Recommendations from the

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

put your baby to sleep directly in the crib. At this point you may

want to put a portable travel crib, Moses basket, or baby posi-

tioner in the crib. By now, your baby has become used to the new

routine and the new location and may welcome this new type of

nap. If he fusses, place your hand on his belly or legs and softly

shush him to sleep. Continue to use the white noise and dimmed

room for every nap.

Avoiding Unplanned Car-Seat Naps

A busy day sometimes puts you and your baby in the car just before

naptime, so your little one will easily fall asleep. If you try to move

him after even a few minutes of sleep, he may wake up and stay up,

bright-eyed and bushy-tailed! His short snooze will have “taken

the edge off.” Remember from Part 1 of this book that a fi ve- to

fi fteen-minute nap takes your baby through the fi rst two stages of

sleep, which increase alertness and reduce homeostatic pressure,

making it unlikely that your baby will fall back to sleep once you

get him out of the car and up to bed.

To avoid a car-seat micro-nap, try to organize your outings to

occur just after your baby wakes up in the morning or after he

wakes up from a nap. Keep in mind that your baby’s nap schedule

changes over time, so watch for your baby’s sleepy signals that tell

Changing Car Naps to Bed Naps
207

you when he is ready to sleep. Next week’s schedule may be differ-

ent from today’s.

Keep a backseat rearview mirror in your car so you can keep an

eye on your baby. If you fi nd yourself in the car and your little one

looks sleepy, it’s time to kick up the fun factor in the car: call out his

name, ask a few questions in a lively voice, and even sing a cheerful,

upbeat song. Then as soon as you pull the car up to your house, get

your baby in for a nap before you even unload the groceries!

Changing Timing of Naps to Harmonize

with Your Routine

There are times when your baby’s naptime clashes with an

unavoidable routine outing, such as picking up an older child from

school. When this happens, you can slightly modify your baby’s

napping time since daily sleep is connected to other key factors

that you control. The factors that you’ll monitor, and then amend,

are your baby’s bedtime, mealtimes, and morning awaking time, to

align better with your schedule.

Keep a journal for a day or two to track your baby’s times of

sleeping and eating. Once you’ve fi gured out a pattern, jot down

what adjustment would be necessary to better coordinate with

your daily car trips. Aim to shift everything by fi fteen-minute

increments until your baby is sleeping at a more convenient time.

Car Naps During Long Journeys

There will likely be times when you’ll have a long drive and your

baby will take a long nap en route. This is nothing to worry about.

Just have a mirror set up so that you can keep on eye on your baby.

When you can, break up a long journey so you can stop and take

your baby out of his seat from time to time when he is awake.