If you have been doing Moms on Call for any time, you may have noticed some enthusiastic families in pursuit of setting up great sleep habits. You will find them everywhere; on Insta, at the park, and in your neighborhood. They are wonderfully different parents, all with the same goal but NOT with the same baby. Even babies have different personalities, and some nap better than others. Can you guess which kind your baby may be (and yes, we feel you, Momma, who says …ALL OF THEM! – Yikes – We’ve got you!)
"Sir Farts A Lot"
Oh, this is no fairy tale. 30 minutes into naptime, the gurgles start churning,
followed by those legs drawing up (yes, even in the swaddle). Some crazy faces occur as they try
to move that gas to a more comfortable spot, and 5-10 minutes later, they make something we
call “thinking face,” and you wonder if what you smell is phantom fart juice or an actual blow
out. These babies can get back to sleep for that second 30-45 minute cycle if we pat that belly and give them time. It is the infrequent poopers that produce the most gas – check out our
chapter entitled “INFREQUENT STOOLING” to get more tips on this normal but frustrating
situation.
The "Hold Me Heartbreaker"
Have that little one that refuses to nap anywhere except in the arms of a loved one? Are they super cute? Has lip quiver shown up yet? Yep, it seems virtually impossible to get this little sweetheart to take a nap in that crib you researched for 10 hours on the internet. However, we have great news. Babies love the familiar, and their habit-forming tendencies are strong – super strong. So, even though they do love you, they can get acclimated to that great, safe sleep environment that was set up just for them. Check out the Sleep Environment free video to see what we recommend and put them in that crib slightly but pleasantly awake (even if the pleasantly doesn't last very long) at the same times each day.
Start with the same two naps; they will adjust over three days. This is a great time to have a personal consultant to support you as you support this little one and put the lovable little snuggle bunny down for a couple of naps a day in the crib (and let grandma hold them for an entire nap every now and then too. We can have both.)
The "30-Minute Limit"
Ok, so they go down without a fight, but 30-45 minutes on.the.dot, they wake up like they are ready to host a party, and if that party does not get started quickly, it will get loud. These babies have us saying, “They just can't get themselves back to sleep.” However, if you get them up and hold or rock them suspiciously about ½ the time, they actually fall back to sleep. Then you are trying to transfer them into the crib, complete with Mission Impossible-type alarms. Did I trigger the laser by stepping ½ inch to the left?
The trick with these partygoers is to pick two naps daily and shush and giggle every 5-10 minutes (or as long as you can stand) until they get back to sleep. Then let the other 1-2 naps be ‘the shorties’ that last 30-45 minutes. The key to ‘the shorties’ is that we get them up at the 30-45 minute mark and do not let them go back to sleep until the next scheduled sleep time. This just means the party happens when YOU say it happens. And that makes all the difference. And congrats, this kid will be organizing their own playdates before age 5.
The "Perfect Moms on Call Baby"
The envy of every parent. They almost nap according to a timer that goes off in the universe somewhere, EXACTLY ON TIME– unless they want an extra 15 minutes. They want to give you time to put on some adorable outfits for the playdate that starts in ½ hour. Ahhh, these are wonderful and do not need much besides the Moms on Call APP. The caregivers rave about the timeliness of the sleep routines.
We are so glad you found us. We know you are scared to have another child - just in case…but we have loads of families whose 4th, even 5th child, took to a routine like they WERE made for it. So our advice is to use that extra sleep to plan your family and keep supporting the Mommas that have a harder time. Share that book, get them a consult – if there is a tough nut to crack out there – we know just what to do.
"Wiggles McGee"
If you had to practice your MOC swaddle technique for over two days and still had an occasional breakout, you have this little Houdini. Has to move, loads of energy, cries in the evening like you are pulling off a limb even though they just ate? Yes, you have a high-energy mover and shaker. The great news is that once they develop those larger muscle systems like their core (sitting up without support), they have ways to burn off this energy and will do so at a furious pace. They will be hard to keep up with; however, if given an activity in the evening (before bath time especially), we can get ahead of that energizer bunny.
Look at the Moments Episode in the MOC 0-6 month Online class to see exactly how a pediatric physical therapist recommends building those core muscles. These tiny gymnasts will be rolling, scooting, and crawling earlier than most, so be sure to baby-proof that home environment and get a good pair of sneakers for yourself. Forget the gym….this kid will BE your gym. However, they will sleep like a rock once they can move around independently. Oh…also, they tend to wake up a bit earlier in the morning. This is their preparation to be a morning jogger or someone that goes to the gym at 5 am for fun. Enjoy this little ball of energy.
So, there you have it, all the different types of nappers and their prospective tips to enjoy the
predictability of a routine and get the most out of nap time in the process. Of course, we would
LOVE to support you at every level. A MOC-certified Consultant is waiting to review all the
details and get you settled into a routine that works for your type of baby. Check us out!
Tomorrow could be so much better than today.
