Thanksgiving Naps: Stick to the Schedule or Roll With the Flow?

The turkey is in the oven, the cousins are running through the house, Grandma is ready for baby snuggles, and somewhere in the middle of all that Thanksgiving fun… it's nap time.

So, what do you do? Pack up and head home? Find a quiet room? Or just throw the schedule out the window? At Moms on Call, we say start with your routine, then enjoy your holiday! Your routine is your starting point, not something that keeps you from making memories. A little predictability goes a long way, even when the day looks nothing like a typical Thursday.

Keep Those Feeding Times in Mind

If there's one thing we encourage you to keep fairly consistent during the holidays, it's your feeding times. The great thing about a Moms on Call routine is that you have a few predictable points throughout the day to get everyone back on track. Maybe the morning nap was shorter than usual. Maybe the afternoon nap happened in Grandma's arms instead of the crib. Maybe there wasn't much of a nap at all because watching the cousins play was just too exciting! That's okay! When things go sideways, aim for your next feeding time and pick up your routine from there. You don't have to spend the entire day trying to make up for one missed nap.

Plan for the Nap, Then See What Happens!

Ideally, you have a portable, safe sleep space ready to go. You brought the sound machine, found a quiet room, and can do your familiar pre-nap routine. Wonderful! Give it a try! But we also know what Thanksgiving really looks like. Grandma has been waiting all week to hold that baby. The cousins are laughing, someone is yelling about the football game, and there are about 15 people who want to see those sweet baby smiles. Sometimes the nap happens beautifully. Sometimes it doesn't. And sometimes you get 25 minutes instead of the hour and a half you were hoping for. One imperfect nap doesn't undo all the consistency you've worked so hard to establish. A quick safety reminder: For babies under 12 months, when it's time to sleep, the safest place is on their back in their own firm, flat sleep space with no loose blankets, pillows, or toys. Enjoy those Grandma snuggles while everyone is awake, and transfer baby to a safe sleep space when they're ready to snooze.

What If Thanksgiving Dinner Runs Into Bedtime?

First of all, enjoy your dinner! If you know you'll be staying out past your little one's normal bedtime, here's an easy way to handle it. Do the bedtime feeding wherever you are. That's right. Go ahead and offer that feeding around the usual time, even if you're still at Grandma's house. Then enjoy a little more family time. When you get home, there's no need to start the entire bedtime routine from scratch. Skip the bath. Give that sweet face a quick wash, change the diaper, put on pajamas, offer another feeding, and get your little one down for the night. Keep the lights low, the excitement to a minimum, and make it a simple transition to bed. No need to race home just because the clock says bedtime!

What About Tomorrow?

Here's the best part. Tomorrow is a new day! Do your best to start the morning at your usual wake-up time and get right back into your familiar routine. You may have a little one who's extra tired from all the excitement. That's okay. Offer those regular nap opportunities and give them a chance to settle back into their rhythm. You don't need a three-day plan to recover from Thanksgiving. You just need your routine.

A Little Thanksgiving Reminder From Moms on Call

We love a good routine. We've spent more than 20 years helping families discover just how much peace and predictability a consistent routine can bring. But we've also raised eight kids between the two of us. And we can tell you that some of the sweetest family memories happen when things don't go exactly as planned. So pack the sound machine. Bring the portable crib. Keep those feeding times in mind. And then enjoy Thanksgiving! Eat the pie. Take the pictures. Let the cousins entertain the baby. Enjoy the family traditions. Your routine is there to support your family, not keep you from enjoying it. And if the naps go sideways? You know exactly where to pick back up.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Moms on Call!