Never Wake a Sleeping Baby?
Were you raised on the phrase "never wake a sleeping baby”? Same. Honestly, it makes sense that we were taught that because sleep training wasn't a huge thing when we were growing up! So, whenever a baby would finally fall sleep, you let them sleep.
However, research now tells us that capping off naps while your baby is learning to sleep can actually be beneficial to their ability to sleep at night.
Why? Because if your baby sleeps all day long, chances are they are not going to want to sleep all night long as well. So, waking your baby from a nap during the sleep training period is a huge part of teaching your baby to sleep.
Here are some easy guidelines to follow!
Wake your baby if:
Your baby is learning the difference between day and night.
Your baby is getting too much day sleep which is affecting night sleep.
Your baby is under 12 weeks and you are still trying to establish feedings. If you don't wake your baby to eat, sometimes they can sleep through a feeding time and miss out on a feed.
Don't wake your baby if:
Your baby already knows how to sleep through the night and long naps do not affect night sleep.
Your baby took a short morning nap and needs to make up for it.
Your baby is sick and needs extra rest.
So, should you ever wake your baby? The answer is, sometimes:)
So, next time you hear someone say "never wake a sleeping baby," you can tell them I said it's okay sometimes 😊