Should I Wake My Baby From Naps?
Growing up, so many of us were told to “never wake a sleeping baby!”, right?
Well, now we know better:)
Research now tells us again and again 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.
Let me lay it out for you.
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, next time you hear someone say "never wake a sleeping baby," you can tell them that I said it's okay😉
And if you need help knowing when those naps should be, when to drop a nap, how to extend naps and everything in between, check out The Sleep Fairy Way Course.