Why is my baby fighting naps?
Are you struggling with naps recently? Is your baby taking forever to fall asleep? Are they utterly refusing to go down for a nap? Or, all the sudden, struggling with protesting during their naps?
Nap issues is something almost every parent faces at some point, and it often feels confusing when you’re doing everything right.
The good news is that nap struggles almost always come down to a few key factors that can be tweaked with gentle changes.
Here are the most common reasons babies fight naps, and how you can start to understand what’s going on.
1. They’re going through a developmental leap
When babies learn a new skill like rolling, sitting, crawling, or pulling themselves up, their brains are busy practicing, even during nap time. Naps often get shorter, harder, or skipped entirely during these leaps. It’s temporary, even though it feels endless in the moment.
2. Wake windows are a little off
Even small shifts in timing can make a big difference.
If your baby is put down too early, they may not have enough sleep pressure built up yet. If they’re put down too late, overtiredness kicks in, which can make falling asleep even harder. Finding that sweet spot is magic. You’d be surprised how 15 mins one way or the other (to extend their wake window or to shorten it,) can actually perfect their wake window in total.
3.. The environment isn’t quite sleep ready
A room that’s too bright, too stimulating, too quiet, or too loud can make it hard to settle.
Think:
As dark as can be
consistent white noise
a cool room, but in saying this that they are not “cold.” The right TOG sleep sack for the room temperature
pre nap routine(3-5 minutes before a nap to make a signal for baby that its nap time!)
These tiny tweaks can make naps so much smoother.
4. Nap transitions are approaching
If your baby is dropping from 4 to 3 naps, 3 to 2 naps, or 2 to 1 nap, you’ll often see nap resistance first. It’s their way of telling you their sleep needs are changing.If you get 4 days out of the week with nap troubles, it may be time to start transitioning to a different schedule!
6. They’re hungry (or going through a growth spurt)
A hungry baby is not a sleepy baby. If they’re working on a growth spurt, naps can feel messy because they need more fuel. A top up feed before the nap might help, depending on age. But also remembering to not let baby get drowsy on the top up feed. To ALWAYS put baby down AWAKE!! Make sure baby is not using you as a sleep prop, but actually hungry!
You’re not doing anything wrong
Fighting naps can feel overwhelming, but it’s SO normal. With a bit of observation and a few gentle adjustments, most families see naps fall into place again.
If you ever feel stuck or unsure where to start, I’m always here to help you puzzle through it and find a plan that works beautifully for your little one.
shayna@midnightmamasleepconsulting.com
