I am a small business owner, mompreuner, blogger, and mom, these are only a few of my titles.  So, I need my baby to nap. Because I am a busy lady and having my child nap or go to bed early or on-time is super-duper important to me and my sanity. Creating a consistent and predicatble naptime schedule was important for my productivity, and like previously mentioned….my sanity. I am going to tell you why naptime saved my sanity.

Before I started this journey I made a promise to myself and my children that I would work on MY time… 

I promised them that they wouldn’t see me head down.  I promised myself I wouldn’t miss them growing up.

Will this set me up for burnout?  Maybe. But I have a goal.  I have boundaries, and I know my limits.

Naps are consistent and predicatable for me and my baby.

Luckily for me, naps are consistent and predictable. Naps and sleep are super important in my house, not only to ensure for my kids; but this is the time when I can get all the things done.  My oldest child has a bedtime of 7:30pm and my baby is in bed between 5:30-6pm.  Sometimes I grind, sometimes I wine…

Right now, my oldest is in school and my baby is almost a year old.  While my youngest still has two naps, I still have 4 hours in my day to get the things done.  Those four hours are broken down into two naps.  Morning nap is usually for me.  I shower, drink my coffee (hot), and sometimes I read (including Instagram, Facebook, books, etc).  The second nap is when I try to get stuff done.  I write, I plan, I schedule meetings, I work.  Sometimes naps don’t go to plan and I adjust.

To those who struggle with naps, I am sorry and please know that I have been there.  Getting your child on a predictable and consistent nap schedule is tough.  For me these naps are imperative for my own well-being, plus these are the times where I can get ANYTHING done.  I am writing, I am researching , cooking, planning, emailing, eating, etc…doing what I can for the short span I can.

Can I just say, if I didn’t have those naps, I wouldn’t be able to do what I love….write.  This is my happy place.  This is where I can lay out all my frustrations.  Naps are the time where I can reflect.  I can think.  I can take a few hours of not being touched, not having to wipe a nose or a butt, not having to feed someone other than me…a chance to drink my coffee HOT.  This time is important to me. Like mentioned before, naptime has saved my sanity.

How do I get those naps to save my sanity?

Here is what I do…

First, you need consistency. Naps happen at the same time every day.  If he wakes up earlier in the morning, he stays in his crib until his “wake up time”, usually that’s 6:30am.  In the beginning, he would cry, squeal, and fuss.  As time went on he would happily play and often would resettle.

Of course, there are those days where he doesn’t fall back to sleep. My plan of action is to keep him up until his first scheduled nap. I always gave him two hours in his no matter what.  This ensures that he has the chance to fall back to sleep if he wakes up midway through his nap.
If for example, he wants to sleep longer, I go in and gently wake him up.  FYI, it’s a myth that you can’t wake a sleeping baby.  Of course, you can (especially if it is to protect his afternoon nap or bedtime).  Then I repeat for the second scheduled afternoon nap.  This ensures that I can fill my metaphorical cup (…and my coffee cup).

So can I give you a tip?  If naps aren’t the best and you feel antsy…it’s OK to turn off the monitor.  You know that your child is safe. You know your child is ok.  Another tip… make sure that you put your babe to bed earlier.  An earlier bedtime will not only prevent your child from being overtired, but it also gives you an opportunity to catch up on that work you may have missed.

I know that you have a deadline.  I have a deadline.  We are just trying to make it through the day in one piece and in case you haven’t heard it today….You are doing awesome!

So going forward, schedule those naps and watch your progress grow!!