Nap poops are real….also really annoying and super common. So if you’re reading this, I bet you are going through the same thing.  I am going to tell you how I got my baby to stop pooping during naps.

Not that long ago my little guy went on a nap strike so he could fill his pants and not sleep. That time in his tiny life was fun….NOT! I needed naps to happen for my own sanity

I was pretty annoyed because I felt like he just waited until I poured that hot cup of coffee, then he would begin to wail. He was such a Grumpy Gus while in his crib. I would go in, change his diaper, and put him back down to sleep….without luck. He was even grumpier. He would stay awake for that entire nap. So that made things fun when it came to me keeping him awake until his next naptime.  It was uber frustrating for both of us.

Naturally, when I am frustrated, I wanted to talk to everyone about it.  A girlfriend of mine said “put him down earlier”. She continued by telling me that she has gone through this and she has a “trick” that is fail proof.

 I was listening… 

She told me to put him in his crib about ten to fifteen minutes before his naptime.  Leave the window curtains open, turn on the light, throw some toys in the crib, and leave him in his clothes. She said I could put away laundry, stock diapers, or go downstairs and leave him to play for that time (remember the hot coffee?).

I thought she was nuts and that this was some sort of pipedream that I could get my infant to poop on demand.  But I gave it a shot….

BAM!  A big doodie on day one! 

Seriously, what kind of witchcraft is this? I believed this to be some sort of fluke. So I tried the next day, and the next day, and the next day…all with the same result of having a big full poopy surprise waiting for me. I was so excited to show my husband our baby’s new trick!  He was mind blown!!

I have now penciled “poop-time” into our daily routine. Right after breakfast, it’s time to have a poop party. After about ten to fifteen minutes, I clean him up and put him back down for his nap (his scheduled nap time) with clean and empty pipes.  He wakes up fresh, rested,and ready to take on the rest of the day!

Of course, there are going to be times where we miss the mark, like he may not want an audience (I know how precious bathroom time is solo), or he just toots away without any poop production, or he has a small little smear after naptime. That’s ok because I usually cake on some bum cream before he naps anyway to avoid any sort of bum irritation.

If you are having any sort of pants-filling challenges with your child, give this a whirl. making these simple changes is how I got my baby to stop pooping during naptime, bringing back restful sleep for him and self-care time for me.

 Let me know how you fair out.  Enjoy those naptimes, the hot coffee, or trashy TV while your little one slumbers, because you know, it’s exhausting after a big poo-poo-a-choo.