To think I won't need to plan our lives around naps?

[AnUnoriginalUsername]

We have a 7 week old baby. Just saw another thread and though "shit, nap schedules!"
Does everybody have set times and places for naps? Is it really important?
DS currently sleeps mostly on me but also in his rocking chair and sometimes in his cot. We cosleep.

Am I being insane to think he can just nap when he's tired wherever we are?

Depends on the child. My 16 month old will only nap at 10:30am until 12/1 ish. If you miss putting him down he won’t nap and come 4 he is so overtired it’s not fun for anyone, however some people’s children will nap whenever wherever.

I used to take them out and they'd nap in the buggy. The only problem was if they fell asleep in the house and I needed to go shopping, because moving them would wake them up.

Under one was so easy: sling naps any time, anywhere. Bit harder as they drop naps as you have to keep an eye on the time so they don’t nap too late and go to bed at “where did my evening go” o’clock.

When she went down to two naps it got harder as she really did need them at set times in order to go to bed later, AND she never napped in the pram, got too big for the sling (I’m also too short for a proper carrier), plus she loves a cot nap. She’s on one nap a day still and it really divides the day. Can’t ever go out for lunch.

At that age babies are super portable. Once they are 6+months we found it a lot easier to stick to a schedule and plan our days around naps. My daughters slept 12 hours a night since months old and she's 2 next week.

DD (just turned 2) sleeps in the car or in her buggy any time between 11 - 2 so is pretty easy to accommodate. However, as others have said, it's the danger nap you have to watch. We try to avoid taking DD in the car for more than about 20 mins after 3-ish, so sometimes have to cut days out short to accommodate.

It depends on the baby and also the mum

I very deliberately worked towards getting mine to nap at (fairly) set times in their cot because (a) they thrived on it and (b) I liked the predictability and the fact that I got little chunks of time in the day to chill out or do whatever I wanted without the baby/toddler around. Can’t do that if they’ll only sleep on you / with a boob in mouth / in a moving pram etc).

But also I loved having a routine and found it pretty easy to work my day around it, but that’s just me - another mum might have found it far too restrictive.

I think you have to aim for what you’d prefer as the parent, but be willing to be flexible and adapt to your baby as well. Some babies just won’t settle for a nap in a buggy or car seat for example. DS1 and 3 would nap anywhere if required but DS2 would only nap in the cot from the age of about 10 months. I did the same thing with all three of them but they were all very different babies.

Mine needed it to be quiet and dark.

I wouldn't say life completely revolves around naps but the days were planned around them.

He stopped napping at 18 months anyway!

Mine all co slept and slept anywhere

My 11 month old only contact naps or sleeps in the buggy/car, usually for 30 mins at a time. She doesn't have these big cot naps people talk about some days she has two 30 min naps, other days she will sleep for hours if we're driving. I never worried too much about a strict routine. It's more about how long she's been awake and needing a sleep top up than her having naps at specific times. But as others have said, they all seem to be different. I've found it much easier to be led by the baby than to try and force a routine.

Depends on the baby. Both mine were terrible at napping. Oldest needed black out blinds and silence, youngest a bit better but not great. If necessary we carried on regardless and they just had to be tired and grumbly in the pram. Nothing I did it didn’t do, just how they were. Oldest is a teen now and on meds to get her to sleep so I don’t feel such a nap time failure.

I found having a nap schedule really helpful as it meant I knew when DS would be hungry, tired etc and I could plan my activities accordingly. You don't have to be a slave to the nap schedule, you can flex it a bit. The people who stick to it really rigidly tend to be people whose kids sleep really badly at night - some babies need more routine than others.

I planned life around naps. It worked for us (it was only a short time). DH and I could go out for a lunch time meal completely undisturbed (with baby asleep in pram). I could have a shower, rest, quick tidy, make a phone call during his morning nap etc.

Since about 3 months my now 10 month old will only nap in her cot, or occasionally in the car she'll cat nap. I try not to be too rigid but shes still on a morning and afternoon nap (roughly same times) and to be honest it's better for both of us if she gets them in most days or she becomes an overtired mess.

Never planned naps with my 4dc. Dc1 wasn’t really a napper though all the others napped wherever, rarely in a cot though. Sling, buggy, car seat, sofa, didn’t like being at home much though with Dc1 and the younger ones have always had to adjust to all the schedules. People love to tell you this stuff when you have a baby, and YANBU in thinking baby can nap in other places than a cot.

DD1 - napped pretty much anywhere until 1, then would nap in her cot, the pushchair or the car. She eventually started napping at nursery but took a good couple of months. But she wouldn’t just take a nap if visiting family for instance.

DD2- napped anywhere until she was 1. Now will nap in the car or at home but rarely anywhere else and won’t nap in the pushchair as she just wants to get out and walk.

I think it depends on the child and the age. I found both napped fairly easily as babies, and really easily as newborns, but far more difficult when they hit toddler stage.

DD is 9 months old and we just wing it. Naps when she needs to, wherever she needs to do. Sleeps like a dream at night so I'm not too fussed. Routine works for some and not so much for others.

Depends. Dd barely napped from being tiny, which was a nightmare. But in the flip side, there was no point planning around her.

She dropped naps completely at 18 months.

Ds was miserable like would ruin everyone's day and was foul, if he didn't get his naps. When he was about 19 months old if he didn't have his naps, uninterrupted. So yes we planned around his. He didn't drop his nap until he was 3. We didn't really do anything different on the early weeks. Just how they were.

Depends on the baby and then how they are as a toddler. Just see how it goes.

Young babies are usually fine as they are pretty portable and sleep a lot, mine were transferrable while sleeping, could change nappies and everything with no issue. Toddlers are a bit more difficult as it's usually one sleep and you want it at a specific time so you might want to time it so they sleep in the car or after you arrive somewhere and they are in a buggy etc. They can be very grumpy, aren't always usually transferrable and can be VERY unreasonable if their nap is interrupted. You'll manage though, just work out a way that works for you. I have two DC 13 months apart and we didn't sit in the house all the time waiting naps out.

My first could sleep anywhere and it didn't affect her night time sleep until she was over 3. And wherever she fell asleep, I could move her anywhere I wanted. Car naps, late naps, buggy naps - not a problem.

Baby 2, not so much! We dont plan our lives round his naps, but we pay for it if he doesn't have a decent post-lunch nap. Or if he sleeps too long. Car naps don't work, he wakes up as soon as the car stops. Same with the buggy.

It can be quite easy to say with a newborn, I never understood it when DD was a baby. She's 19 months now and it's the only time I can sit with a warm brew, I do plan my days around naptimes. If I'm popping out and meeting a friend for a couple of hours, then it has to be around naptime. If I'm out for the day, then she has no choice but to sleep wherever we are in her pram/car but I do try plan everything so she can have a decent sleep in her cot

Until mine was 1, he'd happily nap anywhere and keep to his schedule. Then we had a nanny share who wanted her baby always to sleep in his cot and now DD at 2.5 only really naps well on a cot

It really depends on your baby. He may nap happily in the sling / pram /car / wherever, or he may need dark, quiet, white noise etc.

You can help him by getting him used to napping in lots of places now if you can, but to an extent you’re at the mercy of the baby you have! Mine used to nap anywhere, now will only nap in a dark quiet room or sometimes in a moving buggy if i catch him at exactly the right time.

When she was tiny I never scheduled naps. When she was older and I was back at work, on my days off I’d feed her to sleep early afternoon so I could also have a nap! Sad day when she gave up her naps!

I had one that needed the dark (couldn't sleep in cars, prams or anything) and one that would nap wherever

Luck of the draw.

Everyone is different aren't they. My experience is that my daughter NEEDED a nap but where that happened wasn't important. I have video of Her asleep next to race tracks from small baby to aged 2.5.

For what it is worth, I made sure that I had certain (portable) things that were associated with naps but not necessarily a place... If that makes sense!

I will caveat this post with a warning that I was blessed with a naturally good sleeper!!