Should I Nap With My Child?

Kim West, MSW, Mom of 2, creator of The Sleep Lady Shuffle

 

Would you like to have me answer your baby sleep problem in my next video? If so, scroll down and submit your question in the comment section below. I will pick several questions a month to answer and post them here on the blog!

I’m Kim West, the Sleep Lady and in this video blog I’m gonna answer Natalia’s question. Here’s what she wrote in:

“At the moment, my 19-month old sleeps in her own room/crib but I take new naps with her. I’m three months pregnant with my second so I’m feeling really tired and love that we can take naps together in the same bed. It gives me bonding time especially since I’m currently sleep coaching her and don’t put her into our bed at all.”

“I used to do it at 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. because I felt like she had plenty of rest. Sleeping from 8pm to 5pm but now I know that’s not true. My question is, is it wrong that I’m napping with her? Also will this affect my soon to be new born? I plan to have all three of us nap together at the same time but sleeps separately at night. My 19-month old seems to understand bed with Mama is only at naps but crib is at night. What do you think?”

If It Works

You know what? I think if it is working, leave it alone. Meaning, she’s obviously progressing well and sleep coaching at night. She’s still able to take a good nap with you in the afternoon. I will leave it alone. The only thing is is that it might not all wind perfectly with the new born.

Sometimes when you have more than one child, getting them to nap at the same time feels like all the stars have to be aligned and then you to hope nobody rings the doorbell or calls you or disrupts it.

Follow Your Instincts

So just be open and know that that might not happen all perfectly and you also have quite a bit time left, still 6 months to see how things go with the naps. If you know she stops napping when you’re lying with her then it might be time to occasionally have a nap in the crib but other than that I think this is fine what you’re doing.

I know when my older one, when I was pregnant with my second one, I used to sometimes take a nap with my older one too and she did know the difference and she knew that it was like a special thing and I really enjoyed it too.
But again she knew the skill of putting herself to sleep so that when the baby came she could occasionally take a nap in her crib if it didn’t all work out for me to lie down with her and the new born sleeping too.

Okay, good luck.
Kim
The Sleep Lady

Video filmed by In Focus Studios

If you’ve had a similar experience in trying to decide about napping with your children share your experiences. Please feel free to click the “reply” link under this article and leave them a comment. Supporting each other makes parenting so much easier!

Author: Kim West, MSW, Mom of 2, creator of The Sleep Lady Shuffle
My name is Kim West, and I’m the mother of two beautiful girls, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has been a practicing child and family therapist for more than 21 years, and the creator of the original gentle, proven method to get a good night’s sleep for you and your child. My sleep journey began when I started experimenting with gently shaping my daughter’s sleep by not following the conventional wisdom at the time. After having success (and then more success with my second daughter!), I began helping family and friends and my step-by-step method spread like wildfire, exactly like an excellent night of sleep for a tired parent should!

Related Posts

nap-schedule
Baby Sleep
Kim West

A Nap Schedule for Every Age: Help Your Child Nap Well

Table of ContentsNewborn to 5 Months6 to 8 Months9 Months to 12 Months13 to 18 Months18 Months and BeyondAvoid The Disaster NapNap Time Resistance is NormalTransitioning From a Two Nap Schedule to One NapWhen Your Child Is Ready For Quiet Time Share this article: Facebook X LinkedIn Pinterest WhatsApp Copy

Read Blog
drop to one nap
Ask The Sleep Lady Videos
Kim West

One Nap Per Day: How to Transition Your Toddler with The Shuffle

Table of ContentsLet’s Talk About That Long Morning NapConsistency is KeyAdjusting Your Baby’s NapsModify The Shuffle to Fit Your Needs Share this article: Facebook X LinkedIn Pinterest WhatsApp Copy link One Nap Per Day: How to Transition Your Toddler with The Shuffle If you’re a parent who sticks to a

Read Blog