Something I really appreciate about Babywise is that it busts many of the common parenting myths.

One such myth is that “babies will sleep when they are tired” when in reality an overtired baby won’t sleep well at all.

But that isn’t the point of this post.

Babies need sleep – and they need more than we probably think. Not only do they need sleep, but they need uninterrupted sleep.

A baby who is getting up during the middle of night out of habit, instead of need, is not getting the rest he/she needs.

Uninterrupted sleep is a beautiful gift parents can, and in my opinion, should give their child. And hey, let’s face it, uninterrupted sleep is a beautiful gift for the Mamas and Daddys too!

There are many aspects of baby getting adequate uninterrupted sleep. This post will hit on one of those aspects: respecting baby’s naptime.

As I stated in this post, I was a bit of a naptime drill sergeant when I first started Babywise with Little Bug. If it was naptime, I was home and Little Bug was in her crib sleeping.

There is nothing wrong with a nap on the go. In fact, sometimes, it’s a necessity, but if every nap for baby is on the go – they probably aren’t getting the length of nap needed for good, restful sleep.

From the start, we have always made plans around Little Bug’s nap/bedtime schedule. Obviously, there have been times where Little Bug has had to sacrifice a nap or go to bed a little late. But overall, if it is naptime or bedtime, we are home and Little Bug is in her crib sleeping. Have we had to make sacrifices along the way  (such as leaving an event early to get Little Bug home and in bed)? Yes, but the way we look at it is this: This is a small phase of life. Before we know it, we will have teenagers, but for now, we have a baby who needs to go to bed before 9pm. And so we leave early. Only for a season. 

Think about it. What if we as adults had to continuously sacrifice the sleep we needed to be able to function properly? Many adults, in fact, do do that. They are not operating with optimal alertness because they are sleep deprived. It is the same for babies. Without adequate sleep, they are not operating with optimal alertness, which means they are also not at their point of optimal learning either.

I have no idea how to figure this one out, but I am sure, the more kids you add to your family, the harder it is to respect the naptimes of those who are still in need of one! The more schedules you throw into the mix, the harder this has to be!

I think it all boils down to this, however, I obviously have no experience in juggling more than one child’s daily schedule: It’s a balance. I can’t expect my older children to always sacrifice to be at home when it is baby’s naptime. And I can’t expect my future baby (who, by the way, is NOT on the way! ) to not be able to take a snooze in the stroller while big sis is at dance class. Big kids won’t always be on the go and babies won’t always be at home.

But as their mother, it is my responsibility to make sure everyone is getting adequate sleep.

- Elaine