Loving Naps: How to Make the Most of Your Baby’s Sleep Time

I’ll be honest—naps are my favorite part of having a baby. I love that free time, especially when they’re really young, and you get three naps a day. And when you have a two-year-old who naps for 2.5 hours in the middle of the day? Absolute gold!

baby napping

I talk about naps a lot because I truly believe we all need that time. But the key is to do naps right—so that you can actually enjoy them and reset yourself. Whether that means taking a shower, working out, cleaning the house, reading a book, or just relaxing, naps are for you too!

Contact Naps? Yes, Please!

At the same time, I love the snuggles. I did lots of contact napping, and I know that surprises some people. "But you're a sleep coach! Aren’t you creating bad habits?" Nope!

Here’s the thing: newborn naps are hard. At least for the first five months, it's totally normal (and expected!) to help your baby fall asleep. Contact napping is often the best bet during this phase.

Once your baby hits six months, you can start being more intentional about independent sleep and helping them learn to nap on their own. Ideally, this independence lasts until they drop naps completely.

Real Talk: It’s Not Always Smooth

Even with all the sleep knowledge I have, naps didn’t always go perfectly in my house! With my two-year-old, I often ended up napping with him in my bed. We’d read a book, I’d lay down next to him, and he’d drift off. And you know what? I didn’t mind one bit. I knew those were my last days of napping together, and I soaked it all in.

No matter where you are in your nap journey, here’s a quick checklist to help you make the most of it:

Nap Checklist

✅ Right environment – Make the room completely dark, use white noise if needed, and keep a comfortable temperature. The dark environment is not crucial before babies are 3 months old.

✅ Right time – Put your little one down when they’ve built enough sleep pressure (not too early, not too late!). Not sure when the right time is? Here is a sleep needs chart.

✅ Pre-nap routine – Babies and toddlers need 5-10 minutes to wind down. A short, consistent routine helps transition them to sleep. A few examples:

For toddlers: Have a special game or basket just for nap time, filled with a fun book or puzzle you can do together before the nap. Take your toddler to their room, dim the lights, and play that game with them to help wind down.

For babies: Establish a simple, predictable pre-nap routine. This could include going to their room, dimming the lights, changing their diaper, doing some light rocking, and then gently putting them down to sleep.

✅ Full tummy – Make sure they aren’t hungry before nap time!

And if you're still struggling to figure naps out—let’s chat! I’d love to help. Schedule a call here.

Also, if you want more nap tips, download my free nap guide here.

Because every mom deserves to love nap time as much as I do. 😉