How to help naps happen in the cot
Do you want to help your child to nap in their cot?
Firstly, as always some reassurance that naps don’t need to be in the cot to count!
In fact, naps don’t need to happen in the cot unless you want them to and it works for you.
Look at it this way, I’d never suggest napping in the cot as a solution to improve your bedtime or wake-ups!
But sometimes you might want naps to happen in the cot. Let’s be honest sometimes cot naps can be helpful!
And I’m here to help you make any changes you want to make with care.
Things to know about napping in a cot
Napping in the cot doesn’t automatically mean that your Small will settle to sleep smoothly in there at bedtime or settle overnight.
You don’t have to change every single nap to the cot. It’s ok for your Small to nap in the cot for only one of their naps.
Napping in the cot is likely to cut their nap length. Totally normal for naps to be shorter in the cot, especially at the start!
Three things to do before you start napping in the cot
Pick one nap for the cot that you know you can be consistent with. There’s no right nap for this but many families find the first one easiest.
Have some short and low-key playtime in the room where the cot is
Get a little nap routine going. This can be super simple, for example:
close curtains
nappy change
sing a sleepy song and say goodnight. It does not need to be complicated or long!
How to make naps happen in the cot
Do your nap rituals and settle them in the cot.
There are two ways you can try this:
1. Settle your Small to sleep and then transfer them to the cot.
(FYI you can feed, bounce or rock to sleep.)
Putting them down feet first and placing a hand on their chest to keep contact can help them settle in the cot.
This option would always be where I suggest you start!
2. Transfer your Small to the cot and take the time to settle them to sleep
I generally only suggest this option if your Small is already used to falling asleep solo in another sleep space or you feel confident to give it a go.
You can absolutely stay with them and support them all the way to sleep.
If you’re looking for a gentle and step-by-step approach to supporting your Small to fall asleep solo check out my bedtime boundary e-course.
Making naps happen in the cot can take time!
And chances are your Small will need a lot of practice and patience before napping in the cot becomes their new norm
It’s also totally normal for their nap time to be shorter when transitioning to cot naps.
My most important advice on this is that if you attempt a cot nap and it's not happening after an hour (ish!) or they get super upset…Ditch the cot nap!
If you need infant sleep advice, hop over to my Sleep Shop for affordable and easily-digestible Infant Sleep e-courses.
