30 Minute Sleep Cycles & Nap Time Tips

If you’ve ever had a baby it’s likely you will know all about the 30 minute sleep cycle and like me have probably felt very frustrated by it. When my little boy was a few months old we could time the nap literally to the 30 minute mark, it simultaneously amazed me and also drove me crazy (I did however get very good at doing a lot in that short time frame). As usual I went to my good friend Google to get the answers as to why this was happening and to search for solutions on how to stop it… Basically all of us have “sleep cycles” even as adults we rise and fall during our sleep state but most of us are good at connecting these cycles together so we don’t even notice them happening. Babies, being brand new and all, can’t link the cycles together very well, this unfortunately takes time, patience and lots of practice.

I would say we made a start on trying to actively do something about it around 5 months old, we started to put Tommy in his own room for some of his naps, at first, they were very short which was difficult to accept and persist with but I knew ultimately it was for the greater good so we stuck with it.

We would use white noise at times to try and help (not sure it ever really did but worth a go), we’d make sure the room was dark (strongly recommend investing in a black out blind or window cover) and I would always try to be close to the room when the 30 min mark was approaching. When he stirred one of us would go in, replace his dummy if it had fallen out and pat his bum firmly (sometimes shushing) in the hopes he would link the cycles together and go back off, I was quite persistent and would sometimes stand leaning into the cot for 10 – 15 mins hoping for a result. Sometimes it paid off and we’d get another chunk of time, other times I would be fighting a losing battle so would admit defeat and get him up to continue with the day.

Over time (and I mean weeks/months) he learned how to do it, some days it would only take a little resettle and other days I wouldn’t have to go in at all and he would treat us to a 2 hour+ nap. I put a lot of pressure on myself trying to get the majority of naps in his cot around this time, I do think it helped him to connect the cycles and learn to self-settle so I don’t regret it but looking back I could’ve been easier on myself.

I found the first nap of the day was always the easiest to get him down in his cot, after that if I was local (it was lockdown so often we were home) I would also try for nap no2 in the cot and for a spell we had good success doing this but sometimes I would have to resort to the pram or carrier for a motion nap.

As the world has opened back up and Tommy has gotten older things just naturally changed and his preferences became clearer so now he never naps in his cot, if we are at home or out and about he will sleep in his pram and at nursery he will, through some kind of wizardry, sleep on the mats with all the other children.

Some sleep/nap time tips I’ve learned…

• · Check recommended wake windows for your child’s age

• · Newborns will likely just want to sleep on you, this is completely normal

• · Make sure they are ready for sleep but also try to avoid over tiredness

• · Get the room temperature right

• · Ensure the room is dark

• · White noise is worth a try as some babies respond well to it

• · From 6 months you can introduce a comforter (check Lullaby Trust for safe sleeping guidelines)

• · Pram, carrier and car naps are always useful if out and about or if the cot isn’t a success

• · When on 3 naps a day the 3rd was always a motion nap I wouldn’t even attempt the cot

• · Around 7 months we went cold turkey with dummies – it was a game changer (mainly for night-time sleep) but also helped improve nap length

• · Be kind to yourself and if, like me, you love routine and it all goes out the window try to remember that they are resilient, will probably cope better than you are imagining and… tomorrow is a new day.

If you are looking for extra support with infant/toddler sleep check out Just Chill Baby Sleep, in addition to her website there is also a lot of free content on Instagram and YouTube some of which I found really useful. https://justchillbabysleep.co.uk/