Nap-time

To those of you who are not parents but would like to be someday:  Be careful how you set up nap-time.  For what you start doing to put you child to sleep when they are an infant will ripple forward.  Don't make life too awkward for yourself.  It may be no problem to walk and rock an infant to sleep but this is not something you can do indefinitely.  Kids grow fast.  And yes it might be cute to have a baby sleeping in your lap but lets face it, your lap is only so big.  And if your child is sleeping in your lap, you are not going anywhere without risking waking up you sleeping angel.

Find the sleepy time ritual that works for you and your baby and stick to it.

Before my son outgrew his bassinet I kept it in my at-home office so I could get some work done while he napped.  While simultaneously soothing the paranoia that comes with becoming a first time mom.  I could type at my desk and glance at my baby whenever irrational worry struck and carry on with what I was doing.

Part of my worry came from the fact that he was born three weeks early.  He just looked so tiny and fragile to me.  I couldn't understand how anyone could feel comfortable not being in the same room as their fresh baby.  In those early sleep deprived weeks I felt like I needed to witness the rise and fall of his belly as he slept like that would somehow ensure it would continue to happen.

Some babies sleep more soundly than others so you will learn what makes the most sense for your child by trial and error.  Some moms insist on ending outings so as to be home in time for nap-time while others put the baby in a stroller and continue with there outing perfectly happy to push a sleeping baby from one place to the next.

My mother told me that when I was little she would drive me around in her car until I feel asleep.  This trick doesn't work for my son.  So I'm not going to tell you that I've found some holy grail of napping, because I don't think it exists.  What I will tell you is keep trying. I'm sure you will figure something out.

To those of you who are parents who have won the nap-time battle please feel free to post a comment with what worked for you.