Summer Sleep Solutions
Why napping on the go doesn’t always work
If your child is unusually irritable and doesn't seem to be sleeping well at night even though they're going to bed at a reasonable time (between 6 pm and 8 pm), look at how long they’re napping–and where they’re napping, says Birnbaum.
“For a lot of kids, napping on the go is not as restorative as motionless sleep in a crib or ‘pack and play,’” she says. “Some children might nap in their stroller for two hours, but most children older than six months sleep better and wake happier if they’re lying down in a motionless environment.” Napping in the car or stroller provides a poor quality of sleep–children get a deeper, sounder sleep when they’re actually lying down and still.
An over-tired child will also have more trouble sleeping in general. Napping actually helps a baby to sleep better at night, says the Canadian Paediatric Society, so keeping your child awake during the day will not make him sleep longer at nighttime.
