The joy of naps

I like to think that he is so excited about life and being awake, that he’d rather be interacting and tired, than possibly miss anything that is going on around him. But as parents, we know how important sleep is to infants. Sleep helps brain growth, development and reorganization. More importantly (or selfishly), however, it helps keep babies in a good mood when they are well-rested. It also provides parents time (although unpredictable time) to get day-to-day household chores done.

I commented to my husband the other day when he was asking for advice about putting Jack down for a nap, that there is nothing to it, just put him down. My nanny interjected that she likes to rock and sing to him, and that he relaxes, and then she puts him down asleep. Well, didn’t I feel like a blunt instrument! I had to remind myself, however, that I arrived at this "technique" after trial and error of other strategies which had previously included nursing, rocking and/or singing to him.

Jack wakes up (for me at least) when I put him down in the crib and then gives me that delicious, bright smile that draws me back in. I’ll wind up his mobile, start the gentle lullaby playing and watch the bunnies go round, as if to show him "hey, look at this!" But all he’ll do is stare and smile at me, waiting for me to shoot a glance his way, at which point he widens his smile, kicks his feet and coos. I doesn’t matter how drowsy I put him down, he already uses stall tactics. He could be rubbing his eyes and yawning, but if I don’t pick him back up, he brings out the big guns with his "play hands." [Jack invented this a sign over a month ago. My husband is convinced that it derives from the mimicking of his application of moisturizer after washing his hands, right before playing with Jack. One thing is clear, however, that it indicates that he wants boisterous activity, like lifting him in the air or dancing to music]. So after singing, gentle touch, even physically closing his eyelids (this is a sophisticated strategy that one of my close friends from medical school uses on her daughters), I decided that it was easiest to just leave him in the crib to sort it out on his own. When he starts showing signs of being tired and/or it has been 2- 2.5 hours since his last nap, I simply put him in the crib and leave. Within about 5 minutes of stretching, grunting, head rubbing, etc, he is asleep. It is a lot simpler process for the both of us.