Have you entered the…
{No feed zone}
~The 20 minutes before your baby's nap where if you feed them, they will most definitely get sleepy, if not fall asleep, completely sabotaging their nap!~
"But, Melody, why do we care about this no-feed zone?"
Well, I'm glad you asked!
For some babies, getting fed too close to their nap will make them sleepy, and that is typically stage 1 of sleep, which is restful.
So it's kind of like having a pre-nap, nap.
It alleviates their body's sleep pressure (what we feel when we feel tired and need to sleep) and it can make it harder for your baby to fall asleep.
What does that look like?
More crying/protesting before naptime
They only take a short nap
They get overtired
You put them in their bed sleepy only to have them pop their eyes open and begin to cry
Blah.
So to help your baby not get sleepy before their naptime, start using the Eat-Play-Sleep routine!
Example:
-Wake up!
-First feed of the day
-Playtime
Nap #1
-Feed again
-Playtime
-Possible second feed, this is when you'd use the:
{no feed zone- 20 minutes before nap}
Nap #2
Repeat
Note: It can be challenging to have 20 minutes from the bedtime feed to actually putting the baby to bed - in that case, feeding the baby in a well lit room and keeping them awake and actively feeding!
Was this helpful? Have more questions?
Hit reply and let me know!
Here for you,
Melody Patton
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