As a parent, we’ve all been there: you’re excited to get out of the house and enjoy some quality time with your little one, whether it’s heading to a fun class or just getting some fresh air. But then, just as you’re on your way home, the inevitable happens—your child dozes off for a quick nap in the car. While it’s important to enjoy activities together, it’s equally valuable to make the most of their nap times at home, or even carve out a few moments for yourself.
I can picture it now—driving with my son, planning to be home before nap time, only for him to fall asleep just as we’re nearing the house. Instead of waking him, I’d find a quiet spot to park, letting him finish his nap in the car while I waited, trying to make the best of an unexpected situation.
What exactly is a micro nap? It’s an extremely brief nap, sometimes lasting just 30 seconds or a few minutes. This short burst of sleep gives your baby just enough rest to reduce their sleep pressure, making it difficult for them to fall asleep when it’s time for their nap. It’s similar to those moments when you’re watching a movie late at night, and you start to nod off. You decide to head to bed while you’re still feeling drowsy, but by the time you’ve made it upstairs and got ready for bed… suddenly, you’re wide awake—so frustrating! The same thing happens with babies. After a micro nap, parents often struggle to get their little one to sleep because the baby no longer has that natural urge to drift off. Simply put, they’re not sleepy enough anymore.
What does a micro nap look like?
It’s not always that your baby is sound asleep when a micro nap is occurring, it’s the stages leading up to this to look out for:
- Looking zoned out/starry-eyed
- Drowsiness
- Sudden head dropping/jolting back up
Why are micro naps problematic?
They’re not a problem if you’re happy to let your little one sleep in the car/pram – in fact, it can be very handy if you’ve got a fairly long drive home or can walk the long way home. However, if this isn’t the case, you may now find yourself in a tricky situation…. Do you risk waking them up and try to get them home to put them down ‘properly,’ or do you resign yourself to walking in the rain that little bit longer or sitting on your driveway in the car whilst your little one snoozes…? (Caveat to this – some babies are happy to be transferred half asleep into the cot – which is amazing and to those parents – lucky you!! Most babies really struggle with this).
How can you avoid micro naps?
If you need to be home for nap time because you have things to get done (!!), try to avoid taking your baby out in the car or pram right before their nap—the motion is likely to lull them to sleep if it’s too close to the end of their awake window. Micro naps are especially common during feeding, particularly with very young babies, so consider following a wake-feed-sleep routine to reduce the chances of them getting drowsy while eating. Even a 30-second micro nap during feeding can be enough to give your baby a second wind, making nap time more challenging later on. If your baby is showing signs of being very tired, with lots of sleepy cues, it might be worth shortening their awake window a bit to get them into the cot before a micro nap sneaks in.
What about toddlers and older children?
The same applies, but we often refer to these types of naps as ‘danger naps’ since they typically happen later in the day, often on the way home from school or nursery. These naps can lead to bedtime battles because your child may catch a second wind after their little snooze. I’ll be discussing danger naps in more detail next week, so keep an eye out.
As always, if you’re experiencing any problems with your little ones sleep, please do get in touch – we would love to help!
