If you’re a mom who thinks a lot about your baby’s sleep (and if you’re a Baby Sleep Site reader, you probably are), then you know that having a predictable, consistent schedule in place can go a long way towards helping your baby establish good sleep patterns. In fact, our sample baby schedules are some of the most popular articles on the site; clearly, parents are interested in establishing routines!
For some of us, though, a consistent schedule for baby can lead to the onset of serious cabin fever for mom or dad! That consistent schedule can contain two or three (or even four or five!) naps, which can make it impossible to get out of the house during the day. Being house-bound might work for some parents, but for others, being “trapped” at home can be maddening. Whether you and your baby are introverts or extroverts will make a big difference!
So what’s a “get out and go” mom (or dad) to do? We get this question quite a bit here at The Baby Sleep Site — moms want to teach their babies healthy sleep habits, but they don’t want to be confined by a rigid schedule. “Can I teach my baby to sleep when I’m on the go?” these moms ask. This article will attempt to answer that question.
What Do You Mean By “Baby Sleep On the Go”?
If your schedule (and by extension, your baby’s) is fairly consistent from day to day, and you only have one or two interruptions to that schedule each week, you’ll likely have few issues when it comes to getting your baby to sleep well. Most babies (although not all!) can handle a few variations in the routine. But if you’re out of the house constantly, and your days look nothing alike, it can be hard to get your baby sleeping well.
Can I Sleep Train On the Go?
Here’s the short answer: probably not. It’s not impossible, but it is very difficult. Remember that falling asleep and staying asleep, without any sleep “props” or associations, is a skill babies have to learn. And, when you provide your baby with predictable, consistent routines each day, you give him lots of opportunities to practice this new skill.
Of course, there are occasional exceptions to this rule. You may have a highly adaptable baby who’s able to nap at different times each day, who can sleep anywhere, through anything, and whose bedtime can shift by as many as two or three hours without it making much impact. If you do, congratulations! If you don’t, read on!
There are two factors that make sleeping on the go hard for a baby: baby’s temperament and baby’s nap needs.
Baby’s Temperament Can Make It Hard to Sleep Train On the Go
Nicole defines temperament as how your baby reacts to situations and stimuli, as well as your baby’s mood, ability to calm himself, and level of activity. Some babies are highly adaptable, or are naturally relaxed and easy-going; these babies may do well with sleep training on the go. But if you have a slow-to-adapt baby, developing a consistent and predicable routine will be a key part of teaching your baby how to sleep well. As Nicole says, “Slow to adapt children crave routine and need to know what to expect next.” In general, we recommend you plan to stay put for at least two weeks for official “sleep training.”
Baby’s Nap Needs Can Make It Hard to Sleep Train On the Go
Babies and toddlers need naps; how many and how often depend on a baby’s age. Younger babies need multiple naps each day; as they grow, babies gradually narrow down to three naps each day, then two and (maybe) one. Keep in mind that naps are NOT a “bonus” — naps are necessary! Nicole supports Weissbluth’s philosophy that “sleep begets sleep”; therefore, getting plenty of rest during the day is essential in order for a baby to sleep well at night. You may be tempted to think that as long as your baby is getting enough sleep at night, her naps aren’t important. This usually isn’t the case. The vast majority of babies need naps during the day in order to achieve balanced sleep.
Also, keep in mind that “moving” sleep (i.e. sleep that happens in a carseat or a stroller) isn’t as restorative as sleep occurring in a crib or bassinette. This makes sense when you consider your own sleep experiences. Do you sleep better sitting up in a moving car or lying down in your bed? The same is true for your baby. Light and noise during naps are factors to consider as well. Your child will sleep better in a darkened, quiet room than in a brightly-lit, noisy one.
However, this isn’t true for every child. In the United States, many of us associate naps with baby sleeping in a crib, in a darkened, quiet room. In other parts of the world, however, naptime looks different! After reading this article, Pia, a Baby Sleep Site reader from Finland, wrote this:
“Here in Finland and in Sweden it is very common that we, for the daytime naps, put our babies to sleep outside in their strollers or baby carriages. I know this probably sounds alien to you, but the truth is that they sleep much better outside in the fresh air. Of course we put lots of clothes on them, and the stroller is placed next to a window so we can keep an eye on them at all times.”
Pia went on to write,
“This facilitates sleeping on the go. Many times, I have taken my daughter for lunch to a café, fed her, changed her, dressed her and put her outside the café window for a nap, whilst I have been able to enjoy a coffee and a magazine on the inside, watching her constantly.”
As a result of this outdoor approach to naps, Pia says,
“Our daughter is able to sleep anywhere, and we are not bound to staying at home.”
International differences like these might provide you with a different perspective on naps. In general, we’ve found that babies sleep best in darkened, quiet rooms, but stories like Pia’s are a good reminder that cultural differences and norms can produce different sleep results for different babies!
Our Recommendation: When Sleep Training, Stick Close to Home!
When you’re learning to do something new, you need to spend time and energy developing your new skill. Apply this same mentality to your baby’s sleep training. Some kids will pick up these new skills quickly; for others, though, it’ll take awhile. Accept your child’s temperament and prepare to be patient; it’s all part of being a parent! Remember too that the days of being tied to home are short-lived. Your baby won’t always be napping every two hours! By 18 months, most babies are napping just once a day (and some transition to one nap before that.) Once there are fewer naps happening during daylight hours, it’s much easier to get out and about.
But What If Sticking Close to Home Just Isn’t An Option?
If you don’t have to be on the go with your baby, then we here at the Baby Sleep Site recommend prioritizing your baby’s needs over your own and staying home to sleep train your baby. We know, however, that for some of you, being on the go isn’t optional (whether it’s because your personality needs it for sanity or because you have things you need to get done).
If this is the case for you, there are a few things you can do to encourage optimal sleep for your baby while the two of you are on the go:
- Build in as much consistency as you can. Consider keeping a log of your daily activities for a week or two, and then look for patterns that could help you build some predictability into your routine.
- Add some on-the-go products to your arsenal. Snoozeshade sells a variety of items that can make it easier for babies to sleep while they’re out and about with mom, including carseat, stroller, and even Pack-n-Play covers. Use The Baby Sleep Site’s Coupon Code BABYSLEEP10 for 10% OFF!
- Monitor how much sleep your baby is getting. Determine how much sleep your baby needs based on her age, and then make it a priority to see that she gets it. In addition, watch for signs that your child isn’t getting enough sleep. If your baby shows any of these signs, make whatever changes you can to your schedule to help her get more rest. If you have a choice, attempt to have at least the first nap of the day at home as that is most often the most important.
Everyone’s family is unique and while you may see other babies sleeping in a stroller as their parents stroll through the mall, remember that we don’t want our babies “crashing” from exhaustion, but rather learning healthy sleep habits. While the occasional stroller or car nap is just fine, we don’t recommend that be your daily routine. After all, gas is expensive and even walking the mall will get boring after the 300th day in a row.
haylz says
Thank you but I still think she needs the two sleeps so she’s not overtired. any suggestions on getting her to sleep in the Pram? should I try it at the time of her big predictable 1.5 hour am nap?
Emily DeJeu says
@ haylz — That can be frustrating. You might consider trying to put your daughter down for her morning nap a little later each morning, in an attempt to push the start time of the nap back. You could put her down 10 or 15 minutes later each day (or every few days). I did this with my boys when they were transitioning from 2 naps to 1. Eventually, their first nap of the day started around noon, so that’s how we got them transitioned into taking one long nap in the middle of the day. I liked that because it freed up my mornings to run errands, take walks, etc. Let us know what works for you!
haylz says
I’m feeling a bit trapped by naps at the moment. My daughter has just turned one and has been transitioning between 2-1 naps for over a month. We never know until the afternoon if she will decide to have a second nap. She will basically only sleep at home now as i tried to do the right thing and have her home for naps until she figured out how many naps she wanted, but now its backfired. she won’t sleep in her pram now and i’d really love to train her to do so, so i don’t have to be home every afternoon ‘incase’ she wants that second nap. how can i train her to sleep in the pram, stroller and portacot at other houses? she has a comforter that she always sleeps with but i still can’t get her to sleep when out with it. she just screams. please help!
Emily DeJeu says
@ Lori — Sounds like you’ll need to embrace the beauty that is “rest time” 🙂 I do this with my kids. My oldest son (who’s 4 1/2) never naps anymore, but my younger ones still do. So when it’s time for naps, my oldest goes into our spare room and plays with toys, reads books, listens to music, etc. He’ll stay in there for 1 1/2 – 2 hours most days. It’s great! We started this with him as soon as he showed signs of being done with napping, and we and tried to establish clear rules right from the beginning. For example, he knows that he’s not allowed to leave the room unless he has to go potty, and he’s pretty good about obeying that rule. Might be something for you to keep in mind for the time when your oldest starts phasing out his naps (especially if you have a new baby at that time!)
Emily DeJeu says
@ Nicole Clancy — I totally understand your dillema! My second son was born in December, so we had the winter to stay inside and work out a routine (which was nice.) But by the time May rolled around, my older son and I were SO over being indoor. We spent a lot of mornings at the playground that summer, and my younger son got really, really good at napping in his stroller 🙂 I could fold the back down, pad it with blankets, drop the sunshade, and he’d usually sleep for a good 30-45 minutes. Then, after lunch, both boys would take a longer, more restorative nap. That worked well for us.
I think there’s a fine line between embracing a routine (which I think important, because it keeps the chaos at bay) and being controlled by a routine. Odds are you’ll strike a balance that works for everyone — something that allows you to get a rhythm with your newborn but that also lets everyone get outside and enjoy the sunshine 😉 Best of luck to you, Nicole!
Lori says
Great article! I was kind of thinking along the same lines as Nicole. Our son is 19 months and not a great sleeper by any means. We have been discussing a second. Our son will be approximately 3.5 yrs by the time the second comes along and will probably no longer be napping. I’m wondering how naps with the new baby will go with an active preschooler.
Nicole Clancy says
Although I’m a big fan of routines, I wonder how it will go with the 2nd baby – due in 6 weeks. I did sleep training with my first (now 18months) at 4 months old with the help of babysleepsite and it changed our lives.
Having an active toddler who is used to getting out and about (eg. walks, park etc) I can’t imagine that it will do either of our sanity well to go back to being housebound. I’m hoping that the two might eventually be able to nap in the middle of the day at the same time in the house but morning and arvo naps for the bubba may have to be on the run. Is this going to set us up for bad habits in the long run?
Emily DeJeu says
@ Jamie — always having a consistent routine is often easier said that done, isn’t it? If your daughter spends time other places (at grandma and grandpa’s, at dad’s), you could encourage those people to follow the same kind of routine you have at home. It’ll help if those caregivers are putting her down at the same time, feeding her at the same time, etc. It might also help if you send her with some familiar items, like a blanket, or a cerain lullaby CD, etc. Those might remind her of home and help her sleep.
@ Megan — your strategy doesn’t sound bad to me at all! Allergy shots are definitely “musts” and not at all optional. The fact that you’re taking your son’s nap needs into account and planning your outing around them is great. Good for you! 🙂
Meagan says
I know pretty much everyone recommends against it, but when I have a major disruption, I’ll try to plan his “sleepy time” for travel, and drive around to (with luck) give him an hour+ nap. For example, when I need to get my allergy shots (every 3 weeks) which is 40 minutes away, I’ll take a scenic route there (and hope he sleeps), get the shots, hit the soft toddler playground at the mall so he has some time to crawl around, then shoot for another car nap on the way home. Sometimes it works beautifully, and sometimes it’s a disaster. There doesn’t seem to be anyway to tell which way the day will go… So I just hope!
Jamie Williams says
Hi Nicole,
All of the books that I have read say that you absolutely need a routine to get your baby to sleep through the night. For example, Finally Asleep recommends that you even avoid travel while sleep training. Aside from just building consistency and adding a few tools, is there anything I can do to get my baby to sleep on when my schedule is so variable? I travel three days per week where she goes to her grandparents? She is with me the rest of the time except when her father has custody.