Baby naps are, by far, one of the most talked about and searched topics here at The Baby Sleep Site®. We all want our babies and toddlers to take longer, more restorative naps, don’t we? After all, “sleep begets sleep” and a baby who naps well is more likely to sleep well at night, too.
So what can we do to encourage our babies and toddlers to get the naptime sleep they need?
There are a few tools you need to encourage better napping in your baby or toddler. First and foremost, you need to make sure you don’t make the 7 Common Napping Mistakes, and an age-appropriate baby nap schedule is a must. Next, you need to consider nap sleep training (and we don’t mean cry it out, we mean helping your baby learn to fall asleep and stay asleep at nap time!).
But can you do more?
Yes! Once you’ve mastered the basics of how to establish a good naptime routine, if your baby is still struggling to take quality naps, you may want to consider setting him up for success by adding a few “napping tools” to your toolbox.
6 Products That Lead To Better Baby and Toddler Naps
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White Noise Machine
Most babies and toddlers can’t sleep with lots of noise; they need a mostly-quiet environment to truly nap well. But let’s be honest — for most of us, complete and total silence during naptime is impossible! The dog barks, the phone rings, your other children decide to play dinosaurs and stomp all over the house…you know how it is 😉
If this sounds familiar, then a white noise machine is just the thing you need. White noise machines mask the other noises in your home, making it easier for your baby or toddler to nap. Here are a few we love:
Adaptive Sound Technologies LectroFan High Fidelity White Noise Sound Machine — this is a really nice, highly-rated white noise machine with 20 unique non-looping fan and white noise sounds. Plus, it has a timer.
Bubzi White Noise Stuffed Owl — This one doubles as a lovey (see below) and a white noise machine. And, did we mention it’s utterly adorable? Because it is! 🙂
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Room-darkening Blinds/Curtains
Just as most babies and toddlers won’t nap well in a noisy room, many won’t nap well in a brighly-lit room, either. This is why room-darkening curtains come in handy; they offer a way to darken your baby’s or toddler’s room in broad daylight. (Note: Once your baby is no longer a newborn, you no longer need to worry about day/night confusion.)
Here are a few room-darkening products we like:
The Redmon Nighttime Nursery Blackout Liners are nice — they block out light and noise. And since they’re liners, then can be sewn to the backs of the curtains you already have, meaning you don’t have to sacrifice your decor!
Redi-Shade Black-Out Pleated Shades — these shades offer a great way to darken baby’s room; since they have no cords, they’re perfectly safe to use around your little one. -
Lovey
A lovey is any item that helps your baby feel cozy and secure. Loveys can go a long way towards encouraging better naptime and nighttime sleep.
We also love the Angel Dear Blankie — how adorable is this monkey version?! The Angel Dear Blankie comes in 35 animal varieties, so you’re sure to find one that’s perfect for your baby or toddler.
Finally, we can’t fail to mention a lovely classic: the Taggies Blanket. Each of Nicole’s sons had one of these as his lovey. The blanket comes in three patterns, and each version is full of the soft, textured tags that we know our babies love. -
Crib Mobile
Many parents find that crib mobiles offer a nice way for babies to wind down at naptime. It can even become part of your baby’s naptime routine. Of course, not all mobiles are good for sleep. Some are meant to stimulate and others are meant to soothe. Make sure you get the right type of baby mobile.
We like the Fisher Price 2-in-1 Projection Mobile because it grows with your child. Use it as a mobile for young babies; then, when your baby’s bigger, convert it to a music box that projects images onto the ceiling.
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Snoozeshade
It probably goes without saying that your baby will nap best at home (or at daycare), in a dark, quiet room. But sometimes, naptime has to happen on the go — that’s life! And that’s okay.
To make on-the-go naps easier, consider investing in a Snoozeshade product. Snoozeshade offers a full line of carseat covers and stroller coversthat block out light. These provide a great way for you to create a dark, cozy environment for your baby at naptime, even when you aren’t at home. Use The Baby Sleep Site’s Coupon Code BABYSLEEP10 for 10% OFF!
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Swaddling Blanket
Now, this last product doesn’t exactly apply to toddlers, so if you’re a parent of a toddler, you can skip this one. 😉 But if you have a newborn at home who just won’t nap, consider swaddling your baby for naps (and at night!) Swaddling has been shown to improve sleep for newborns.
To make swaddling even easier, you might want to think about investing in a Miracle Blanket. No more complicated folding; the Miracle Blanket makes swaddling your newborn a cinch! And it’s recommended by medical professionals, so you can rest assured that it’s a safe blanket to use with your newborn.
Another swaddling product we love? The Swaddle Strap® Baby Swaddle! This ingenious little swaddler is a simple strap that fits securely over your baby’s arms, but leaves baby’s legs free. Why do we love it? It’s the perfect swaddle to use in warm weather – dress baby in a light onesie, secure the swaddle strap over top, and you have a newborn who feels secure and snug enough to sleep, but who won’t overheat. Plus, since your baby’s legs are free, diaper changes are a snap!
Baby and Toddler Nap Help That Works – Guaranteed!
If you are looking for a more customized solution for your unique situation, and want plenty support along the way, please consider one-on-one baby and toddler sleep consultations. Your consultation package will provide you with the chance to interact one-on-one with a trained sleep consultant, who will create a Personalized Sleep Plan™ for your family and then work to help you implement it at home.
Our Members Area is packed with exclusive content and resources: e-Books, assessments, detailed case studies, expert advice, peer support, and more. It actually costs less to join than buying products separately! As a member, you’ll also enjoy a weekly chat with an expert sleep consultant.
If you’re looking for ways to get your baby or toddler into a healthy sleeping routine during the day, I encourage you to explore Mastering Naps and Schedules, a comprehensive guide to napping routines, nap transitions, and all the other important “how-tos” of good baby sleep. With over 45 sample sleep schedules and planning worksheets, Mastering Naps and Schedules is a hands-on tool ideal for any parenting style.
Need help knowing where to start? Visit our Help Me Choose page for helping choosing the Baby Sleep Site® resources that are right for you.
Emily DeJeu says
@ Melanie — sounds very cool! No wonder she likes it. Water sounds knock me right out. 😉
Melanie says
We have a SeaHorse (sell them at target) it’s like the new “glow-worm.” It’s tummy glows when you turn it on and plays soft hymns with water sounds. We used it for sleep training at first; but now it’s her favorite nap time lovey!
Emily DeJeu says
@ Mel — sounds like we should think about arranging a Woombie giveaway on the site, huh? Something for me to look into. 🙂
Good call on the MP3 white noise! That’s definitely a cheaper way to utilize white noise for your baby (provided you have the appropriate players/speakers.)
Just checked out babyhammocks.com (Amby’s website) — very interesting! I honestly didn’t know a product like this existed. There does seem to be some controversy around it, though, so I’m not sure it’s something we could recommend on the site. Still, looks intriguing!
Mel says
I second the woombie. It’s amazing. I had one of these and found it much better than the very constrictive Velcro-tabbed swaddle I tried. At around three months I unzipped the top slightly so my son could get his hands out and chew his fingers but not move his arms around too much.
For white noise I’ve downloaded an ‘ocean waves’ sound mp3 and just play it on repeat through an mp3 speaker. It sends me off in minutes and cost me practically nothing!
Finally I had a hammock for my first (the one who led me to this site) and always wondered if it made him a worse sleeper as it effectively rocked him to sleep and caused an association we struggled to get rid of. I didn’t use it for my second and he sleeps really well. If you search for Amby hammock you’ll find them. I believe they’ve been a bit controversial over there lately, but here in the UK they’re quite well liked.
Emily DeJeu says
@ Tracey — Interesting! Thanks for clarifying. That makes sense about rigging something up so that she didn’t get trapped inside; that’d be my concern with a hammock. Thanks for sharing this unique tip, Tracey!
Tracey says
I live in Nicaragua, and this is the way many babies nap here. It is an adult-sized hammock and I use sticks to hold it open so that it doesn’t close in around her. If you send me an email address, I can send you a picture to give you a better idea of what I’m talking about.
Emily DeJeu says
@ Tracey — I have to admit, that’s a new one to me! Is it an ordinary, adult-sized hammock? Or did you buy a specialty hammock, made for young children? This sounds interesting!
Funny; I was at a picnic a few days ago, and a friend was lying in a hammock that the hosts had strung up between two trees. She was remarking that she didn’t think she could ever actually sleep in one — she thought it was uncomfortable! So maybe a hammock is an “acquired taste” 😉
Tracey says
My nap essential is a hammock. I started putting her down to nap in a hammock at around 2 months. She’s 16 months now and still naps in her hammock daily. It has been a great way to soothe her to sleep, and when she stirs a little, I can swing her a bit and keep her asleep a little bit longer.
Emily DeJeu says
@ Kristen — Awesome! Thanks so much for recommending this, Kristen. We’re always on the lookout for excellent products that we can recommend to our clients.
kristen says
I found the Woombie to be fantastic for swaddling our infant! This was the best swaddle I have ever purchased and have bought a few for friends who also only use them now too! The best thing is they can’t get their hands out and you can unzip the bottom to make sure they don’t get too warm and to check a diaper without it completely disrupting the nap. I have heard the miracle blanket is great too but didn’t get one since the woombie was so great.