Ten Nap-Time Enemies that Will Wake Your Sleeping Baby
You know the importance of nap time if you are a parent. This is especially true if you have a baby with what appears to be a sixth sense for any disturbances. This is the only time in your hectic day that you can reclaim some of yourself. You might grab a cup of coffee, do laundry quietly, or simply sit and breathe. As any parent who has experienced this knows, some forces work against you during naptime. They can be real, sneaky, and relentless.
We’ll look at the top ten naptime enemies, who seem to be waiting in the shadows to attack your child the moment they close their eyes.
The Transfer
Ah, the transfer. You hold your baby in your arms, and they are peacefully sleeping, with their mouths slightly parted. They breathe softly against your chest. Now comes the real problem: getting your baby from your arms to the cot without them waking up. You hold your breath. You’re moving by inch. You move inch by inch. Parents have twisted their bodies in unimaginable positions to keep a child asleep. I’ve been balancing like a master of yoga, with one leg in the air and my spine bent like a pretzel while placing an arm underneath the baby’s chin, because even the slightest movement could mean that the sleep process would have to start all over again. Let’s not forget the terrifying moment you have to pull your arm out from under them. You are frozen for what seems like an eternity as you decide whether you want to risk waking your baby or wetting your pants.
The Creaky Flooring
Every home has one. Every house has one. If you tiptoe across the living room like a ninja, one slip on that cursed plank will make all your hard-earned silence disappear. I have mapped out the floor plan in my mind and practiced new stealth routes that look like military training drills. I was convinced that I had levitated over the rug in the hallway to avoid it creaking one day.
The Doorbell
The doorbell is the universal villain of the naptime story. The shrill sound of the doorbell can be a warning to sleeping babies, whether it is a well-meaning driver, a neighbor who drops by, or a solicitor. As it echoes throughout the house, there’s a momentary panic. I have found myself muttering and plotting silent vengeance on the next person to press that cursed switch. Let’s not forget the house-proud neighbor who mows their lawn during nap time. Why, oh, why must they?
Phone
Before having a child, I never realized how intrusive phone notifications could be. The sound of a phone ringtone makes me feel like I have been caught in the act. Since I have kept my phone in silent mode for so long, I can’t even remember my ringtone. If the phone is on a wooden table, even a subtle vibration may be too loud. Let’s not forget about the horror of accidentally triggering a voice assistant or opening a full-volume video. One wrong touch and the nap is over.
The Cat (or Dog)
Even though they’re adorable, pets don’t always get along with the serenity of naptime. I am convinced that my cat has a grudge against me. She was once the queen of the home, and now she has to share it. She sometimes seems to choose the exact moment that my baby is about to fall asleep so she can scream outside the door of the nursery like she’s auditioning for a tragic opera. Dog owners are often shocked by the sudden barking of the mailman or squirrels. Although it’s not the dog’s fault, they’re simply being themselves. But that doesn’t lessen its frustration.
Sunlight
Some babies have trouble sleeping in the light. Even the slightest amount of light can be a disaster if your baby requires a cave-like environment for naps. Our home used to look like a tinfoil-covered fortress before we installed blackout drapes. We taped reflective foil to the glass and placed cardboard boxes over the windows, giving the nursery a look that was more akin to a bunker for conspiracy theorists than a nursery. In desperate times, desperate measures are necessary. Light-sensitive babies need a napping environment that is free of sunbeams.
Sudden Noises
The car backfires after you have settled your baby and closed the door. A motorcycle is revving down the street. A neighbor drops a metal pan. Or, worse yet, a sibling yells in the other room. You’d be amazed at how babies can sleep through vacuums on one day and then wake up like meerkats when a spoon is clinked. A sudden, jarring sound can be like a landmine during nap time. Although they are out of your hands, they can be just as frustrating.
The Overzealous Sister
Often, older siblings forget how loud their younger siblings can be. While you are hushing, they may be racing down the hall or building a fort, or even arguing over Lego pieces. Sometimes their eagerness to “just see if the baby is still asleep” can be the reason that the baby wakes. It’s just a matter of not being aware. It’s still a naptime danger that requires regular briefings for siblings and an occasional cookie bribe for good behavior.
The Overstimulated Child
Your baby’s brain can be the biggest enemy to a good nap. When a baby becomes overstimulated–perhaps from too much excitement, a disrupted routine, or simply too much visual or auditory input–their little minds go into overdrive. They can’t settle down, even when their bodies are screaming for sleep. The tossing and turning, the ffffussingthe dreaded moment where they wake up ten minutes after midnight, overtired and grumpy. Recognizing the signs of overstimulation–rubbing eyes, turning away from interaction, fussing–can help you get ahead of it and implement a calm-down routine before nap time.
You Can Manage Your Anxiety
This is the most difficult one to beat. You have finally escaped the room. You have ninja-rolled around the creaky floorboard and dodged the cat. Now you need to silence your phone. You have managed to avoid the sun and even survived the doorbell. You second-guess yourself. You start to wonder if your baby’s blanket is positioned too high or too low. You may have forgotten to check his breathing. Perhaps the monitor’s not positioned correctly? Perhaps just one last peek? You miss him even though you fought for an hour to get this nap. You want to stare at him, smell the top of his head, marvel at this peaceful miracle that you have created. The ultimate paradox of motherhood is fighting for alone time, but then wanting to cuddle one more time.
Conclusion
The nap is a battleground. It’s not a pleasant experience. There are enemies for every parent, and some days, despite all our efforts, the nap will not happen. That’s okay. It’s important that you are trying.
Every silent step, avoided creak, and suppressed sneeze is worth it to get those precious moments of peace. Remember: nap-time sabotage happens to everyone. You are not alone. You are part of an army of exhausted, silent parents who share the same love and desire for twenty minutes of peace.
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