.Catnapping, a predictable developmental milestone that most babies will do at some stage and usually starts around the age of 12-16 weeks. Babies spend more sleep time in a light stage of sleep, the REM stage of sleep. They can be very easily woken in this stage. Around the 40 minute mark babies will enter a super light stage of the sleep cycle and most likely wake.

If your baby is continuing to cat nap beyond 6 months old it can start to impact on the rest of the days sleep and the night sleep due to overtiredness building up throughout the day.

​But Why Does It Happen and What are The Solutions?
A baby that cat naps will be waking after 1 sleep cycle. You will be able to set your watch by them, they drift off to sleep and boom….40 minutes later they wake. And there is no getting them back to sleep again. They have woken out of a sleep cycle and struggle to go back to sleep. They seem wide awake to you. Let’s take a look at reasons as to why this may be happening…

Have you heard that phase “don’t wake the sleeping baby”? Well I am here to tell you ignore that phase! Of course there are conditions, but what are they and why am I telling you to wake your baby from a nap?
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Well in this blog today I am going to explain exactly why and when you need to wake your baby. 

​I am often asked if a baby needs to have a “nap time routine” and should it be exactly the same as a bedtime routine, aside of a bath of course! And the answer is...

​But why and what does that nap time routine look like? Let’s take a look and how it may differ from babies to toddlers!

During this period your baby is going to go through a lot of changes. They are going to be eating a variety of different foods, textures, flavours and amounts. Physical development will also progress in leaps and bounds, quite literally and sleep will have changed quite a lot form 6 months old.
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I have written this blog with some suggested schedules that may fit into your family life and walk you through the different stages that your child will grow into over these months. 

Does the thought of having a routine frighten you or calm you? Are you a go with the flow family following baby’s cues 100% of the time or strict follow the clock family? I am definitely the latter, always have been… I firmly believe routine is KING! Why? Babies thrive off a routine.

Now my children are older (4 and 6 years) we can be much more flexible with meals and bedtimes.

But what difference does it really make not having a routine in place?
​I am going to explain this in today's blog post. Keep reading…you may be surprised what you find out….