A baby expert has explained some situations in which she reckons you should actively go and wake your baby up from sleeping. You can see what she thinks on the matter in the video below:
Now, anyone who has kids knows that the time they are asleep is golden.
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Obviously, it’s lovely to have kids and to see them playing and generally thriving, but it’s also nice to have a few precious moments to yourself whilst they have a nap, or some time to catch up on your own sleep.
Still, there is an argument that you won’t be doing yourself or them any favours if you let them sleep whenever they want and for however long they like.
In fact, you could be making a rod for your own back later down the line.
That’s certainly what a TikToker who purports to be an expert in babies’ sleep thinks, anyway.
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Cat – known online as @babysleepteam – says there are there situations in which you should go and wake your kids up from a nap or from their nightly sleep, although she is keen to point out that you should do whatever works best for you, as no child or parent is the same.
Basically, you can take or leave her advice, but here it is.
She explained: "If I was giving you a sleep schedule, I'd be recommending them to wake up no later than 7am.
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"Starting your day around the same time helps to support your circadian rhythm, which controls our sleep/wake cycles."
Then, there’s the lunchtime nap, which is important for adults to get things done, and also to recharge the children’s batteries during the daytime.
Cat continued: "Sleep begets sleep and day sleep can really have a big impact on your nighttime sleep.
"So any nap much longer than two hours can start to impact your little one's sleep overnight."
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What most parents wouldn’t give for a two hour nap in the middle of the day, eh?
The third piece of advice relates to napping later in the day, because this is really the time that might impact on the overnight big sleep.
She said: "You really don't want that nap to last any longer than 5pm (to avoid impacting night sleep),
"The third nap's role is to help your baby make it to bedtime without getting overtired (which also helps with settling).”
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Captioning her post – which has been viewed more than 180,000 times – she wrote: "I’m going to go against the grain and tell you the 3 times when it’s GOOD to wake up your baby.
"This can make a big difference to help achieve a consistent and predictable day."
Some might argue that there is never really a consistent and predictable day when you have kids, but that’s an argument for another day.
Anyway, many people seem thankful for Cat’s advice, with one comment reading: "I sleep trained my 3-year-old. Best thing I ever did."
Another said: "Thank you for reinforcing that I’m on the right track! Love your content!"
Again, you don’t have to follow this advice, but it’s definitely something to think about if your children aren’t sleeping well overnight, or too much during the day.
Tom Wood