What are “wake windows” and how do I use them?

Grumpy baby or toddler at nap time? 

Waking shortly after seemingly nodding off? 

Taking ages to fall asleep at nap time and bedtime with lots of protesting? 

Does this sound familiar?!

If this sums up your sleep situation at the moment, it’s worth looking at their wake windows so you can make some adjustments to give them the best chance of successful naps and bedtimes. 

So what is a “wake window?”. 

Simply put, a wake window is the amount of time your baby or toddler is awake between sleep. This is the time between waking up in the morning and the first nap, the time that elapses between naps, and the time between the last nap of the day and bedtime. During the wakeful time you are going about your day, playing, weaning, feeding, park trips etc and most importantly learning and developing!

So what’s the big deal with wake windows? Well, if the wake window isn’t quite right for your little one, then you might be trying to put them down too early or too late making them a very grumpy, irritable and over/under tired baby/toddler! If you hit their wake window just right, you’ll be setting them up for some fabulous sleep. Hooray!

It’s a bit of a balancing act of not putting them down too early (when they need a rest or a pick me up, rather than consolidated sleep) and not putting them down too late and overtired (leading to a very grumpy little human!). 

The wake windows are different for different ages and for every child! This is exactly what we can help you with, finding the perfect fit for your little one to ensure some successful sleeping skills.  It can take some trial and error to get it right but we make sure you are happy and confident in supporting your child to sleep at the most appropriate times for them.

Check out our social media to find the right starting point for wake windows for your little one. 

 

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