During the newborn stage, having your baby sleep in your arms is a sweet special moment and a great way to bond. However, for many moms, there comes a point when they have to “Do Adult Things” and the contact napping must come to an end. In this article, we’ll discuss some techniques to help you stop contact naps and get your baby back in the crib for sleep time.
How many months is newborn stage?
Contact naps are when your baby sleeps with you, on your chest or in some other form of skin-to-skin contact. The benefits of this include reducing the risk of SIDS and promoting bonding between you and your child. It also helps to regulate your baby’s breathing, heart rate and body temperature. Lastly, it releases the feel-good hormone oxytocin.
Will my baby outgrow contact naps?
There is no set age at which your baby will outgrow contact naps. However, it is important to try and keep them in the crib for a majority of their naps to promote independence and to avoid them becoming used to only sleeping with you. This will become their understanding of nap and bedtime and will be difficult to change later on. If you want to continue to use a carrier or sling for contact naps, it is best to choose one that explicitly states that it supports sleeping and make sure to follow all of the safety instructions carefully. This will reduce the likelihood of you accidentally falling asleep during your contact nap.