The No Cry Nap Solution (3 page)

and Daddies, as I affectionately call them, became my friends dur-

ing this long and complicated process, and I believe I learned as

much from them as they learned from me. They are a varied and

interesting group, as you can see.

•
152 from the United States:
Alabama, Arizona, Cali-

fornia, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois,

Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,

Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina,

Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Ohio, Okla-

homa, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Caro-

lina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington,

West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

•
22 from Canada:
Alberta, Battleford, Calgary, Chatham,

Etobicoke, Guelph, Manitoba, Ontario, Ottawa, Ramea,

Saskatoon, Sturgeon Falls, Thompson, Tisdale, Victoria,

Winnipeg

xvi
Acknowledgments

•
1 from Greece:
Athens

•
1 from Turkey:
Bes¸iktas¸

•
4 from New Zealand:
Hibiscus Coast, Lower Hutt, Wainu-

iomata, Wellington

•
1 from Germany:
Filderstadt

•
8 from the United Kingdom:
Devon, East Sussex, Hook,

Kent, London, Peterborough, Suffolk

•
1 from Italy:
Varese

•
1 from Spain:
Soto de la Marina

•
1 from Norway:
Vikersund

•
1 from Cyprus:
Limassol

•
6 from Australia:
Albion Park, Flagstaff Hill, Tarragindi,

Queensland, Terrigal, Victoria

•
2 from South Africa:
Cresta, Sandton

•
2 from Saudi Arabia:
Al Hassa, Dubai

•
1 from Scotland:
Kinross

•
3 from Israel:
Jerusalem, Nof Ayalon, Tel-Aviv

•
1 from The Netherlands:
Harderwijk

•
1 from Slovenia:
Maribor

• 118 girls

• 155 boys

• 6 sets of twins

• 1 set of triplets

• 134 infants (birth to 12 months)

• 82 toddlers (12 months up to 3 years)

• 41 preschoolers (3 years to 6 years)

• 20 children (7 years to 10 years)

A Word from a Sleep Doctor

Sleep is as essential to life as is breathing, eating, and drink-

ing. It is absolutely critical to human existence. Our children’s

bodies do not shut down when they sleep. Sleep is not like turn-

ing off a computer. It is a time when energy is restored, bodily

functions are renovated, and damaged tissues are repaired. When

children sleep, hormones (especially those related to growth) are

secreted, breathing and the heart are controlled, the functions of

organs continue, memories are stored, and dreams occur. When

children don’t sleep, or don’t sleep enough, many things can go

wrong. Examples include being so sleepy that they cannot learn or

function normally, or having abnormal hormone function, which

may predispose them to obesity and diabetes. At a minimum,

a shortage of proper sleep can cause a disruption to mood and

behavior.

How much children sleep, when they sleep, and how much deep

sleep and dreaming sleep they need varies with age. What is often

forgotten with infants and young children is that an essential part

of the amount of daily sleep they need occurs during the daytime.

We call these
naps
, and they are extremely important. Indeed,

they are vital to the health and welfare of the very young.

In this book, Elizabeth Pantley explains to readers why naps are

important, describes how they can make a difference in a child’s

and the family’s life, and gives important lessons to parents on

how to help their children nap the right amount to maximize

their well-being. Elizabeth gives advice on how to handle many

types of napping problems. She recognizes that every child is dif-

ferent, and what may work for one child may not work for another.

She explains that sleep patterns change tremendously in the early

years of life and helps parents to identify and deal with these

xvii

xviii
A Word from a Sleep Doctor

changes. Elizabeth defi nes and explains all the common problems

and offers many solutions.

Understanding the facts about the importance of naps is only

the fi rst step. Parents must fi nd ways to decipher the best nap

schedules for their children and then convince them to sleep on

this schedule. Elizabeth covers both the whys and hows in precise

detail. She has a wonderful ability to communicate what is impor-

tant about a topic that is vital for the development, health, and

well-being of your child.

Meir Kryger, M.D.

Director of Research and Education,

Gaylord Sleep Medicine

Chairman of the Board, National Sleep Foundation

Author of
A Woman’s Guide to Sleep Disorders
(2004)

and
A Good Night’s Sleep
(2009)

Pa r t 1

Nap Magic

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Naps

The Key to a Happy, Healthy Child

Naps take only a few hours of time, but they shape all
twenty-

four
hours of your child’s day. The quality and quantity of

your child’s naps infl uence his mood, behavior, health, and brain

development. Naps can affect how cheerful your child is when

she wakes up in the morning, whether or not she whines, fusses,

and has tantrums all day, and how easily she’ll go to bed at night.

An appropriate nap schedule is a vital component for your child’s

healthy, happy life. When you consider all of this, you’ll under-

stand that your child’s naps—or lack of naps—can affect all

twenty-four hours of
your
day as well as your child’s.

I thought I knew everything there was to know about naps,

since I’ve written two other books and countless articles about

children and sleep, but I was shocked and amazed at the new

information I discovered while writing this book. I set out on this

venture knowing that parents struggle getting their children to

nap; it’s a frequent topic that readers write to me about. Every-

one knows that children need naps, but the biological reasons

behind this will convince you, without a doubt, that you should

do everything you can to provide your child with daily naptime.

It is common knowledge that when a child misses a nap, he gets

cranky, but you will be intrigued to learn the actual reasons why

this happens. So, before we delve into typical nap problems and a

plethora of ways to solve them, let’s explore the background infor-

mation that will provide an understanding and foundation for all

the solutions that follow.

3

4

Nap Magic

Naps: What Is the Magic?

A nap is a miraculous, life-enhancing activity. A nap can trans-

form a crying, fussing baby into a cooing, smiling delight. A nap

can convert a cranky, whiny child into a happier, healthier, and

more adaptable little person. A nap can rescue a grouchy, moody

parent and allow the loving mom or dad to reappear. Naps are

magical breaks in the day that rejuvenate the entire family.

Science proves what parents instinctually know: naps are

absolutely necessary.

Napping is an important component of a child’s healthy men-

tal, physical, and social growth. Naps boost energy, focus, and the

ability to learn. Naps benefi t a child in a number of ways.

• Naps are a biological necessity.
Children have natural dips

in energy during the day, even after a full night’s sleep. A lack of

response to this natural craving for rest results in a biological mis-

fi ring that leads to behavioral, emotional, and physical problems.

Naps that correspond with energy dips allow the body and mind

to function properly.

• Naps reduce the day’s fussiness, whining, and tantrums.

A midday nap enables the body to release cortisol and other hor-

mones that combat stress and tension. Without the release of these

hormones, they build to uncontrollable levels and create inner

pressure that erupts as unpleasant behavior. Children who do not

get enough sleep have diffi culty controlling their emotions. High-

need children or those with more intense, active personalities can

have an exaggerated effect from sleep shortages. Daily naps can be

a lifeline for them and their families.

Naps:The Key to a Happy, Healthy Child
5

• Naps increase learning capacity for babies.
Babies who have

adequate naps spend more of their waking hours in a relaxed, alert

condition. They learn more, they enjoy life more, and their par-

ents are provided with added quality time for engaging, teaching,

and bonding with their babies.

• Naps fi ll gaps from poor nighttime sleep.
Napping can help

a child recover from problems in the prior night’s sleep. Any short-

age of night sleep is damaging to your child’s health and behav-

ior, so naps are a critically important way for children to make

up for less than a perfect night’s sleep. Surprisingly, children who

do
sleep well at night receive as much benefi t from naps as their

night-waking peers, since nap sleep is different from night sleep in

its confi guration of sleep cycles and in its effect on a child’s health

and behavior. Extra night sleep doesn’t achieve the same results as

a good night’s sleep
plus
naps.

• Naps improve a child’s mood.
A child is typically happier

following a daytime snooze, which is as good for the parent as it is

for the child. Naptime can stabilize a child’s mood over the course

of the day, eliminating the frustrating highs and lows of mood

swings and crankiness.

• Naps improve brain development.
Adequate sleep is crucial

to proper brain development. Napping plays a role in learning by

helping to convert new information into a permanent place in the

memory. Naps allow a child midday pauses to store new informa-

tion and make room for the remainder of the day’s learning. Suffi -

cient sleep is also thought to help young brains develop the ability

to achieve high levels of abstract thinking.

• Naps improve the bedtime routine.
A child who needs a

nap but doesn’t get one will get overtired throughout the day yet

become hyperactive and resist the idea of bedtime when it arrives.

An overtired child may fi nd it diffi cult to fall asleep at bedtime.

• Naps increase attention span.
Children who nap have lon-

ger attention spans and are better able to absorb new information.

Conversely, children who lack appropriate sleep tend to be less

6

Nap Magic

focused, so much so that researchers believe that over 20 percent

of children diagnosed with hyperactivity disorders such as atten-

tion defi cit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are actually suffering

from sleep disorders.

• Naps ensure proper growth and development.
Growth hor-

mone is released during deep sleep, and children who sleep well

are assured their necessary sleep-assisted growth. Naps provide a

child’s body with downtime needed for rejuvenation and repair.