The Secret Weapon for Tackling Early Wakings
Picture the scene, it’s the height of summer and it’s been non-stop fun and full days, which can mean a bit less daytime sleep for your wee one. They are comfortably on one nap a day but add in what you suspect is a growth spurt, and you’ve got a recipe for a tired wee one. Enter the “bridging nap.”
What’s a Bridging Nap?
A bridging nap is a short, 10-20 minute snooze (definitely no more than 20 minutes) that gives your little one just enough rest to get through a wake window they’d normally handle with ease, but might be struggling with on a particular day.
Take Ethan, for example. At two years old he stayed awake from around 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. for his nap. He’s a bit tired by 1 p.m., but it works well enough that we can focus on a shorter wake window between his nap and bedtime (he would wake up around 3 p.m. and go to bed at 7 p.m.). But during the holidays, he can be more tired than usual, and without a bridging nap, he’d be exhausted by the time his regular nap rolls around.
The bridging nap helps reduce sleep pressure just enough so he can make it to his usual nap time without being completely wiped out. This way, we don’t have to move his main nap earlier, which could stretch the wake window before bedtime and lead to overtiredness—one of the main culprits behind night wakings and early mornings.
Why Keep the Nap Short?
When you add an extra nap to your routine, there’s a risk it could mess with the main nap, which is why the bridging nap is short—just enough to tide them over. If the bridging nap runs too long, it can make the main nap harder or push it later, which throws the whole day off. Here’s why we cap it at 20 minutes or less: an infant’s sleep cycle is around 40-45 minutes, and they hit deep sleep around the 20-minute mark. Keeping the nap short avoids dipping into that deep sleep, which can make waking up more difficult and leave you with a cranky little one.
When to Use the Bridging Nap
A bridging nap can be a lifesaver during the tricky transitions from 3 to 2 naps (either between naps or between nap 2 and bedtime) or from 2 to 1 nap. We also recommend it in the early evening, say after nursery, to help your little one make it to their ideal bedtime. However, as sleep gets harder to come by later in the day, we suggest using a bridging nap earlier whenever possible.
Another good time for a bridging nap? When your little one is tired but you want to keep them on their regular nap schedule. The key is not to get greedy. Even if waking them up after a short nap feels cruel because you know they’ll be cranky, letting that nap run long can lead to a fight over the main nap—and that can make for a very challenging afternoon and bedtime.
A bridging nap is a great tool to have in your parenting toolkit—just be sure to use it wisely!
If you’re still struggling with early wakes - why not download my free early wake guide!
The Wee Sleep Coach is a baby and infant sleep consultant basedin the UK. If you are having issues with your wee one’s sleep, have a look at my sleep plans which range from plan only to one-to-one coaching. If it feels like you’ve tried everything, then come and try the one thing you haven’t which I know works – the Wee Sleep Coach’s Approach.
