Note: This was originally written in January when Kaia was 13 months old. Since then, we’ve finally (very recently) jumped to 1 nap per day!
Key Takeaways:
- Wake windows, sleep pressure, sleep environment
- Give it a go — they might surprise you
- Expect the worst, hope for the best
- Have your own recipe for a good nap (ours: cot, SnoozeShade, fan, sleep sack, bunny, white noise)
Oh my GOD — the naps…
I don’t know if it’s just me, but when you’re about to have a baby, no one really tells you just how much sleep they actually need!
I think this really limits a lot of people from getting out and doing adventurous things — we want to, we need to, but those naps can feel all-consuming. Believe me, I am that person. Yes, we get out there and do the things, but we also structure our days around Kaia’s sleep. We know how badly it can go when we don’t, and frankly, it ain’t worth it.
Everyone should be telling you — all babies are different. For some, napping on the go is totally doable (bless you if this is your baby!). For us? It’s tricky. She’s always been a tricky sleeper, but we’ve learned what works and we stick to it. That way we can meet her sleep needs and still live our adventurous lives.
Kaia’s “sleep story” is long — I’ll dive into that in another post — but for now, here’s how we manage to get her naps in while constantly on the move.
Our Nap Strategy on the Road
By the time we started traveling, she’d just gone down to 2 naps per day (thank f**king god — that third nap was a pain at home, let alone on the road). Two naps work great for us. We have flexibility: a short morning nap and long arvo nap, or the reverse, depending on our plans.
Do we wake her from naps?
Absof**kinglutely.
Right now, we wake her from both naps. Why? Because our day flows so much better when we do. I genuinely think one of the reasons we can do what we do with such a happy kid is because she’s well-rested. Yes, 30 minutes in the morning often isn’t enough time for me to get anything meaningful done — but it’s a conscious decision to prioritise sleep. The payoff is huge.
Real Life Example
Here I am writing this. It’s 3:29pm. I want to keep going — I know I’ll lose my train of thought — but I also know that for Kaia to have a smooth arvo, a good dinner, and an easy bedtime, she needs to be up now. We aim for 4 hours awake before bed, so up she gets. To be continued…
Lower the Bar
Here’s a mindset trick I tell myself (and Jacob): lower your expectations of the nap. Then lower them again. Assume it’s going to be a disaster — then anything beyond that is a win. Sounds grim, but it helps!
What Matters Most
- Sleep Environment
We bring the essentials everywhere — cot, SnoozeShade, fan, sleep sack, white noise, bunny. Yes, it’s annoying (Jacob hauls it alongside climbing gear), but it’s Kaia’s safe space. As soon as we set up her sleep environment, she knows it’s time to settle. - Wake Windows
Watch the awake times, not the clock. These increase with age and help guide when naps should happen and when they need to go. - Sleep Pressure
Make sure they’re getting enough stimulation during wake time to build healthy sleep pressure. Otherwise, you get that overtired second wind and chaos ensues.
Our Routine (at 13.5 Months Old)
- 6:30am – Wake + boob
- 7:00am – Breakfast
- 9:30am – Nap 1 (Wake after ~1hr at 10:45am)
- 12:00pm – Lunch
- 2:30pm – Nap 2 (Wake at 3:30pm)
- 6:00pm – Dinner
- 7:00pm – Boob
- 7:30pm – Bed
We convert the cot from playpen to sleep zone, pop the SnoozeShade on, add the fan, remove toys, put her in her sleep sack, sing “Twinkle Twinkle,” and down she goes. We ditched the dummy at 4 months and haven’t looked back.
Every Day Is Different
This is just what works for us right now. Even 15-minute variations can mess things up — she’s sensitive. But starting the day at the same time every day makes things more predictable.
If nap 1 sucks (e.g., she only gets 20 minutes), we pull nap 2 forward based on her awake time, keep it longer, and always aim for a 3:30pm wake to protect bedtime.
Final Thoughts
I get asked about this a lot — especially by mums who feel “nap trapped” inside. I get it. But our sleep consultant gave us advice I’ll never forget:
If this is the lifestyle you want when your baby is older, you need to start building it in early. It’s so much easier when they’re little and there’s always another nap in the day to catch up.
These days we put Kaia down in the middle of a busy crag and people are shocked. She’s actually going to nap there? And usually, she does. If she doesn’t? Whatever. We try again in the afternoon.
And remember: don’t panic. That anxiety you feel? They feel it too. Give it a go. The number of times I thought there’s no way she’ll sleep here — and then she does — is huge.
Trust your little babes (and yourself). You got this.
Til next time,
R
