I have a baby. I love to watch him sleep and nap. In fact, I like to sit on the rocker and hold him while he naps. It is such a calming experience, that I nap with him on occasion. But this napping was a process. I did a lot of reading on the web and in parenting books on how to get your baby to nap. Noe a lot of it was good advice, so I decided I would write my own advice to see if it helps other parents out. So here are my four tips for getting a baby to nap.

#1: Take naps anywhere. So many books and articles insist that the baby nap in their crib, as that is the best place where they will get the most restorative effects from napping. I say bologna. My child naps in the car and it works just fine. He also naps in his swing, stroller, on the couch, and on a play mat. If he is napping, I just let him nap. I tried, early on, moving him to his crib. Soon thereafter he would wake up, crying for somebody to come get him. Then he would be just as tired as he was before the nap. It was just better to let him nap anywhere he is able to.

#2: Don't worry about how long their naps are. This is essential to me. My child sleeps at night for 10-12 hours. He likes to sleep at night. Therefore, I will take what I get during the day. Worrying about how long his naps are, and if he is getting enough sleep is pointless. If he only wants to nap for 10 minutes, then that is what you get. Babies don't understand the concept of going back to sleep. When they are awake, they are awake. When they are asleep, they are asleep. There isn't much between the two. So if your child is napping, take what you get. Long naps are nice, but he stopped those when he was 7 weeks old. So now he naps for 20-45 minutes at each nap. And I just get to deal with it.

#3: Getting to sleep aids are fine. All the books say not to aid your child in taking naps. Don't give them a bottle, don't rock and read to them. Obviously all those experts have never had a cranky child who desperately needs a nap. I give my son a bottle when it is time to sleep and rock him in a rocking chair. His daycare provider just walks him around. He acts differently for different peole, and uses sleep aids with some people and not with others. A baby won't cry himself to sleep. A baby will cry themselves to a point where they are so worked up they cannot get to sleep. Their systems don't function like ours. So if they need a nap, help them get it.

#4: The early signs are the best warning signs.This is my first time being a parent. I didn't know what was happening when my son was crying so much. Finally my mom asked me if he was rubbing his eyes and nuzzling into me earlier. I said yes. She said to pay attention to those signs, they are signals he needs a nap. So now I watch for those. Upon seeing them, I start a naptime routine (generally giving him a bottle). If he really gets worked up we go for a car ride. But if I don't watch for the warning signs he gets very crabby and mad. So pay attention to those signs.

Take whatever naps your child gives you. Early on the adage of sleeping when your child sleeps is great. Once my child started sleeping through the night (at 8 weeks) his naps were shorter, but my sleep at night was longer, so I didn't worry about sleeping at his naptime so much.

Cars, swings and vaccuuming with your baby are all great sleep aids. Don't knock them just because the "experts" say to put your baby to sleep in a crib. In fact, if that advice doesn't work for your child - like it doesn't work for mine - ignore it an do what works for you. Your sanity is as important as getting your child to nap.