A nap rescue is any method used to help a baby fall back to sleep when a daytime nap is failing — such as a car, stroller, or contact nap — to protect the day's sleep balance.
A nap rescue is anything a caregiver does to help a child get to sleep, or back to sleep, when a daytime nap has gone wrong or ended too soon. It prioritises getting the sleep over where or how it happens.
Why use one?
Daytime sleep affects night-time sleep. A missed or very short nap can leave a child overtired by bedtime, which often makes settling harder and can lead to more night waking and earlier morning waking. A rescue nap tops up daytime sleep to keep the day in balance.
What forms can it take?
Common rescue naps include a nap in a moving stroller, a nap in the car, or a contact nap in arms or a sling. They are usually treated as a practical short-term tool to protect a particular day, rather than the everyday way a child is expected to nap.
Sleep is a big part of your child's overall health. For young kids to get enough of it, most need some daytime sleep.
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