Motion sleep, late naps, and more

"Going for a drive to help my baby nap is such a lifesaver. Can I keep doing it?"
Yes, but experts caution not to make it a daily habit. Motion sleep, whether it's in a car, swing, or stroller, isn't as restorative as crib sleep because it doesn't allow for as deep a slumber, says West. But a nap in the car is better than no nap at all.

"If my two babies won't sleep, I take them driving," says Jody Wallace, a mother of two from Claremore, Oklahoma. "I get my drive-through errands done, and afterward I gingerly take both girls out of the car and put them into bed at home." If your baby doesn't stay asleep when you transfer her from car seat to crib  -- "I think it's a gene that babies are born with or without," jokes West  -- then try to keep driving, or park at home and pull out a magazine, so that your baby gets at least a 45-minute nap. "Anything less isn't enough to fill up your baby's sleep tank," West says.

"It's 5 p.m. and my baby just dozed off. Is this too late for a nap?"
"I wouldn't wake a baby from a nap, even one this late, because his body knows what he needs," says Dr. Owens. Bedtime may need to be pushed back that night so that your baby has enough time to get tired again. If this happens only on occasion, nothing needs to be done. But if your baby is regularly sleeping through the dinner bell, you may need to start his day earlier. For instance, wake him no later than 7 a.m., so that his nap occurs earlier in the day.

"My baby likes to nap in her bouncy seat instead of her crib. Is this okay?"
Technically, experts say, the crib is better because your baby will learn to associate sleep  -- whether it's bedtime or naptime  -- with this one place. That said, if your baby naps better in another safe spot, like, oh, I don't know, her rear-facing car seat, that's fine as long as she doesn't have trouble sleeping through the night in her crib. "There's no good evidence to show that there's something intrinsically different between sleeping in a bouncy seat and a crib," Dr. Owens says. The way I see it, whether Lucy is napping in her car seat or her crib, I've got a sleeping baby. That means I have some time to myself and a happy, rested daughter when she wakes up. That's success enough for me.

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