What makes contact naps so sticky
Daytime brings less accumulated tiredness than bedtime does, naps are brief, and a baby accustomed to your warmth, your movement and your heartbeat strongly prefers all three. That’s why so many families who tackle naps first end up exhausted. Once a baby can settle on their own at bedtime, they have the skill for nap time too — but naps still need dedicated work.
Our plans begin with nights and bring naps along as part of the same process. Dr. Sam writes a plan for your baby, we coach you thoroughly before night one so you start out confident, and we keep coaching naps until they are solid — rather than leaving you to sort them out after nights are fixed.
Where nap changes go wrong for parents on their own
- Crib naps on some days but not others. Half-attempts teach a baby that enough protest brings the contact nap back.
- Treating short naps as failure. The first crib naps are frequently short, and parents often quit right before those naps would have stretched out.
- A schedule that’s a poor fit. A baby who is overtired — or not tired enough — fights every nap, and the method takes the blame.
- A bad nap that knocks over the next. One missed nap means an overtired bedtime, and a rough night erases progress.
Why your baby’s naps need their own plan
How many naps your baby takes, how long they can comfortably stay awake, their temperament and how they fall asleep now all shape what a sensible nap plan looks like. Everyday life matters too: daycare, a sibling’s school drop-off, a parent heading back to work. A one-size schedule from a chart accounts for none of it. This is where daily 1:1 check-ins earn their keep — naps shift week to week, and a coach adjusts the plan as they do.
Holding on to the contact naps you treasure
A contact nap is a beautiful thing when it’s a choice. The goal of a plan is for holding your baby through a nap to be something you do because you want to, not the only way a nap can happen. Whenever you hold your baby for a nap, stay awake: the AAP warns that dozing off with a baby on a couch, soft armchair or cushion carries a much higher risk of sleep-related death. Your baby’s own sleep space should be a firm, flat surface with a fitted sheet and nothing more.
Our approach to contact napping
We coach families with babies and toddlers from newborn on, contact nappers included. You get a plan written by Dr. Sam, bootcamp-style coaching before night one, daily 1:1 check-ins, and naps coached until solid. And the overall result comes with a guarantee: “We guarantee that your baby will sleep 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days of consistent, correct implementation of your sleep plan.” Otherwise, you receive a full refund.
Listen to parents who once stood exactly where you are in our video reviews. Whenever you’re ready, book a free consultation and tell us how naps go for your baby right now.
Ready for help with your own baby’s sleep?
With Actually Sleeping you get 1:1 coaching built around your child: Dr. Sam writes a sleep plan for your baby, we run bootcamp-style coaching before Night 1, and we check in every day until it is working. We have coached 700+ families, collected 129 video reviews, and put our promise in writing: 8–12 hours through the night within 14 days, or a full refund.
Book your free consultation → Hear from families we’ve coached
Questions parents ask
When should contact napping stop?
There’s no cutoff age, and contact naps do no harm. Actually Sleeping works with families from the newborn stage on, when the early work is about building foundations. Once contact naps no longer work for your family, a plan written for your baby’s age makes the switch.
Are contact naps a bad thing?
No. They’re a preference rather than a problem — right up until they stop working for your family. At that point, an Actually Sleeping plan teaches crib naps, so holding your baby for a nap becomes your choice.
How long does moving away from contact naps take?
That hinges on your baby’s age, temperament and how nights are going. Naps frequently fall into place once nights are solid. At Actually Sleeping, we coach naps until they are solid, with daily check-ins that adapt the plan to how your baby responds.