Alana at 6m - Waking Up from a LONG Nap

One exception to the Sleeping Baby Rule (that is, you never wake up a sleeping baby) occurs when the baby has napped long into the afternoon. As pleasing as a two hour nap (or more!) can be to a parent, an older baby will often fall asleep too late if allowed to sleep past 5pm or so. So if the goal is to avoid a drawn-out bedtime, it makes sense to gently wake up a babe after a mid-to-late afternoon nap lasting over an hour and half. Alana is sleeping in our bed for this nap. While she goes in her crib at bedtime, she has never been a crib napper. She's taken about two naps in the crib. She prefers to snuggle me or sleep on my lap, or have me push her in the stroller. Car naps are better than none, but a nap in a bed is more restful.