Disrupting Baby's Sleep Schedule

By Dr. Karen Sadler

Q: I am a stay-at-home mom and have not exposed my five-month-old to much outside our home until recently. Now that we're out and about a bit more, my question is, should I work around her routine or should she adapt to my schedule? Like church for example: She usually naps at around the same time our church begins. There is no nursery program for children under one year of age. Should I interrupt her naptime and just hope that she sleeps through church?

A: The short answer is, you won't know until you try how adaptable your child is. Each child is different when it comes to flexibility with routines. Some children are naturally more rigid and inflexible and get all turned around and out of sorts when routines are changed. Others go with the flow and show no associated stress. As with all personality traits, there is a spectrum from one extreme to the other. Furthermore, this tends to be a stable trait: inflexible infants very often become less flexible children and adults. So I would begin to slowly reclaim some of your prior life, taking her along when you feel it is safe and appropriate. If it all becomes too much for her, she'll let you know by being irritable or having difficulty sleeping or getting back into the usual routines.

Dr. Karen Sadler

Pediatrics
Dr. Karen Sadler is a board certified pediatrician who has been working in the Boston area for thirteen years. She completed her medical studies at Harvard Medical School in 1988 and went on to her residency at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Boston. The mother of three, Dr. Sadler is committed to healthcare for the underprivileged, as well as medical education. She is an associate instructor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and sits on numerous committees including the Massachusetts State Women Infant Child Program.

All articles by Dr. Karen Sadler