The same sunshine that helps your baby sleep better at night can make daytime naps on the go harder. Here is how to make both work.

Spring arrives and suddenly everything moves outside. The park. The coffee run. The long pushchair walk that is less about the destination and more about the silence. But as the days get longer and warmer, a question comes up again and again: how do you keep your baby safe in the sun without losing the nap?

It turns out that sun and sleep are more connected than most parents realise, in ways that can actually work in your favour once you know what is happening. We asked two baby sleep experts to share what they want parents to know this spring and summer, and we cover the science of outdoor light and sleep rhythms too.

Day and night: how newborns learn the difference

For the first few weeks of life, a newborn has no concept of day or night, and that is entirely normal. But natural light is the most powerful cue their developing brain receives as it begins to build that pattern. Anne Killops, formerly a Norland nanny and now The Gentle Nanny, explains what is happening and what parents can do.

"Newborn babies are born without a circadian rhythm, so they have no idea whether it is day or night - you may find they want to sleep all day and then be wide awake at night for hours on end. This is completely biologically normal, but there are a few things you can do to help them develop that rhythm, which typically begins to emerge around 12 weeks. When morning comes, open the curtains and take your baby out for a walk to expose them to natural daylight. During the day, let them nap in the light with the normal sounds of the house around them. In the evenings, a simple wind-down routine with lower lights and quieter noise begins to signal that night is different from day."

"Newborn babies are born without a circadian rhythm - but there are small, simple things you can do from the very beginning that help them find their way to day and night."

Naps on the go as the days get sunnier

Getting outside more is good for babies and parents alike. But how do you protect a napping baby from the sun without waking them up? Michelle, co-founder of Callaroo, shares what she advises her clients.

"A great pram nap doesn't just happen by chance - it comes down to how well you set your baby up for sleep. The outdoors is simply too interesting to ignore, so it's all about how you help them switch off. At Callaroo, we often hear from our clients that their little ones' naps get cut short, usually because they're still in 'explore mode'. To prevent this, we advise introducing a pre-sleep cue (a familiar song or story), white noise and a pram shade to reduce the amount of light and visual stimulation they're exposed to. Darkness supports melatonin production, while white noise softens sudden sounds, helping your baby settle into a deeper, more restorative sleep."

"The outdoors is simply too interesting to ignore - so it's all about how you help them switch off."

Outdoor time and sleep rhythms

Natural light is one of the most powerful cues a baby's developing brain receives as it works out when to be awake and when to sleep. Getting outside in the morning, even on overcast days, sends a clear signal that supports this process. As the days get longer, that opportunity grows too. The more consistent those light and dark cues are across the day, the more readily a young baby begins to find their rhythm.

The short version

Sun and sleep are not at odds this spring and summer. Time outside actively supports your baby's developing body clock. The thing to manage carefully is not daylight in general. It is direct sun exposure during naps, and the visual stimulation that comes with a bright, unshaded environment.

Get outside. Just make sure that when the eyes close, there is nothing left to see.