Nap time can either be one of two things:

Either it’s your power hour where you get stuff done or do something for yourself…

OR

it’s frustratingly short and the bane of your existence as a parent.

My hope is that your experience is the former, but all too often, I find that it’s not.

So, let’s get into it today – why is nap time so important for your little one, and what can/should you expect for naps where your baby is at right now?

Why Nap Time is IMPORTANT

Sleep is directed by two systems – circadian rhythm (which isn’t fully developed until closer to 12 weeks old) and the homeostatic processes that keep us alive, which is basically a fancy way of saying, “sleep pressure” that builds up over the course of being awake.

It’s the homeostatic process that needs our attention when it comes to naps. Better daytime sleep will lead to better nighttime sleep.

Your little one is growing fastly and furiously – they’ll grow more in their first three years of life than they will at any other time of their human experience. Is it a coincidence that most kids need naps, especially the first three years of life?? I think not!

Their brains are working in overdrive, and, as they take in stimulation throughout the day, they need a break to relieve the “pressure” – you guessed it, a nap!

As your child grows and develops, they can be stimulated for longer periods of time between needing a break, and their awake times will increase. They’ll have a bit more stamina.

Basically, once the sleep pressure can build no more, they NEED to sleep to reduce the pressure again. When your baby is younger, the pressure builds faster, yielding more frequent naps.

Think of naps as the bridge(s) to bedtime, when your child has their body’s biological clock and sleep hormones on their side. Night sleep is also the most restorative sleep, so we want to make sure your child is getting enough sleep during the day (naps!) to help nighttime sleep go smoothly. If you’ve ever experienced an overtired child at bedtime, you know what I’m talking about.

If bedtime has been a battle, it’s likely the rest of the night will be too.

Solid naps help prevent overtiredness, which helps prevent these bedtime battles, which leads to better nights.

All this to say, NAPS ARE ESSENTIAL to quality sleep. Good naps will yield better nights. Better nights will yield overall better health and well-being.

Nap Development Over Time

Naps don’t start to consolidate until closer to 6-months of age.

When your baby is first born

• They only have 2 sleep stages (they’ll experience the shift to four sleep stages sometime between 3.5-5 months)

AND

• They have an immature circadian rhythm (this won’t mature until closer to 12-weeks) and may have day/night confusion until this gets sorted out

Because of these two things, naps are totally and completely sporadic, especially the first few months of life.

As a newborn, your baby may sleep as little as 20-minutes for a nap or upwards of 3 hours. Eventually, you’ll want to start seeing the longer stretches of sleep happen at night instead of during the day. If you don’t start seeing this happen by 6-12 weeks, your baby may be experiencing day/night confusion and there are some things you can do to help that, but that’s another conversation for another day!

Your child may also experience the 4-month sleep regression (this is actually when they make the shift from two- to four sleep stages, just like us adults have) which can cause more night wakings and shorter naps, especially if your baby isn’t an independent sleeper (not many are at this age, and that’s okay!).

By 6-months old, and if you’re working to build some independence around sleep, you should start seeing some more predictable and consolidated naps start to happen, hopefully arorund 60-minutes or longer.

Nap Expectations by Month

0-1 Month Old

• Your baby may take 4-6 naps during the day
• Shoot for 45-60 minutes awake between waking and sleep
• Some/most sleep will need to be assisted
• Naps may last 20 minutes – 3 hours

1-2 Months Old

• Your baby may take 4-6 naps during the day
• Shoot for 45-60 minutes awake between waking and sleep
• Some/most sleep will need to be assisted
• Naps may last 20 minutes – 3 hours

2-3 Months Old

• Your baby may take 4-5 naps during the day
• Shoot for 60-75 minutes awake between waking and sleep
• Some/most sleep will need to be assisted; try for the earlier naps to be unassisted in the crib or bassinet
• Naps may last 20 minutes – 3 hours; cap naps at 2.5 hours if these are the longest stretches of sleep you’re seeing in a 24 hour period

3-4 Months Old

• Your baby may take 3-4 naps during the day
• Shoot for 75-90 minutes awake between waking and sleep
• Some sleep will need to be assisted; try for the earlier naps to be unassisted in the crib or bassinet
• Naps may last 20 minutes – 3 hours; cap naps at 2 hours if these are the longest stretches of sleep you’re seeing in a 24 hour period

4-6 Months Old

• Your baby may take 3 naps during the day
• Shoot for 1.5-2 hours awake between waking and sleep
• Some sleep may need to be assisted; try for the all naps to be unassisted in the crib or bassinet; the last nap is usually a catnap
• Naps may last 30 minutes to 2 hours

6-14/15 Months Old

• 2 naps during the day
• Put your baby on a set schedule now with naps occurring at the same times every day
• You may need to adjust bedtime if naps were short
• Naps should last 1-2 hours each, for a total of 3-3.5 hours of daytime sleep

12 Months+

Your baby may transition to one nap anywhere between 12-18 months, with the average age for this transition to take place being around 14-15 months. Once your child is taking one nap, it will basically split the day right in half, with the nap occurring for 2-3 hours right in the middle of the day.

I hope you find this information helpful! And, if you can’t seem to nail down naps, or nights for that matter, make sure you reach out and get in touch with me. That’s what I’m here for!