Our customers very often ask us questions about the nap, in particular these two questions:
How many naps does my baby need?
How long should my baby's naps be?
I answer both of these questions in today's article. We hope you use this chart as a permanent reference tool, as it covers nap totals and durations from newborn through 3 years of age. Print a copy for yourself and use it as a reference tool. You can print a few for your friends or family members who might be struggling with naps at home!
Infant of 0 to 11 weeks
Number of naps : 6 to 8
Daytime sleep time : 4 to 5 hours
Duration of naps : 15 minutes to 4 hours
Awake time between naps : 30 minutes to 1 hour
Notes : At this age, naps are frequent, so don't worry about your newborn's short, irregular naps. Instead, focus on daily eating and sleeping routines and use them to organize your day. If your baby takes short naps, don't worry, it's normal, but I'll explain everything to you in this article .
Infant 3 to 4 months old
Number of naps : 4 to 5
Daytime sleep time : 3 to 4 hours
Duration of naps : 30 minutes to 2 hours
Awake time between naps : about 1 to 2 hours
Notes : Watch for regression of 4 months of sleep at this time. It will make you lose even the best nap! To learn how to deal with sleep regression at 4 months, I give you 20 tips here .
Baby's 5 to 6 months
Number of naps : 3 to 4
Daytime sleep time : 2 to 4 hours
Duration of naps : 45 minutes to 2 hours
Awake time between naps : about 2 hours
Notes : Short naps are normal for the first 5-6 months of your baby's life, but from around 6 months your baby's sleep should begin to stabilize with more predictable and regular naps. Discover in this article , 10 facts you should know about baby naps.
Baby's 7 to 8 months
Number of naps : 2 to 3
Daytime sleep time : 2-3 hours
Duration of naps : 1 to 2 hours
Awake time between naps : 2 to 3 hours
Notes : Another sleep regression occurs around 8 or 9 months, and a transition from 3 to 2 naps sometimes occurs around this same period.
Baby from 9 to 12 months
Number of naps : 2
Daytime sleep time : 2-3 hours
Duration of naps : 1 to 2 hours
Awake time between naps : 3 to 4 hours
Notes : At this stage, your baby should be taking fairly regular naps.
Child from 13 to 17 months
Number of naps : 1 to 2
Daytime sleep time : 2-3 hours
Duration of naps : 1 to 3 hours
Awake time between naps : 3 to 5 hours
Notes : Resist the urge to just take your baby for a nap when he's 12 months old. Most babies don't transition to a single nap until they're 15 to 18 months old, so save that second nap for as long as you can for this stage.
Child from 18 months to 3 years old
Number of naps : 1
Daytime sleep time : 1 to 3 hours
Duration of naps : 1 to 2 hours
Awake time between naps : 5 to 6 hours
Notes : Monitor your little one's wake-up time between the end of the afternoon nap and bedtime. As your little one gets older, they'll need longer and longer wake times in the afternoon, which means you'll need to time the nap carefully to make sure it doesn't push back. bedtime too late. On the other hand, some children give up the afternoon nap completely before the age of 3 years.
Do you want your baby to sleep through the night?
In this free guide , you'll discover 5 things you absolutely need to know.
With a unique approach and practical tools for success, this guide will help you and your baby sleep better through the night.
