When and how to adjust your little one’s day naps
Babies all develop at different times and rates, some may need more sleep than others, needing shorter or longer awake windows so its important to be responsive to them. It can be a tricky juggling game for a period especially between 4-6 months, while their sleep cycles are maturing, needing re-settling during the lunch nap.Below is my simple guide to what little ones need…
4-6 months 3-4 naps a day with 1 ½- 2 hr awake windows
6-8 months 3 naps a day with 2-3 hr awake windows
8-15 months 2 naps a day with 2/3/4 hr awake windows
15months -2- 3 years 1 nap a day
Signs that naps need adjusting:
Struggling to fall asleep
Having only short naps
Bedtime settling suddenly becomes a battle
Waking in the night
Early wake ups
All the above can be down to multiple reasons and not always that naps need adjusting but its always worth considering
When they are nearing the time for naps to be adjusted then start to lengthen the awake windows prior to the nap time in increasing, slow stages. You can also start to reduce the nap lengths again as they are showing signs of needing less sleep during the day, rather than cutting suddenly.
When dropping or cutting the length of day naps…
Going from 4-3 naps
Start to lengthen awake windows between naps
Re settle at the lunchtime nap if needing help
Dropping the last nap of the day
Start to lengthen the awake window between earlier naps
Begin to cut the last nap in length to just 15-20 mins
Bring bedtime forward if needed
Dropping the am nap
Begin to cut the am nap in increasing stages until its just 20-30 minutes long
Bring the lunchtime nap forward if struggling with the longer awake window
Having an early bedtime , while they adjust to just the one earlier nap a day
Quick guide to naps
Appropriate awake windows for their age & stage –
Being able to self-settle at the start of the nap – helps with quicker settling time and being able to re settle mid naptime
Pre nap time wind down routine – 15-20 ins of a feed if needed, stories , nappy change , and a dim room all help with the sleep hormone melatonin being released in prep for sleep
If you would like 1-2-1 help with your little ones naps or sleep in general, please get in touch and I would be happy to help.
Sam, aka The Baby Guru
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