How Many Naps Should A Newborn Take

Ask Your Pediatrician About Any Problems

When in doubt, talk with your pediatrician. Every baby is different and napping routines may vary over time there’s not one right answer for every child. Dr. Lonzer says not to worry unless your child’s total sleep hours aren’t adding up, or if sleep is interfering with important activities such as eating and development. Talk with your pediatrician if you’re concerned your baby’s sleep schedule might not be healthy.

When Do Babies Go To One Nap

Peace. Quiet. Solitude. These are the things parents dream of and the reason so many parents consider nap time magical.

One of the few times you may have a quiet house is while your little one is fast asleep.

Your newborn baby may have been content to sleep the day away. But as they age, it can be tricky to figure out sleep needs, including naps. Do they need them and how often?

While we cant guarantee you peaceful tranquility all the time, we can offer you information about expected nap schedules and, more specifically, the oft-dreaded transition from two naps to one.

Eager to set yourself up for a few hours of peace and quiet? Just keep reading

What Time Should A 2 Month Old Go To Bed

Its common for bedtimes to still be pretty late at this age . Your babys bedtime will be determined by the time they woke up in the morning and how many naps they took that day. Once your babys internal clock is fully developed, which happens between 3 and 4 months of age, bedtime tends to gravitate earlier.

You May Like: How Much Formula Do You Feed A Newborn

Dont Drop That Nap Too Soon

The biggest mistake parents make at this point is to flip-flop between two naps and one, said Harvey. Signs that baby still needs her morning nap include:

• Acting sleepy during the day
• Being aggressive, impatient or hyperactive
• Not wanting to get out of bed in the morning
• Acting irritable in the late afternoon

If your toddler exhibits any of these signs, try changing her naptime or bedtime schedule. Wake her earlier in the morning or shorten her nap time so shell be sleepy at night.

But dont shorten naptime too much or your toddler will be too tired to go to sleep at night. Well-rested kids fall asleep more easily at night. By experimenting with various sleep times, youll establish the schedule that works best for your child. Be patient. This may take weeks.

Baby Sleep Schedule: Birth To 2 Months

Heres the thing with newborns: Their natural day-night circadian rhythms have yet to develop. Plus, their bellies are teeny, so they need to eat a lot, including during the night. In fact, breastfed newborns wake up to nurse about every two to three hours and formula-fed babies do so roughly every three to four hours.

Total Sleep for Newborns to 2-Month-Olds: These teeny babies sleep 14 to 18 hours a day. During the first months, babies sleep in bits and pieces, waking throughout the day to feed. In the early weeks, you can expect your little one to fuss from hunger 10 to 12 times a day.

Wake Time for Newborns to 2-Month-Olds: Your babys day usually starts around 7am.

Napping for Newborns to 2-Month-Olds: Your wee sleepyhead will take lots of little napstotaling up to eight hours a day. A newborns daytime wake/sleep cycle is 45 to 60 minutes of awake time, then one to two hours of napping. And for babies between 1 and 2 months old, that wake window opens a wee bit wider, landing between one and two hours.) During the second month, if your babys nap goes over an hour-and-a-half to two hours, it may be a good idea to wake them for a feeding. While waking a snoozing baby seems like a big no-no, know that long naps mean less eating during the day, making babies hungrier at night.

Bedtime for Newborns to 2-Month-Old: Babies this age often go down around 10pm.

Don’t Miss: What Causes A Newborn To Have Seizures

Sleep Training For Naps

Sleep training isnt an option for either naps or bedtime until your baby is 4 to 6 months old because little ones just arent developmentally ready. However, you can start laying the groundwork for solid sleep habits by slowing down as naptime approaches, dimming the lights, and making sure your baby’s room is quiet.

Once he hits the age when you can sleep train, the long-term benefits are usually worth the effort. It helps many babies get to sleep faster and learn to soothe themselves back to sleep if they wake up at night.

Sleep training for naps usually involves putting your baby down when he’s drowsy but awake, then leaving the room. If he cries and you’re using the Ferber method, you can go back for a quick check but no picking up or feeding every few minutes, increasing the interval between check-ins until he falls asleep. You can also try other sleep training methods if they work better.

Baby Nap Chart: Naps By Age

Also Check: When Do You Take Newborn Photos

Number Of Naps Per Day By Baby Age

Over time, your child will need fewer naps. This chart gives you an idea of the number of daily naps your baby or toddler may take according to age:

Keep in mind, every child is unique, so donât be surprised if your 2-year-old still needs two naps a day, for example. Read on for more on this topic.

Adjust As Your Child Gets Older

As your baby begins to sleep longer at night, they might need fewer naps. However, Dr. Lonzer says that quiet time every day is still crucial. “Babies need quiet time without external noise and interaction for their growth and development,” she says. “Make sure they get at least 30-60 minutes of quiet time a dayand you get yours!”

Also Check: How To Formula Feed Newborn

The Importance Of Routine

Routine is a tricky word because it can imply a very rigid regimental pattern to your day and certainly for very young babies, we know that’s not always entirely possible and it’s not something we would even really advise.

But, in saying that, an element of structure is quite important for a baby or toddler of any age and definitely during this tricky 3-6 month age bracket.

If you think about it like this, we all have routines we follow every day. You yourself might have a morning ritual of getting up, making a coffee, having some toast and reading the newspaper before jumping in the shower. We find these situations comforting and relaxing because of their familiarity.

Babies are no different. This is why so many babies thrive on having a good reliable pattern to their entire day – feeding and napping at predictable times.

Having a bedtime sleep routine for your baby also helps to signal to them that sleep is approaching. This routine will become crucial to them settling well during day-time naps and bedtime.

How Much Sleep Does My Baby Need

The short answer: A LOT. Your newborn will spend the majority of time sleeping, and the rest of their time eating – this is especially true for the first few weeks. As a 6-week-old baby, your newborn will sleep up to 18 hours for every 24 hour period – in their first few days of being alive, they’ll sleep even more! Of course, as your baby grows they’ll need less and less sleep each day. Our newborn sleep schedules break it down for you and apps can help you track naps and nighttime sleep.

Zen Sleepwear is gently weighted to help soothe babies to sleep, so they can start learning healthy sleep habits while getting the rest they need.

Also Check: How Do I Get My Newborns Ssn

How Much Should A 5 Month Old Sleep

At this age, we recommend striving for at least 14.5 hours of total sleep over a 24-hour period, aiming for 11-12 hours at night, and 2.5 – 3.5 hours during the day spread out over 3-4 naps.

Babies taking 4 naps a day can usually stay awake for an average of 1.5 – 2.5 hours in between sleep periods. Once theyve transitioned to 3 naps, wed expect the wake times for a 5 month old to be a bit longer. Look for 2 – 3 hours of awake time in those cases. Of course, keep in mind theres often a nap transition period, where your baby may take 3 naps one day and 4 naps the next. While it can be frustrating trying to plan out your day, this is temporary! Alternating between 3- and 4-nap days can allow your baby to remain well rested as they adjust to staying awake for longer periods.

Find optimal nap and bedtimes for your child with Huckleberrys SweetSpot® sleep predictor. You can also toggle between the number of naps on a given day if your child is in the midst of a nap transition.

Baby Nap Schedule: What’s The Best Nap Schedule For Baby

While each baby is different, they do tend to fall into similar sleep patterns depending on their age and stage. Trying to establish a napping schedule right away for a newborn is a futile effort and could interfere with breastfeeding by impacting your milk supply.

Once your little one graduates from newborn status, however, you can start to make naps part of the rhythm of your day. Older babies need 12 to 16 hours of sleep daily until age 1, meaning naps will be an important part of your baby’s life . Here’s a basic breakdown of napping numbers by age:

Recommended Reading: How Long Can A Newborn Cry

Baby Sleep Schedule: 4 To 8 Months

When your baby passes the four-month mark, theyve finished what I call the fourth trimester. Many of your new-parent friends may still be desperate from exhaustion. So, if your little one is a great sleeper, dont brag too much! All babies are different.

Total Sleep for 4- to 8-Month-Olds: Your growing baby often clocks 12 to 14 hours of sleep a day.

Wake Time for 4- to 8-Month-Olds: The day starts between 6 and 8am for babies between 4- and 8-months old, depending on your baby, of course!

Napping for 4- to 8-Month-Olds: Babies this age may still be eking out three naps a day or they may have settled into a comfortable two-nap schedule, totaling three to five hours of sleep a day.

Bedtime for 4- to 8-Month-Olds: Night-night often starts around 7 to 9pm.

Nighttime Sleep for 4- to 8-Month-Olds: Your baby may have unbroken sleep of six to 10 hours, which most anyone would call sleeping through the night!

Coping With Disturbed Nights

Newborn babies invariably wake up repeatedly in the night for the first few months, and disturbed nights can be very hard to cope with.

If you have a partner, ask them to help. If you’re formula feeding, encourage your partner to share the feeds. If you’re breastfeeding, ask your partner to take over the early morning changing and dressing so you can go back to sleep.

Once you’re into a good breastfeeding routine, your partner could occasionally give a bottle of expressed breast milk during the night. If you’re on your own, you could ask a friend or relative to stay for a few days so you can get some sleep.

Recommended Reading: What Does Newborn Diarrhea Look Like

How Often Should Babies Nap

Every babys sleep schedule is different so there isnt one exact formula that works for every baby out there. There are however some guidelines that we as parents can use as something to compare against. In general, a baby nap schedule will continuously evolve during the first 2 years so dont expect it to always be the same.

Here is a very rough idea of what nap schedules should look like at different ages:

0 to 8 weeks old: 3 to 5 naps per day lasting from 20 to 120 minutes each

2 to 3 months old: 3 to 4 naps per day lasting from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours

4 to 6 months old: about 3 naps per day lasting from 1 to 3 hours each

6 to 10 months old: 2 or 3 naps per day lasting between 1 to 3 hours each

10 to 14 months old: 1 to 2 naps per day lasting between 1 to 3 hours each

Sleep Tips For Newborns To 2

• Activate Babys calming reflex:White noise, swaddling, and motion work wonders starting from the first day of life to help babies sleep better, naturally. Thats because these sleepytime helpers are all integral parts of the 5 Ss for soothing babies and helping them sleep. White noise , swaddling, and motion all mimic the soothing sensations babies experience in the womb and trigger whats known at the calming reflex, or natures off switch for crying and on switch for sleep.

• Consider SNOO: SNOOthe smart bassinet developed here at Happiest Babywas designed to provide those three important Ss. SNOO provides responsive white noise and motionand swaddlingall in one bed, helping babies fall asleep faster and sleep longer. Don’t worry, SNOO does not keep babies asleep who need to eat! Babies will always wake up and let you know when they are hungry.

Recommended Reading: What Kind Of Diapers For Newborn

How Many Naps Are Expected For A 5 Month Old

The common range is 3 – 4 for a 5 month old nap schedule. Some babies will still need 4 naps a day at 5 months old, which is okay. Once a baby is able to stay awake for longer periods, theyll need just 3 naps a day. We find that babies who are able to fall asleep independently at naptime are more likely to link their sleep cycles and comfortably stay awake for longer periods, meaning fewer naps that are longer in duration.

3-nap schedule

Short Baby Naps: What Is Normal And What Is Not

First, lets define our terms. A short nap is a nap thats less than an hour long. It can be as short as a few minutes! A long nap is one thats 60 minutes or more. Most parents can expect 1 1.5 hours for a long nap, although some babies and toddlers will take longer naps

Second, lets be clear about something: short naps are not unusual, or abnormal, for newborns. Remember, during the newborn stage, babies need to eat every 2-3 hours, so it is understandable that newborns take lots of mini-naps throughout the day.

As your baby grows, and as his brain and body develop, his short naps should begin to consolidate into several longer naps. And those naps should gradually organize themselves into a semi-predictable daytime schedule. Over time, your baby will continue to drop naps, and the naps themselves will gradually become longer. By the time your baby is a toddler, she will be taking one long nap in the middle of the day.

Third, remember that older babies may take a catnap each day when theyre approaching a nap transition. For instance, many 7 month olds take a third catnap late in the afternoon, as they transition to a two-nap-a-day schedule. This catnap is not a problem, provided the other 2 naps are an hour or more.

Also Check: Can You Tell If Newborn Has Autism

Q: How Often Do 1 Month Old Babies Sleep

1 month olds need to sleep quite often aim to give your baby the opportunity to sleep after about 30 – 90 minutes of wakefulness. Look for sleepy cues to help determine when your newborn will be ready to sleep.When your baby starts looking away from you, getting a glazed-far away look in their eye, or rubbing/putting their forehead on you, theres a good chance theyre ready for a little snooze. Ideally, youll give your baby a chance to sleep before they reach the overtired stage, which makes it harder for them to fall asleep.When your baby starts looking away from you , or rubbing/putting their forehead on you, theres a good chance they’re ready for a little snooze. Ideally, you’ll give your baby a chance to sleep before they reach the overtired stage .

Where Should Newborns Nap

There are so many options of where you can safely put your newborn baby to nap. Bassinets, cribs and play yards are the obvious ones but you can always get creative and have naps in the car, stroller, in a baby carrier or even just cuddle your little one in your arms if you feel they need a bit of human touch.

Babies need a lot of sleep, but sleeping doesnt always come as naturally to some babies as people think.

You have many options when it comes to putting your baby down for daytime naps, but sleep safety comes first. Always ask yourself if the accessory you are about to use is age appropriate and safe for sleep run a quick google search or check the manufacturers manual if youre not sure.

The frequency of naps really depends on your babys sleep cycle and wake windows, but your instincts are a key factor. Knowing when baby is tired is your secret weapon for creating the conditions for a successful and long lasting nap whether at home or on the road.

As babies get older, more and more naps tend to happen outside of the home.

If baby doesnt sleep as well outside of the house, thats perfectly normal! Luckily there are some wonderful portable sleep accessories to help parents along the way.

Although sleep routines are very important, finding the right amount of flexibility in your babys schedule will serve you and your family well in the long run.

You May Like: How To Rid Newborn Puppies Of Fleas