Nap time is a common struggle within families, and coincidentally common questions I get asked as a holistic sleep coach are to do with nap time. How long should a nap be? When should a baby nap? When should you shorten nap time? With the internet acting as both our best friend and enemy we can either quickly find the answers and other times everything we find provides something different.
At Twilight Sleep Support my main goal is to offer parents with support in their existing parenting styles. So to make things a little bit easier at nap time here is a few facts and tips on napping.
One of the first things we need to understand is why naps are important for our babies. Naps don’t only allow for babies to get the correct amount of rest but they also contribute to babies growth and development.
An obvious benefit to nap time is that it can prevent your baby or young child from becoming overtired. Sleep pressure is a powerful drive that we all have throughout the day, and it can become stronger the longer we spend time awake. As adults we have the ability to keep control of this pressure meaning we can stay awake for longer but for children this skill has not been developed yet. The amount of time your child should be napping is determined by many factors including their age, genetics, and even their personality and temperament.
Napping also plays a vital role in physical and emotional development. Studies have shown that babies and toddlers who have nap time outperform non-napping babies and toddlers in tasks including language learning, memory and other cognitive functions.
Naps also provide a way for our babies and young children to release cortisol, this is a stress hormone that as humans we need to stay vigilant and alert. Even as adults if we feel stressed we have difficulty sleeping and this is no different for babies. When babies become fidgety and irritated it is often because they are trying to release cortisol but are not at an age to understand any calm-down strategies.
The number and duration of naps can vary for each child with so many different factors to take into consideration. But to help get a rough idea of the average level of sleep here is what I would suggest, for the first three months the number and duration of naps can vary and can be spread evenly throughout the day, I would recommend aiming for a total of 14-18 hours of sleep each day
| Age | Total hours of daytime sleep | Number of naps | Total hours of nighttime sleep |
| 3-6 months | 4-5 | 2-4 | 9-10 |
| 6-12 months | 3-4 | 2-4 | 10-11 |
| 12-16 months | 2-3 | 2 | 10-11 |
| 16-24 months | 2-3 | 1-2 | 11-13 |
| 2-3 years | 0-2 | 0-1 | 10-13 |
When viewing napping charts like the one above it is important to remember that this is just an average figure, it’s okay to be slightly above or over these figures but it just provides an idea as to whether you are on the right lines when it comes to your baby’s nap time.
If you have difficulty getting your baby to nap at all then this table may not be the best place to start as this can lead to confusion, and frustration as consistency will be difficult to achieve. To start I would recommend simply creating goals based on these averages, comparing what you are currently achieving to the averages.
As part of my sleep services I can sit down with you to create nap goals based on what you are currently achieving, we can then work together to identify sleep cues which we will then be able to use to help achieve our goals.
Whilst the nap charts are a great way to grasp how many hours your baby should be napping for they do not necessarily recommend how long each nap should be. That is because there is not a single rule to go by.
Some babies may nap in short bursts whilst others may prefer to have longer, less frequent naps, when it comes to the duration of naps it is important to allow your child to lead in this decision. As long as you are achieving the recommended average or close to then the duration of naps should not be a massive factor.
As parents it’s important that we don’t feel like we’re doing the wrong things. If nap time is an area that you are continuing to struggle with then please get in touch and together we can create sleep goals and identify the key sleep cues that could help in improving your baby’s nap time. Alternatively view my sleep packages in which we can create the perfect level of support for you and your families goals.
