Ideal Baby Nap Times
Struggling to figure out when exactly your baby should be napping? We’ve got the answers— and the ideal baby nap times that will work best for YOUR baby!
These are the ideal baby nap times that are best for children sleeping in 6+ hour chunks at night, and waking at 7am for the day:
Let’s break it down a little further…..
Newborns: Don’t stress about your new baby napping at the same time every day— sleep is very fractured in the first few months especially, making any routine difficult to follow. Instead, focus on using age-appropriate wake windows to time your naps. Naps lengths vary widely, and beginning a drowsy put down is great at this age if you’re looking for a no-cry solution.
3-4 Months Old: Four SHORT naps can be typical at this age! The last nap will be the trickiest to achieve, but it’s the most important one to keep your baby from becoming overtired, and increasing your chances of night wakings and early mornings. Encouraging drowsy put downs, in the crib/bassinet, with a perfect schedule is vital at this age.
5-7 Months Old: Three naps are now more common, ranging ideally from 45-90 minutes for the first two, with a catnap in the afternoon. Most children will go to bed now after 7:30pm, in their own crib/room.
8-12 Months Old: Finally down to my favorite schedule, a 2-nap schedule, you can predict nap times and nap lengths easier now, especially if baby is able to put themselves to sleep. Naps should be about 1-1.5 hours each ideally, all taking place in the crib.
Need a 12+ month old or toddler schedule to follow?? I’ve got FREE baby sleep schedules that you can get right to your phone—grab as many (and as often!) as you need!
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Here’s to sleep!
xoxo,
lauren