Don't underestimate the power of a good nap! As adults we know the benefits of taking a mid-afternoon nap so for babies and toddlers, a daytime nap is essential for healthy growth and development.
A little daytime snooze can help them recharge, regulate their emotions, and also supports brain development. Until your youngster is aged somewhere between three and four years old, it’s vital to top up their night-time sleep with a nap during the day.
Baby sleep consultant Lucy Wolfe, mum of four and author of The Baby Sleep Solution sheds a bit more light on the topic. "Small children are so busy learning and growing that they need this extra down-time to rest and replenish. When they don’t get the daytime sleep they need, it affects their mood, their behaviour and their appetite." She goes on to explain that not napping enough can also make it harder for your tot to get to sleep at night because when they get overtired, the levels of stress hormone cortisol increase. Cortisol is a stimulating hormone, so if there's an increase of that in their body, your baby will be too alert to nod off easily.
Getting their nap time right is key to making everything else much easier as these daytime naps will help lead to easier bedtime routines and better quality nighttime sleep.
The NHS says, 'Some babies need more sleep, some less. Every baby is different, so try not to compare yours with others. As your baby grows, their sleep pattern will change. It can feel as though every time you have settled into a routine, it changes again."
Need some help with your baby's nap schedule? Here's everything you need to know to help your tot into an age-appropriate sleeping pattern that will help them feel their best, no matter how old they are.
Sample baby nap schedule
Check out Mother and Baby's nap chart to work out how many naps your baby should be having, plus how long to wait between them. This baby nap schedule Remember this is just a guide, all babies are different and you may find their naps vary from day to day, especially if they're unwell or teething.
Can babies sleep too much?
When your baby’s a newborn and snoozing for up to 18 hours in every 24, you may worry that they're sleeping a bit too much. But, it’s generally nothing to worry about as some babies are just sleepier than others.
The only time you’ll need to wake your baby from a nap is for a meal. "Never let your newborn go for more than five hours between feeds," says paediatric nurse and health visitor Dawn Kelly. "If he doesn’t wake by himself, you can stir him by changing his nappy and unwrapping him so he’s a bit cooler and not so snug."
"I wouldn’t recommend waking them from day naps for children over six months unless they’re sleeping beyond 4.30pm and you’re expecting them to have a bedtime of 7pm for example," says Dawn. "Every child is different but waking a napping child could only make him cranky and overtired."
6 expert tips for when your toddler won't nap
Lucy Wolfe shares some tips to support your baby's nap routine.
1. Watch for pre-sleep signs
"When it comes to naps, the clock is your best friend," says Lucy. The early signs that your baby is ready for a kip can be fleeting and very easy-to-miss and then, all-of-a-sudden, your baby goes from happily playing to screaming. The cortisol kicks in and he’s too agitated to snooze, and you haven’t even got upstairs yet!
If you looks for the cues and put your tot down for their nap before they get too tired, they’ll settle much, much more easily. Tricky to judge? That’s where the clock come in. "Use it alongside the nap chart above to see when your baby is likely to need to sleep," says Lucy.
Make a mental note of the time your youngster wakes from their nap and work out when their sleep window will be for the next nap so start watching for those early signs that they're nearly ready for some more sleep.
2) Time the first nap right
"As your baby’s circadian rhythms kick in and he starts to learn the difference between day and night, he’ll begin sleeping for longer stretches when it’s dark," says Lucy. "And until the age of eight months, the first nap of the day is really an extension of your baby’s nighttime sleep, so I recommend getting four- to eight-month-olds down for their first nap less than two hours after they wake up."
Once your baby is eight months, slowly moving that first nap forwards will help you build well-spaced naps through the day. "Wait until he’s been routinely sleeping well at night, with minimal parental input, for a good two-and-a-half weeks, before you start to work on his nap schedule," says Lucy. "But then nudge your nap timings so that his first snooze of the day doesn’t start any earlier than 9.30am."
Sounds great, but what do you do if your eight-month-old is ready to start their day at 5am? "Everyday, move his first nap-time later by just five minutes, until you eventually reach the time you want. The time he naps will gradually start to affect the time he wakes up in the morning, so you will create a positive cycle of later waking and later naps."
3) Embrace the magic of routine
It’s not easy to learn how to snooze during the day: it’s light, bright and noisy, and your baby doesn’t have the sleep hormone melatonin to help them drift off. "Babies start to produce melatonin at around six weeks old," says Lucy. "This builds up in his body towards the end of the day and helps prompt him to go to sleep at night. But he doesn’t have that natural snooze-cue during the day." And that’s why it’s important to give your baby a clear pre-nap routine so they knows it’s time to wind down ready for sleep. "It becomes a prompt – your baby will know that that a nappy change plus story, plus cuddle and into his cot means it’s time to sleep," says Lucy.
4) Make the first nap in the cot
"The best environment for your baby to nap is his cot," says Lucy. ‘It’s familiar, it smells comforting, and you can easily adjust temperature and the light levels, all of which means he’ll have a better-quality sleep than if were napping in his buggy, a sling or the car."
If your youngster has been used to having their first nap on the go, it can take a while to get used to the change. But it’s worth persevering – two weeks of effort now, will bring your baby better sleep for years to come.
5) Have an early lunch
"Once your baby is six months old, he’ll nap more comfortably if he’s had a 45-minute window between lunch and his nap," says Lucy. "He’ll still feel full – so he won’t wake up because he’s hungry – but he’ll have done his heavy-duty digesting and his digestive tract will be relaxed, which will help him to settle and sleep." You may need to bring lunch forwards to manage this at points, but it’s well worth it.
6) Know a nap strike when you see one
Babies sometimes go on strike especially when you want them to snooze. They want to stay awake and work on their skill set. "Nap strikes usually happens when your baby is 12 months old and again when he is two years old," says Lucy. "At 12 months old, he’s hard at work on his motor skills and he wants to be up and about using his muscles. At 24 months old he has another developmental leap and his language skills blossom, so he wants to be up and chatting. It's common for youngsters to go on a two-week nap strike and resolutely refuse to go to sleep."
Parents often think that their babies no longer need naps, so they stop the daytime sleep altogether. "What you need to do is just keep on offering your baby his normal naps. The nap strike is temporary and, after about two weeks, you’ll find that his snoozing just locks back into place."
When do babies drop to one nap?
The average age for the transition to one nap is 15-18-months. Usually your toddler will shift to one lunchtime nap starting between 12-1pm, in sync with internal biological rhythms, or their internal sleep clock.
When do babies stop napping?
Every toddler is different, but you might find that your toddler cuts down the amount of time they nap for between one and two years old. Your toddler has a lot more energy to burn, so that midday nap is often the extra push they need to make it to bedroom with fewer tantrums. By the age of four your toddler will stop napping altogether.
About the expert
Lucy Wolfe, HDip, MA, is a Leading Irish Sleep Consultant, Relationship Mentor, Author of the best-selling books: The Baby Sleep Solution and All About the Baby Sleep Solution and Mum of four children.
Dawn Kelly is a qualified paediatric nurse, health visitor and lecturer with over 20 years experience.
Adejumoke Ilori is mummy to a little girl and digital writer at Mother&Baby. She has a BA hon in Creative Writing and has worked for digital platforms, where she has empowered women from the inside and out, by sharing real life stories based on relationships, loving yourself and mummyhood.