How Many Naps Should My Baby Be Taking?
It is important to know that the best-quality naps are taken at home in the crib. I know what you’re thinking…“I have things to do! And my baby loves going for walks in the stroller and rides in the car, I don’t want to deprive him of that.”
I agree! Going for a ride in the stroller allows children to see the world and discover and learn new things. However, when babies are put in strollers simply as a vehicle for getting them to sleep, they miss out on the experience of exploring the world and being out in nature. So instead, I recommend taking children for their car or stroller ride after they have just woken up from their nap. Instead of wanting to fall asleep, your little one will enjoy looking around at all there is to see. When your child begins to understand that his crib is the place where he will be doing all of his sleeping, it helps him to understand what is expected of him when you lay him down in there.
For many families who have decided to make their children’s sleep a priority, one of the most difficult changes is scheduling their daily activities around nap time. We tend to think that all sleep is good sleep, but that is just not true. Unfortunately, sleeping in a car-seat or a stroller does not provide the quality sleep their little body needs throughout the day–although it does make it easier for us as parents, when we need to run errands!
We can compare it to sleeping on an airplane. Sure, you may fall asleep. But it isn’t restful sleep. You are not getting deep, restorative sleep there. What happens when our babies don’t get the restorative sleep they need? They become overtired and fatigued and this makes for cranky little people who appear to be wired, not tired! And once they do find their way into sleep, it is much more restless with an increase in the amount of waking during the night. Creating a situation where your child takes regular, lengthy naps will only improve the quality of his nighttime sleep.
It is also very important that your child takes naps at about the same time every day, and that he naps in the same place where he sleeps at night. For most families, this means that your little one should be napping at home in his crib.
So when, exactly should your child be napping? Here’s how to find out:
Start by writing out your child’s current nap schedule. Track it for a few days to see if a pattern emerges. Try to keep a close eye on your little one for any signs of tiredness and note how long your baby has been awake. Most people are pretty good at picking out the signs of fatigue, but here are a few of the most common ones:
Rubbing eyes, red-rimmed eyes
Rubbing or pulling ears
Rubbing or scratching nose
Rubbing face into objects, such as your shoulder or a blanket
Yawning
Arching back
At 4 - 6 months, a good daytime routine to establish might look like this:
07:00 A.M: Wake up, eat, playtime
08:30 A.M: Begin first nap of the day
10:15 A.M: Wake up, eat, playtime
12:00 P.M: Begin second nap of the day
1:30 P.M: Wake up, eat, playtime 3:30 P.M: Begin second nap of the day
5:00 P.M: Wake up, eat, playtime 07:00 P.M: Bedtime
Children between the ages of 4 to 7 months typically require three solid naps a day. However, at what age your baby makes the transition from three naps a day to two will depend entirely on him. Some babies are fine with two naps once they reach 6 months, while others will continue to do best on three naps a day until the 8th month.
Generally speaking, Infants in this age range will be able to stay awake for about 1.5 - 2 hours before they start showing signs of tiredness.
Nap Routine:
Your baby is much more likely to go down easily for his naps if you help him understand when sleep time is coming, just like you do at bedtime. If you’re trying to break the association between breast or bottle and sleep, don’t include these things in your nap-time routine. Feed your baby in a different room before your nap-time routine begins, and make sure he doesn’t fall asleep at the breast or bottle.
Nap routines don’t have to be long, 5 to 10 minutes is all it should take to cue your baby that it’s time for his nap.
Here are some activities you can include in your nap-time routine:
Change diaper
Read a story or two
Sing a song
Listen to a favorite song
Close blinds and curtains
Say goodnight to objects in the room
Once your baby’s nap-time routine is complete, he should be put into his crib wide awake, without a soother or bottle.
Get everything you need to know about naps from birth to age 5 right here!
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