Life with a newborn revolves around food and sleep - both form the foundations for healthy growth and development. Good sleep during the day often means better sleep at night, but sleeping well doesn’t always come naturally to babies. In fact, most new parents will rank sleeping as one of their biggest challenges in those early months. And because it also impacts on our ability to sleep, function and self-regulate as parents, it is important to get things in order as best you can.
How long do babies nap?
While you might have expectations about your baby’s schedule, it’s important to keep an open mind and prepare for a lot of ups and downs before you settle into a routine that works. During the first month, babies need around 16 hours of sleep per day and will go back to sleep after 1-2 hours of being awake. Nap schedules vary from baby to baby, but this is what you can expect based on your baby’s age:
1- to 3-month-old nap schedule
- Babies in this age group are still sleeping a lot and napping around 3-4 times/day
- 30 minutes to 2 hours per nap
4- to 6-month-old nap schedule
- 2-3 naps/day
- 1-2 hours per nap
7- to 12-month-old nap schedule
- 2 naps/day (one in the morning & one in the afternoon)
- 1-2 hours per nap
12-month-old nap schedule
- Expect 1-2 naps/day
- Around 2 hours per nap
Before five months, it is best to follow natural rhythms to establish a nap schedule. Aim for feed-play-sleep, to avoid feeding as a sleep association. After this age you can work on a schedule which is regulated by the clock.
How to get baby onto a nap schedule
Routine, routine, routine! It is important that a nap schedule is predictable for both you and your baby. In fact, creating predictable nap routines is a great way to lay lifelong foundations for healthy sleep habits.
- Setting: A dark, quiet room will help your baby sleep. If it’s noisy, you can use a white noise machine.
- Mood: Find what it is that helps your baby relax. Some helpful methods include swaddling or baby massage or using a soft light projector and music. Some people put their baby down and leave the room, others gently rock their baby to sleep.
- Timing: Try to get your baby to sleep at the same time each day. Aim to get them to bed around 5-10 minutes before you expect them to be tired.
- Cues: Watch for yawning, sucking fingers, jerky movements or staring into the distance. Try to get your baby ready for sleep before they are overtired.
- Self-settling: From around three months, put your baby to bed drowsy but awake. They may grizzle for a few minutes but give them a chance to fall asleep on their own.
- Safety: Sleep safety guidelines recommend a crib without blankets, toys or pillows. Babies should be placed on their backs to sleep.
- Self-care: If possible, rest when baby rests – especially in the early months.
Keep in mind that some babies nap well, and for others naptime will be more challenging. Try to maintain consistency and a measure of flexibility for when things don’t quite go to plan. The Emulait App offers you a way to track baby’s sleep - the better you understand the natural sleep habits and needs of babies, the more realistic your expectations will be and the easier it will be to troubleshoot.
In summary
As new parents, it’s important to be patient with yourself and your newborn when it comes to sleeping, eating, and everything in between. It is helpful to have a predictable nap schedule - try various tactics that work for your family’s lifestyle and routine. Be aware that growth spurts and bouts of illness can result in sleep regressions or disruptions.
If you and your baby are struggling to find a good sleeping groove, reach out to your healthcare provider. Sleeping well is important for a baby’s growth and development, and for your everyday functioning and mental health.
