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5 Nap Tips for Twins From the Land of Nod

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5 Nap Tips for Twins From the Land of Nod

Sleep is huge for new parents of multiples. We all know the challenges of a new baby who is awake around the clock, but two at a time! Let’s just set the coffee pot on continuous brew, shall we? Although sleep can be difficult for new twin parents, good sleep in your house is possible.

We all know that sleep is wonderful for healthy growth and development, but how do we get good sleep? Instead of looking at sleep (or lack thereof) as something that just happens to you, let’s try viewing it as a habit to work on. While some babies seem born to sleep, some may need more practice. Some may require a long nap each day, some, no nap at all at certain stages. Chalk it up to temperament. Lucky for you, twin parents usually take a more proactive approach to sleep because of their circumstances. You may find you establish good habits and are in tune with your babies much earlier on because of your lucky twinning odds. Without further ado, here are some top tips to help your little glowworms nap happy.

Tip 1: Create a Napmosphere (Nap Atmosphere)

Put yourself in your babies’ tiny shoes for a moment. If you had the luxury of a good nap in the middle of the day, what would make it enjoyable? Lights down? Soft music? Your twinzies are probably thinking the same thing. Create a sleep atmosphere that is conducive to sleep. Does your nursery get sunny during the day? Try black out shades on the windows to help keep it dim and calm. How about the temperature? Ensure it is not too hot, not too cold, but just right for sleepy time. Some background noise can also be helpful for some babies when the sounds of the day (or their twin) interfere with a good snooze.

Tip 2: Run With a Good Routine

How you structure your day can greatly impact naptime. Try to regularly “start” your day (even if you are still operating on a 24 hour clock) at around the same time. During wakeful periods in your routine, try to provide sufficient stimulation to encourage a developmentally appropriate for their age. For the sleep deprived twin parent, setting up your living room with a Baby Workout Circuit is quite common! When choosing your gear, think about what type of stimulation each station provides and balance it with touch time, and food time. Meeting all these basic needs helps set the stage for a good nap to follow.

For some parents, cabin fever—particularly if you endured bed rest like many twin mamas out there—and your routine may benefit from scheduled outings and social activities. Others may have older kids to manage and their schedules may largely dictate your plans for the day. Either way, make your best efforts to ensure you are not over committed to a schedule that makes napping difficult. Prioritizing sleep in your routine may make your day go a whole lot smoother.

Tips 3: Separate Sleep Can Be Good Sleep

You heard a whimper. You’re up! Damn your baby cells that make it impossible to get a good REM. However, don’t underestimate how much racket your twins can actually learn to sleep through. If you are prematurely curbing Baby A’s whimpers with the hope Baby B doesn’t wake, your tactics may backfire down the road. If your twins are sharing a nursery, consider white noise that is loud enough to neutralize those whimpers for the sibling. Yet if your twins really are struggling to nap together—space permitting—you may consider temporarily separating them for naps for the sake of everyone’s sanity. Consider what alternative spaces you have in your home, and it could be as simple as a pack-n-play set up in a mater closet with air circulation or a guest bedroom.

Tip 4: Be a Team and Stay Flexible

Routines are a powerful tool. While a good routine is useful, understand that it is just that – a routine. Don’t be a slave to your routine, rather make it work for you. If your son consistently gets drowsy 30 minutes before you plan for nap, be flexible. It may be helpful for him to stick to your schedule as best he can, but provide some wiggle room so that adjustments can be made as necessary to ensure that everyone is getting good rest. Try your best to read your babies sleep cues and get them down when they are tired, not overtired. Trust your gut and adjust the flow of your day accordingly.

Tip 5: Recognize the Stages and Ages

One of the most frustrating things about parenting in the early stages is how quickly things change. Four months in, everyone is rocking two naps a day and getting good nighttime sleep. Suddenly, out of nowhere, morning nap is a disaster and everyone is cranky all the time. Needs shift over time and will continue to as they grow and reach new ages and stages. The more prepared you are mentally for these shifts, the better you will handle them and reach your new normal for that stage. You cannot always control what happens, but you can control how you react to it. Be gentle with yourself and your babies, and remember that you are guiding them, stage by stage. Work with them, not against them and you will get through it.

About the Author
Out-of-the-box thinker, Krystal Workman, gets creative under stress…and life with twins happens to be full of it! In order to soothe her crying babies while alone, Krystal invented the first ergonomic twin baby carrier—TwinGo Carrier (www.TwinGoCarrier.com)—to cuddle both her babies at the same time. TwinGo now empowers thousands of parents worldwide to keep their babies close. As former President of one of the largest twins clubs in the USA, Krystal assists new parents with babywearing, breastfeeding, sleep coaching, healthy routines, and positive discipline. You can get more twin-related information on the TwinGo Blog.

Baby Nap Chart: Learn How Long Baby Should Nap, and How Many Naps Baby Needs

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Baby Nap Chart: Learn How Long Baby Should Nap, and How Many Naps Baby Needs

We get nap questions really frequently from our clients – particularly these two questions:

  • How many naps does my baby need?
  • How long should my baby’s naps be?

Well, we’re answering both in today’s article. We hope you’ll use this chart as an ongoing reference tool, since it covers nap totals and lengths from the newborn stage all the way through age 3. Print off a copy for yourself and use it as an easy reference tool – and consider printing off a few for your friends or family members who have struggling nappers at home!

Baby Nap Chart: Naps By Age

Age # of Naps Total Amount of Daytime Sleep Length of Each Nap Awake Time Between Naps Notes
0 – 11 Weeks 6-8 Naps 4-5 hours 10 or 15 minutes – 4 hours 30 mins – 1 hour Naps are all over the map at this age, so don’t fret about short and erratic naps in this newborn stage. Instead, focus on daily feeding and sleep routines and use those to shape your day.
3-4 Months 4-5 Naps 3-4 hours 30 minutes-2 hours about 1-2 hours Watch for the 4 month sleep regression right around this time; it will throw off even the best napper!
5-6 Months 3-4 Naps 2.5-3.5 hours 30/45 minutes-2 hours about 2 hours Short naps are normal in the first 5-6 months of your baby’s life, but starting around 6 months, your baby’s nap sleep should start to consolidate into more predictable, regular naps.
7-8 Months 2-3 Naps 2-3 hours 1-2 hours 2-3 hours Another sleep regression strikes at around 8 or 9 months, and a nap transition sometimes happens around this same time – from 3 naps to 2.
9-12 Months 2 Naps 2-3 hours 1-2 hours about 3-4 hours By this point, your baby should be napping pretty predictably. See our sample nap and feeding schedules for help building a more consistent nap schedule, if you’re still struggling with erratic naps.
13-17 Months 1-2 Naps 2-3 hours 1-3 hours 3-5hours Resist the impulse to transition to 1 nap when your baby turns 12 months old. Most babies don’t make the transition to 1 nap until closer to 15-18 months, so hang on to that second nap as best you can for this stage.
18 Months-3 Years 1 Nap 1-3 hours 1.5-2.5 hours 5-6 hours Watch your toddler’s awake time between the end of the afternoon nap and bedtime – as your toddler grows, he’ll need longer and longer afternoon wake time, which means you’ll need to time the nap carefully to be sure it doesn’t push bedtime too late. Additionally, some children will drop the afternoon nap entirely before age 3.

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Want to save and print this chart? CLICK HERE for a print-friendly PDF copy!
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Need Nap Help For Your Baby or Toddler? The Baby Sleep Site® Is Here For You!

Baby_On_Computer_RESIZEDIf you are looking for a more customized solution for your unique situation, and want plenty of support along the way, please consider one-on-one baby and toddler sleep consultations. Your consultation package will provide you with the chance to interact one-on-one with a trained sleep consultant, who will create a Personalized Sleep Plan™ for your family and then work to help you implement it at home.

bss_email_featprod_memberspic-CROPPEDOur Members Area is packed with exclusive content and resources: e-Books, assessments, detailed case studies, expert advice, peer support, and more. It actually costs less to join than buying products separately! As a member, you’ll also enjoy a weekly chat with an expert sleep consultant. And the best part – members receive 20% off all sleep consultation services!

Essential Keys to Newborn Sleep Essential Keys to Your Newborn’s Sleep is THE newborn sleep book that will help you to not only improve your newborn’s sleep using gentle, sleep-inducing routines – it will also answer your feeding and newborn care questions. You can even buy a bundle package that includes the e-book AND a Personalized Sleep Plan™ PLUS a follow-up email to use for further support!

bss_ebook_masteringnaps_leftIf you’re looking for ways to get your baby or toddler into a healthy sleeping routine during the day, I encourage you to explore Mastering Naps and Schedules, a comprehensive guide to napping routines, nap transitions, and all the other important “how-tos” of good baby sleep. With over 45 sample sleep schedules and planning worksheets, Mastering Naps and Schedules is a hands-on tool ideal for any parenting style.
Need help knowing where to start? Visit our Help Me Choose page for help choosing the Baby Sleep Site® resources that are right for you.

Have questions about naps, or tips for other parents? Leave them below, and let’s get the conversations started!

3 Signs Your Baby or Toddler Nap Expectations Are Unreasonable

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Are Your Baby or Toddler Nap Expectations Unreasonable?

We all want our babies and toddlers to take long, restorative naps at regular times each day, right? Judging by how popular our nap articles are with all of you, I’m betting you answered ‘Yes!’ to that question!

But here’s something to consider – are the expectations you have for your baby or toddler’s naps unreasonable? How can you be sure that your nap expectations are reasonable, and are in keeping with what your baby or toddler is capable of? Sometimes, when we work with parents who say they are struggling with naps, it turns out that the problem has more to do with mom and dad’s nap expectations, and less to do with their little ones’ napping habits!

3 Signs Your Nap Expectations Are Unreasonable

1. The amount of nap sleep you expect from your baby or toddler far exceeds the average sleep totals that are appropriate for her age.

Think about how much sleep your baby or toddler typically gets at night. Now, think about how much nap time sleep you expect from your little one each day. Add those two numbers together, and then compare them to the following average sleep amounts in a 24-hour period:

  • Newborns: 15-18 total hours of sleep
  • 1-4 Months: 14-16 total hours of sleep
  • 5-8 Months: 13-15 total hours of sleep
  • 9-10 Months: 12-15 total hours of sleep
  • 11 Months-3 Years: 12-14 total hours of sleep
  • 3-5 Years: 11-13 total hours of sleep

How do your totals look? Keep in mind by the time your baby is 4 or 5 months old, the majority of her sleep should be happening at night, and by the time your baby is 6 months old, he will need just a few hours worth of nap sleep during the day.

2. You expect too many naps from your baby or toddler, given his age, and/or you expect the naps themselves to be too long

A baby’s nap needs change A LOT in the first year, so it’s understandable that we parents sometimes have a hard time keeping up with exactly how many naps our babies need, and how long those naps should be. It’s possible that you are expecting too many naps from your baby, or that you are expecting naps that are too long for her age. Take a look at the list below, and compare these totals with your expectations:

  • Newborns: Newborns take many short naps throughout the course of a day. Your newborn will spend more time asleep than she will awake, which is normal.
  • 1-3 Months: Your baby will take 4-5 naps per day, and each of those naps will usually be about an hour long (give or take 15 minutes or so). Shorter catnaps are considered normal at this age.
  • 4-5 Months: Your baby will take 3-4 naps per day. The length of each nap varies, but each nap should be between 45 minutes and 90 minutes long. At this age, your baby needs about 3-4 total hours of nap sleep per day.
  • 6-8 Months: Your baby will take 2-3 naps per day, and each of those naps should be about an hour long.
  • 9-15(or 16/17) Months: Your baby or toddler will take 2 naps per day (although some toddlers transition to 1 nap around 12 months, we usually recommend that parents try to stick with 2 naps until 15-18 months). Each nap should be at least an hour long – preferably longer. At this age, your baby or toddler needs 2-3 total hours of nap sleep per day.
  • 16 (or 17/18) Months-3 Years: Your toddler will nap once per day (although some toddlers give up their naps before age 3, the average age to drop the afternoon nap is between 3 and 4 years old). Your toddler’s afternoon nap should be 1-3 hours long.
  • 3-5 Years: Your toddler will likely drop the nap at this point. When that transition happens, you can institute an afternoon ‘rest’ hour in place of the nap.

3. Your expectations about nap timing don’t line up with your child’s morning wake-up and bedtime, or with the average wake time totals for her age.

Along with number and length, the timing of your baby or toddler’s naps matters too – this is important to remember. Be sure that you aren’t squeezing your little one’s naps too close together, and failing to leave enough wake time in between. And make sure you time your little one’s naps around the morning wake-up and evening bedtimes – these two fixed points in your child’s schedule will help ‘set’ the rest of the nap times.

Use the following wake time averages to help you time up your child’s naps with morning wake-up time and bedtime:

  • Newborn-2 Months: Wake times should be kept short at this age – between 45 and 90 minutes, generally.
  • 3-4 Months: Babies this age can usually stay awake for about 1-2 hours between naps.
  • 5-8 Months: The average wake time for babies this age is about 2-3 hours.
  • 9-10 Months: At this age, most babies can stay awake for about 3 hours between naps.
  • 11-15 Months: Most babies and toddlers this age have wake times of between 3-4 hours.
  • 15 Months-3 Years: At this age, toddlers can generally stay awake for about 5 hours.
  • 3-5 Years: Most toddlers and preschoolers at this age, who have dropped their afternoon naps, can stay awake for 11-12 straight hours during the day.

How To Create A Reasonable Nap Schedule That Will Work For Your Baby or Toddler

For even more nap and schedule help, check out these members-only resources, found in our Members Area:

Not a member? Not a problem! Join today, and you’ll receive instant access to our vast online library of sleep coaching resources. Plus, members enjoy 20% off all personalized sleep consultations (and depending on the membership package you purchase, that savings alone can sometimes pay for the cost of your membership!)

Get Personalized Baby Nap Help You Can Feel Good About, With The Baby Sleep Site®

Don’t feel up to working on your baby or toddler’s nap challenges on your own? While our Members Area is great for DIY moms who prefer to tackle sleep challenges on their own, we know that other moms much prefer to go straight to one-on-one help. Well, good news – we offer that, and you can start getting the personal help you need TODAY!

 
Browse our list of consultation package options here.
 

Once you make your choice and purchase, you will immediately receive an e-mail with your Helpdesk login information. You’ll be able to log in and start your Family Sleep History form right away – it’s that simple!
 

Want more information about how personalized help works? Check out our FAQ page here, and get answers. You can also take a tour of the Helpdesk.

 
bss_ebook_7napmistakes_left-transWant FREE nap help that you can put to use right away? Download a copy of our free guide, 7 Common Napping Mistakes! The guide is available to download instantly, which means you can start using the techniques in it as early as your baby or toddler’s next nap. So download now, and learn why your little one is struggling with naps – and what you can do about it.
 
 
Click here to learn more about how to get your free guide.

Longer, better naps are just a click away. So don’t wait – download now, and start your journey to better sleep right now!
 

Not sure if your nap expectations are reasonable or not? Ask your questions below, and we’ll answer! Have nap tips and advice for other parents? Please share!

Can the “Wake to Sleep” Method Help Lengthen Your Baby’s Short Naps?

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Wake to Sleep method For Naps

An older, wiser friend once told me, “Baby naps are God’s way of saying to parents, ‘I love you. Now go take a shower.’” Pretty accurate, right? Most parents look forward to naptimes, those brief interludes when you can actually pause for breath, do the never-ending chores, or have a little “me” time.

Of course, when it comes to naps, not all babies are created equal, are they? Some of you may have babies who are marathon nappers, providing you with several hours of uninterrupted time each day to shower and eat and pay bills and waste spend time on Facebook. Some of us, though, may not be so lucky. You may have a cat-napper who never sleeps for more than 30 or 40 minutes at a time, but who seems to wake as cranky and exhausted as when she started. And even if your baby’s sleeping through the night, short naps can still be frustrating, especially if you’ve worked hard for those 30-40 minutes putting baby down in the first place!

Some people recommend the “wake to sleep” method as a way to extend short naps. But does it work? Can your baby’s short naps be lengthened with this technique?

What is the “Wake to Sleep” Method?

Tracy Hogg first introduced the concept called “wake to sleep” in her book Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate With Your Baby. Tracy suggests in her book that a number of babies who wake frequently at naptime and at night are habitual wakers — that is, they’re waking out of habit, and not out of hunger or distress. According to Tracy, habitual wakers tend to wake at roughly the same times each night, and they tend to wake from their naps about 30 or 40 minutes after falling asleep.

Does this sound like your baby? If so, she may be a habitual waker. This would explain why her naps are so short, why she often wakes seeming tired and cranky, and why you just can’t get her on a nap schedule. She’s waking out of habit, and not because she’s actually had enough sleep. It’s not a coincidence, however, that it’s 30 to 40 minutes later. Your baby may not be able (yet) to transition to her next sleep cycle without your help, or she may not expect to be required to do it on her own, depending on her age. She wakes 30-40 minutes because that’s how long her sleep cycle is and some people can set a clock to it!

It’s important to remember that the “wake to sleep” method is used to solve the problem of habitual waking. Before using this method, it’s important to make sure that your baby isn’t waking out of hunger, illness, or discomfort. If you’ve ruled out those causes, however, it’s safe to try the “wake to sleep” method.

How You Can Use the “Wake to Sleep” Method to Lengthen Naps

The idea behind “wake to sleep” is that you’re “supporting” your child through the transition from one sleep cycle to the next. The first 20 or so minutes of a nap are light sleep, or REM sleep. After that, baby transitions into deeper, or non-REM, sleep. It’s during that transition period that babies often wake and aren’t able to get back to sleep.

With the “wake to sleep” method, you lightly rouse your baby (rubbing his back, making shushing sounds, gently tickling his feet, stroking his hair, or simply turning on the light and whispering his name, if he’s a light sleeper) before he begins that transition, and then you help him make the transition, gently easing him into the next stage of deeper sleep.

Should You Use the “Wake to Sleep” Method to Lengthen Naps?

At The Baby Sleep Site, we do our best to empower parents in their sleep training decisions and to remain judgement-free when it comes to offering advice. “Wake to sleep” is obviously a very gentle method that would support a no-cry sleep training philosophy. If you’re a mom with a very young (or newborn) baby, or if you have a strong aversion to any amount of crying, “wake to sleep” might be a good option for you to try (doesn’t hurt to try!). In those early months (when it’s too soon to begin any real sleep training but you’re so tired you feel like you might fall asleep driving your precious cargo around), it helps to have every tool available in your toolbox!

One recent client shared with us that she successfully used this method with her son (before seeking our help with her nighttime issues) when he was 2 or 3 months old. He was waking from his naps after exactly 45 minutes of sleep. She said this:

“At the 40 minute mark, I would gently jiggle his Pack and Play so that he would transition from one sleep cycle into the other. I did this for a couple of weeks and it worked…Now, he rarely wakes at the 45 minute mark.”

For her, “wake to sleep” was a nice solution to her problem, since her son was still too young for actual sleep training. The “wake to sleep” method can be a good way to help your newborn nap longer.

Although this method works for some families, we generally don’t recommend using the “wake to sleep” method as a way to extend short naps. First, it is risky in that you may inadvertently wake the baby you’ve worked hard at getting to sleep! And, if your baby is anything like Nicole’s, the moment he saw you there, he’d be up! Second, if your baby is taking short naps due to a schedule problem, wake to sleep likely won’t work. And finally, we don’t want to help our babies create any sleep associations that involve lots of work on our part, whether it’s rocking or nursing the baby to sleep, replacing a pacifier every 15 minutes, or easing the baby through every transition between sleep cycles. Ultimately, the goal is for your baby to learn to fall asleep and stay asleep by herself, without you needing to perform any tricks to make that happen. Of course, all babies (and parents!) are different. What you mind “doing” at nap time, and how often you do it, will differ from another parent.

Furthermore, many people acknowledge that while “wake to sleep” can work, the results aren’t necessarily permanent, since you aren’t teaching the baby any new habits. You’ve probably heard the old saying, “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and feed him for life.” This same principle holds true for many parents using “wake to sleep” to lengthen naps. The “wake to sleep” method may help you extend today’s nap(s), but teaching a baby good sleep habits will likely mean good naps every day.

How To Help Your Baby Take Better, Longer Naps (Once And For All!)

bss_ebook_7napmistakes_left-transShort or non-existent baby naps can be so frustrating – but you don’t have to suffer through them! We have a ton of nap resources – and one of those nap resources is our free guide, 7 Common Napping Mistakes. Are you making any of these common nap mistakes? If so, they may be the cause of your baby’s too-short naps. So download your free guide today, and start putting the tips to use as early as your baby’s next nap!
 

Special Members-Only Nap Resources

bss_ebook_masteringnaps_left Mastering Naps & Schedules — For starters, all Baby Sleep Site® members receive unlimited access to all our e-Books. That’s right – for the price of your membership, you can read all our e-Books at no additional cost! That includes Mastering Naps & Schedules. With over 45 sample schedules (all available for you to view in the Members Area), Mastering Naps & Schedules is THE e-Book for tired parents of non-napping kiddos! We tackle all your top napping issues, including how to get your baby or toddler to take longer naps, how to get your child’s naps to be more consistent and predictable, how to manage nap transitions, how to encourage good napping while traveling – and more! Become a member today, and access the e-Book instantly – no download necessary!
 
Tele-seminarNap Tele-Seminars — Another great members-only resource? Our tele-seminars. Hosted by Nicole herself, these 30 – 45-minute tele-seminars offer you insider-information and our trademark sleep coaching methods and techniques. We have several awesome nap-focused tele-seminars – including one that’s all about lengthening naps! Listening to these seminars is like getting a coaching session from Nicole! She’ll walk you through the basics of dealing with common nap problems and give you tried-and-true strategies you can implement at home.

For more details about all our member benefits (including weekly chats with a trained sleep consultant and 20% off ALL sleep consulting packages), visit our membership page, and consider becoming a member today!
 

Personalized Baby Nap Help

While our Members Area is great for DIY moms who prefer to tackle sleep challenges on their own, we know that other moms much prefer to go straight to one-on-one help. Well, good news – we offer that, and you can start getting the personal help you need TODAY! You can teach your baby a new way to nap – and we can help. We have helped thousands of families around the world with their babies’ nap trouble, and we can help you, too! Take a look at our consultation packages, and see which one looks like a good fit for you.

Click here to see all our personalized consultation packages.

Once you purchase, you will immediately receive access to the Helpdesk, and you can set up your account, fill out your Family Sleep History form, submit it to a consultant, and get started on the journey to better sleep!

Want more information about how personalized help works? Check out our FAQ page here, and get answers. You can also take a tour of the Helpdesk.

Did you try Wake to Sleep? What is your experience with Wake to Sleep?

Does Your 6-Month Old Baby Need 2, 3, or 4 Naps?

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Does Your 6 Month Od Baby Need 2, 3, or 4 Naps?

There is a lot of confusion about how many naps your 6 month old baby needs. The short answer is “It depends on the baby.” This article will go into more detail about how many naps your 6 month old baby needs for her development.

During a recent sleep consultation, I was contacted by a mom of a 6 month old who was only giving her baby two naps per day. When I asked her why, she said a competing website’s product said that 6 month old babies don’t need more than two naps and she was trying to lengthen her daughter’s naps. I immediately recommended she go back to three naps because her baby sounded overtired, and once she is caught up on sleep, she would need to tweak her schedule, in general, to get those longer naps (those in-between schedules can be tricky!). As I was typing this up, I decided to check in with this mom to see how she was doing and she had this to say:

“Hi Nicole, Thank you for checking in. My daughter is napping a lot better. She still has the odd day when either her morning nap or afternoon nap is short but for the most part she sleeps for an hour and a half in the morning and afternoon. Now that she is a little older, she most often is just taking two naps now, but sometimes needs a third. She’s also sleeping a lot better at night! She used to wake 2-3 times, now most nights she only wakes up once between 2 and 3 to nurse, goes right back to sleep, and then wakes up for the day between 6:30 and 7. Thank you so much for your suggestions, they really did work!”
-Nadia

One thing to keep in mind is that all babies aren’t the same and some transition to two naps at 5 months while others still have 4 shorter naps, at the same age. Some transition to 2 naps at 6 months old and others not until 9 months and I even had a mom with a 12-month old still taking three naps! All babies vary.

A very popular sleep book, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Weissbluth, says that only 17% of babies need a third nap after 5 months old. I can imagine this might be one of the sources of that competing website. I very much learned a lot from this book and recommend it often, however, you must still keep in mind that studies are often on very small samples (groups of people) compared to the fact that over 12,000 babies are born daily, in just the U.S. alone.

In my experience with countless parents, more than 17% of 5 and 6 month old babies still need three (or four) naps. In fact, I would say it’s rarer for me to find a baby who needs less than three at such a young age, but even my sample is “tainted” by the fact that I hear about the babies with trouble sleeping, not those that might transition to two naps just fine at 6 months old and sleep two hours each time.

I can’t tell you how often I hear that a parent is skipping the third nap so “baby is tired enough at bedtime”, but I assure you, this often does more harm than good. Too much over-tiredness at bedtime usually sabotages efforts of sleeping through the night. Regardless, most 6 month old babies can take a catnap at 4:30 p.m. for 30 minutes and still go to sleep by 7 or 7:30 p.m. and still sleep 11-12 hours. Having a baby up from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. at such a young age can be the equivalent of you getting up at 4 a.m. for an early flight and going to bed at 11 p.m. at night without a snooze in between. It’s a loooong day! More frequent sleep is better for your 6 month old baby’s development (if she needs it) and to ward off any crankiness, if your baby is prone to that.

How Do You Know if Your 6 Month Old Needs 2 or 3 naps?

First, consider your 6 month old baby’s behavior. Any fussiness or crankiness is a sure sign of a baby being overtired. They don’t play well and some don’t even eat well. Some may be happy, though, and that can make it tougher to tell, but if she isn’t napping at least 2 to 3 hours in the daytime, that is a sign she needs more sleep. You need to first encourage your baby to nap longer because a baby who is short-napping most often will need more naps in the day to make it through. If she’s napping as long as she can (at least one hour each for the first two naps), it is easier to transition to two naps, when it’s time. Being overtired at nap time can lead to shorter naps, because it’s harder for your baby to get through that first sleep cycle.

Having said that, keep in mind that your baby might not take longer naps until she has transitioned to just two naps. This is because a baby can only sleep so many hours in a day, so as long as she is napping three times, it is possible her other two naps are as long as they can get. In this case, you need to use your cool mommy instincts and decide whether she is sleeping well for her age or not. It’s okay if the neighbor’s baby is napping three hours per day and yours is only napping two, if that’s all he needs. Just like your 4-month old went through brain development that affected her night sleep, your six month old needs to go through brain development to help her nap longer (the first nap is generally the first to lengthen).

Take a look at our sample baby sleep and feeding schedules and decide whether it looks realistic to put your 6-month old on the 9-month old sample schedule (sleep-wise only, excluding amount of food). Can your 6 month old comfortably stay up 3-4 hours until bedtime or are you having to ward off crankiness by 5 or 5:30 p.m.? Is he falling asleep eating his dinner (it happens! (video))?

Lastly, are you “fighting” for an hour for a 20-30 minute catnap in the late afternoon every day? If getting your baby to take a third (or fourth) nap is a fight not worth fighting anymore, then it is probably time to permanently transition to fewer naps. Save your frustration and his! Or, has bedtime become too late (typically past 8 p.m. is “too late” but all families have different schedule requirements)? Make sure you make changes to his schedule to compensate for the loss of the nap, though. Missing one nap on one day is one thing, but chronic over-tiredness can make sleep unravel over the course of 3-4 weeks.

My personal story is my eldest son (who inspired this site) still took four naps until a bit over 7 months old because he was extremely sensitive to being overtired and CRANKY to show it. But, then, he transitioned to three naps at that age and then to two naps at 8 1/2 months old just that quickly. He also transitioned to one nap at 12 months (rather than the 15 to 18 month average) and stopped napping at 2 1/2 (average is 3 to 4 years old). So, even though it might feel like you are stuck in the house napping with your 6 month old all day, things change very quickly in the first two years of your baby’s life. Enjoy it now because before long you’ll have a non-napping preschooler energizer bunny like I do and you’ll want need a nap yourself! 😀

For even more nap and schedule help, check out these members-only resource, found in our Members Area:

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How many naps did/does your 6 month old need? Share with others!

As Seen In:

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NBC News
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Urban Family
Pregnancy & Newborn
Best in Baby Biz
Working Mother
Twins Magazine

Today's Innovative Woman

Oh Baby
Parents.com - American Baby