Our Sleep Specialist Has Weighed In: The Importance of Naps!

Thanks to Kathy C. of Dreamy Babies for our next sleep series article! The Importance of Naps!!

Naps are extremely important for overall sleep. Short, disrupted or lack of day sleep will affect night sleep because your child will be overtired, making it extremely difficult for him to fall and stay asleep. When children are kept up beyond their wake time capacity, their bodies produce a hormone called cortisol that helps fight fatigue. Cortisol naturally helps keep us awake during the day and while adults are able to tolerate long wake periods, children younger than 3 years old often have difficulty therefore, a nap (or several naps depending on baby’s age) is required. When children sleep for a duration of one or more hours, it reduces the cortisol levels in the bloodstream therefore promoting alertness and relaxation
during the day, making it easier for your child to fall and stay asleep all night.

The thing with naps is that it takes a fair bit longer than night sleep to develop and organize in the brain.
Day/night confusion due to an immature brain attributes to this normal development phase. It’s also
important to note that day and night sleep is organized differently in the brain so you may notice that your baby is sleeping better at night yet catnapping during the day. You may even find that your baby will not need any assistance to go to sleep at night, yet fight sleep during the day. Yet, it’s important to ensure your child is getting enough rest during the day in order for him to get good overall sleep in a 24hr period. Changes in nap patterns, duration and nap challenges will present itself throughout your child’s growth. Developmental milestones, illness, teething, vacations and life events will all cause temporary sleep disruptions; it’s a part of life and our job as parents is to adapt, adjust and ensure that our children are well-rested.

To know if your child is getting enough rest, here is a general guideline for reference purposes:

Wake time for babies between naps (this is approximately how long they should be awake before laying them down for a nap)

• Newborn: 50-60 mins
• 1 month: 60 mins-hour and 15
• 2 months: 1 hour and 15 – 20 mins
• 3 months: 1 hour and 20 – 30 mins
• 4 months: 1 hour and 45 – 2 hours
• 5 months: 2 hours – 2.25 hours
• Late 5 months/early 6 months: 2.25-2.5 hours
• 6.5 – 7 months: 2.75-3 hours. Some are getting more.
• 8 – 10 months: 3 – 4 hours. Some are getting more.
• 11 – 12 months: 3.5 -4.5 hours. Some are getting more if moved early to 1 nap

***Remember these are guidelines, NOT rules, so if you feel that your baby is not yet ready for these
times, please do not force them, as this will cause further problems***

Many babies fall somewhere within the range above and it’s important to watch your baby and gauge if
he’s getting enough rest through his behaviour and overall sleeping patterns. Remember that as your child grows and develops, his sleep will also change and just when you thought that you finally have
‘discovered’ his sleep patterns, things will change so it’s important to be flexible and adjust accordingly.

From 0-3 months, newborns have extremely erratic sleeping patterns because of an immature brain,
circadian rhythm (aka internal clock) as well as day/night confusion so it’s important to watch your baby
closely for sleep signals. On average, newborns sleep up to 16-18 hours a day at random times which is
why parents often suffer from sleep deprivation. At 0-3 months, your baby will likely be taking 4-5 naps
per day at random times but the key is to watch her for sleepy signs and immediately start soothing her
for a nap. Newborns usually can’t take much more than 1 hour of wake time between naps so be sure to
let her sleep when she needs to. Nap duration is highly variable at this age but on average, many babies
will sleep anywhere from 30mins – 2 hours. Remember: when your baby wants to sleep, let him – he
needs it. It may be frustrating to deal with an erratic sleeper who will sleep for 1-2 hours each nap one
day and then catnap the next. This is normal and as your child grows, his day sleep will slowly organize
itself.

From 4 months to 9 months, your baby will be taking 3 naps. The 4 nap usually phases out on its own
and most of the time, parents find themselves unable to squeeze that 4 nap in before bedtime. Between
4-6 months, many babies are still catnapping for about 30-45 minutes which is about one sleep cycle.
This is frustrating to many parents because they hear about other babies who are sleeping through the
night and also taking naps of 1 hour or more. While some babies’ naps become organized at around 5-6
months, many babies are not and this is very common.

So what can you do? For children who are younger than 6 months, watch your child for sleep signs and
put her down for a nap as soon as possible. A good rule of thumb at this age is to avoid the overtired
state – do not keep your baby up longer than 2 hours between naps otherwise she will get overtired and
take another short nap. Young babies get overtired very quickly so if you miss that window between tired and overtired, your child will take a short nap.

For children older than 6 months, I recommend putting them on an age-appropriate sleep schedule.
Sometimes, a more structured approach to sleep can help stabilize their sleep patterns and set their
internal clock to expect sleep at your designated times. While it is not a guarantee that it will change your
catnapper to a great napper, most of the families I’ve worked with have noticed a significant difference
after they’ve put their child on an age-appropriate sleep schedule.

At around 9 months, many babies begin to transition to 2 naps per day. The average age to move to 2
naps is 9 months but I know many babies who transition at 7-8 months. At 9 months, your child should
be getting 11-12 hours of uninterrupted night sleep and about 2-3 hours of day sleep made up in 2 naps.
This totals to about 13-15 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. Some children need more, some need less
but most fall somewhere within this range. Your child will continue to take 2 naps until the age of 16-18
months when most begin to transition to 1 nap.

But what if your child still isn’t sleeping well at 9 months (or older)? If you notice that your child is
consistently grumpy and fussy because he’s not sleeping well, then it’s time to take a close look at why
he’s not sleeping well. All children want to sleep and while some fall into their own pattern, many need
some help and encouragement. Does he have any sleep associations he needs to fall asleep? Is his
room not conducive to sleep? Is co-sleeping no longer working? Is he a night nosher and continues to
wake for the breast/bottle but isn’t hungry? These are all factors that contribute to disrupted sleep and
ultimately, an overtired child. Once you take a look and identify why your child isn’t sleeping well, take
measures to correct the issue(s). It may be fixing his room so that it is dark, quiet and conducive to sleep;
it may be introducing a white noise machine or soft music to drown out external noises, it may be
adjusting his schedule so that he is not awake too long during the day or it may be helping him to learn to
fall asleep on his own. Whatever the change you decide to implement, remember that consistency is key
to success.

When your child approaches 18 months, he will begin to show signs of moving to 1 nap. Fighting
bedtime, taking long to fall asleep for bedtime, one or both naps or skipping naps are all signs of moving
to 1 nap. The key is to follow her lead. Pushing her to 1 nap before she’s ready will only create sleep
disturbances because she will be overtired. Once your baby is consistently exhibiting the above signs for
about 2 weeks, you can begin to transition her to 1 nap. The range at which children begin this transition
typically begins at 16 months and most are fully transitioned at 18 months.

From 18-24 months, 1 nap per day will be sufficient for your child to remain happy and alert until
bedtime. Most children on 1 nap will sleep from about 12:30pm/1pm for about 1.5-2.5 hours but the
average duration is about 2 hours. Of course, some children need more sleep and some less but always
gauge your child through her behavior to see if she is getting enough rest. My daughter is on the lower
end of sleep needs (always has been) and she usually sleeps for about 1.25-1.5 hours for her nap.

It’s important to watch your child for signs that she is well-rested and you do this by gauging her behavior during the day. Is she happy and alert during the day or does she wake up grumpy or crying after nap? Is the quality of her naps deteriorating? Is she sleeping through the night or waking up early for the day? Knowing and understanding your child’s sleep pattern will help you determine the issue(s) quite quickly and take the appropriate actions to correct the problem so that your child is well-rested and happy.

Please visit Kathy at Dreamy Babies for more information or for help to get that baby to sleep!!!