Why Naps Are Important for Your Child’s Development
Naps offer a number of benefits for babies and toddlers. Studies have shown that young children who nap regularly tend to have longer How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? attention spans and sleep better at night than those who don’t take naps. Here are some other ways naps can be beneficial How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? for your child:
Read More: How To Help A Baby Sleep Or Nap While Teething
- They play a role in cognitive development. Sleep is crucial for the development of your child’s brain. During sleep the brain isn How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day?’t resting but is functioning How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? in a different way. Naps improve concentration when your child is awake.
- They help prevent your child from becoming overtired. Being overtired can affect your child’s mood and overall temperament. Adequate sleep improves your child’s mood.
- They may improve nighttime sleep. Though this might seem counterintuitive, naps sometime make it easier for your child to fall asleep and sleep well at night. For example, napping in the afternoon can help prevent your child from being overtired or “wired” just before bed, and therefore he may find it easier to relax and go to sleep. You’ll need to carefully plan the time and duration of the afternoon nap, though, because you don’t want your child to not be sleepy at all when bedtime rolls around.
Naps also give you and other caregivers a much-needed break. While your baby or toddler naps, take the opportunity to unwind or do something How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? that’s hard to do when your child is awake.
| In SummaryExperts say that naps are beneficial for your little one’s mental development and can help improve mood. Daytime naps can even help your child fall asleep at night. And, your child’s naptimes can also be good for you, giving you a much-needed break. |
Developing a Nap Schedule
Creating a nap schedule for your older baby or toddler can help your child have better quality sleep at night. Tracking your little How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? one’s sleep times and paying attention to the signs of sleepiness
(such as fussiness and rubbing of the eyes) will help you see a pattern in the times when your little one is naturally sleepy throughout the day, and this will help you work out a nap schedule that works. If your baby is fighting naps, or maybe you just want some helpful guidance and practical tips to get sleep on track, take this FREE sleep assessment, brought to you by the Smart Sleep Coach by Pampers™ app.
It can help you figure out how to solve your baby’s sleep challenges so you can all start getting more sleep. Once you have a nap schedule going, try to make sure your baby naps at the same time every day and that each nap runs for about the same amount of time. Obviously, there will be some days where this may not happen, and that’s OK.
Just be sure to get her back on track at the next opportunity. If you baby fights naps, or if you need any kind of sleep support, download the Smart Sleep Coach by Pampers™. This easy-to-use app will guide you step by step to sleep success and is jam packed with helpful tutorials and videos to help you become a sleep pro.
The Best Times for Naps
Every child is unique, and tracking your child’s sleep will help you pinpoint specific naptimes that work best for your child. Generally speaking, though, the best times for naps are mid- to late- morning and early afternoon. A nap typically lasts anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours. Your child may need to nap more often or less often depending on his age and stage of development. It’s a good idea not to let your child nap after 3 or 4 p.m. because he may not be tired enough when bedtime rolls around.
How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? Allow for at least four hours between his last nap and his set bedtime. If your baby isn’t tired by bedtime, you may need to play around with an earlier afternoon nap or shortening the duration of the afternoon nap. You may need to drop it altogether if your child no longer needs it. Conversely, in some cases missing a nap may result in your child having more trouble falling asleep at night or a nighttime waking because your child may be overtired by the time bedtime rolls around.
Number of Naps Per Day by Baby Age
Over time, your child will need fewer naps. How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? This chart gives you an idea of the number of daily naps your baby or toddler may take according to age:
| Age | Naps per day |
|---|---|
| 0 to 3 months | 3 to 4 |
| 4 to 7 months | 2 to 3 |
| 8 to 12 months | 2 |
| 12 months to 18 months | 1-2 |
| 18 months to 3 years | 1 |
Keep in mind, every child is unique, so don’t be surprised if your 2-year-old still needs two naps a day, for example. Read on How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? for more on this topic.
Does Your Toddler Need One or Two Naps?
After your child turns 1, you may not be sure whether he needs one or two naps per day. There’s no standard answer, as individual toddlers may require different amounts of daytime sleep. In fact, whether your child needs How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? one or two naps on any given day may depend on what kind of day he’s having. To deal with this, experts suggest alternating the number of naps depending on what’s happened that day:
- If your child slept poorly the night before, you may consider making this a two-nap day
- If he slept well, one nap may be How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? sufficient
- If he had only one nap, you may notice he is tired well before bedtime, and you may like to have an early bedtime that night
- As your toddler gets older you may notice that the need for a second nap becomes less obvious; in this case you may like to phase it out entirely.
When Do Kids Stop Napping?
After about 3 years of age, your toddler may start to give up naps entirely and switch to sleeping only at night. However, some children may stop napping as early as 2 years old whereas others may still need to take How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? a nap or two even at about 5 years old.
| In SummaryOver time, your child will need fewer naps. Every child is unique, however, and there is no age at which naps should be reduced or eliminated. How many naps a child needs may also depend on how well he slept the night before. As a general guide, in the beginning your baby may take three to four naps per day, and by the time he’s a preschooler, it may be down to just one nap a day. Some children stop napping as early as 2 years old. |
Tips for Creating a Naptime Routine
A naptime routine is similar to a bedtime routine except that it is shorter. Children love consistency and being able to anticipate what’s to come, so creating a consistent ritual around naptime can help your little one nap more easily. You can start setting a naptime routine with your infant as early as 6 to 8 weeks old. How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day?
The key to a naptime routine is keeping things calm and soothing, especially in the moments before you put your little one down for her nap. Carry out the routine in your baby’s room or in your room (if you’re room-sharing), or make sure you finish there. This can help your baby or toddler associate naptime How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? with the bedroom and with her crib or toddler bed. Here are some things your naptime routine can include:
- A baby massage
- Swaying, swinging, or rocking (in a rocking chair or glider, for example)
- Reading a story together
- Singing a lullaby
- Swaddling (for infants)
- Counting to 10 or singing the ABCs (with your older baby)
- Quiet play.
The key to a naptime routine is How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? consistency. If someone else cares for your little one, such as a grandparent or babysitter, make sure the caregiver knows How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? about and follows the established routine.
For some toddlers and young kids, naptimes can become a battle. Your child may not want to nap anymore, especially as toddlerhood is filled How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? with so many more exciting things than sleep! It’s OK — don’t force it. Instead, give your child some quiet time to play by herself in her room. You might discover that this can lead to your child falling asleep, even if she insists she isn’t tired at all.
| In SummaryA naptime routine can help get your child in the mood for sleep and can help your child learn to anticipate that the time for sleep is coming. Keep the routine short — you want to be able to do it consistently before each nap. What you include is up to you, but it should be relaxing and help your child wind down ahead of the nap. |
Creating an Ideal Environment for Naps
Here are some tips for creating How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? an ideal sleep environment for naptime:
- Darken the room. A dark bedroom can help your baby or toddler fall asleep. Draw the curtains or the shades to darken the room.Keep the room quiet or use white noise. Your baby may sleep better in How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? a completely quiet bedroom, or he may sleep better with some white noise, especially if your household has a lot of How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? background noise during the day with older children running around. Use a fan pointed toward the wall or a sound machine to create How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? some ambient sounds.
- Ensure your baby is comfortable. Check the room temperature and make sure your baby isn’t overdressed or underdressed.
- Practice sleep safety. In the first 12 months, be sure to lay your baby in the crib on his back. Make sure that the crib is free How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? of loose bedding, blankets, pillows, bumper pads, and plush toys to help lower the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and prevent suffocation. If your toddler is sleeping in a bed, you may like to attach rails to the bed or place a mattress on the floor in case he rolls out of the bed How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? during the nap. If your toddler is still sleeping in a crib, lower the mattress setting so that your child can’t crawl over the rails.
Read More: How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day
| In SummaryTo create an environment that’s conducive to a daytime nap, you might like to darken the room, play some white noise, and make sure your child isn’t feeling too hot or cold. Practicing safe sleep is always important, so follow the safe sleep guidelines appropriate for your child’s age. |
Baby Nap Chart: Learn How Long Baby Should Nap, and How Many Naps Baby Needs
We get nap questions really frequently How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? from our clients – particularly these three questions:
- How many naps does my baby need?
- How long should my baby’s naps be?
- How much sleep should my baby get during the day, so they sleep at night?
Well, we’re answering all of them in How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? today’s article. How many naps your baby takes will depend on their age and unique development. All babies develop at How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? their own unique rates.
How long your baby’s naps are also depends on age, but once your baby is past 4 months old, we want at least one nap that’s an How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? hour or longer. Once past 6 months old, we want at least two naps that are an hour or longer. And, once your baby transitions to on How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? e nap, we want a nice, long 2 to 3-hour nap.
We hope you’ll use this chart as an ongoing reference How Long Should My 1 Year Old Nap During The Day? tool since it covers nap totals and lengths from the newborn stage all the way through age 3+.
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 | 3-5 hours | 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 long as you can. |
| 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. |
How Did We Make This Nap Chart?
The above chart is derived from over 15 years of experience as a sleep consultant, with thousands of families, in conjunction with the following two books:
Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems by Dr. Richard Ferber
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth M.D.
While you can obviously read multiple 200+ page books, we strive to bring you practical and helpful naptime information at your fingertips that you can put to use right away.
