Parent's Baby Napping Guide: Designing a Nap Schedule For Your Infant

Sleep is a key ingredient to your infant's healthy (and happy!) development. She needs plenty of rest in order to feel alert and energetic each day. Since her mind is developing even more rapidly than her body, napping will become a regular habit. It will continue for years.

Most parents realize their babies require more sleep now than they'll ever need again at any point in their lives. But few understand how to create a regular napping schedule to support it. Making matters more challenging, every infant approaches naps a little differently. Some seem to quickly establish their own routines while others need to be coaxed into them. This article will provide a foundation from which moms and dads can design their little ones' nap plans.

How Much Should Your Baby Nap?

You may be surprised by how much your baby can nap. During the first five or six weeks, she'll likely be asleep more than she's awake. When she naps, she'll do so for a few hours at a time, several times a day. At six or seven weeks, your little one will nap for longer periods, but less frequently. Until the third month, let her do so as much as she wants, and when she wants. Don't force her to stick to a schedule yet.

By the time your little one reaches three months, she'll have adopted a semi-normal napping pattern. Take the opportunity to introduce a routine (we'll explain how in a moment). By month six, your baby will be napping a few times each day at predictable intervals. At nine months, she'll get by with a couple of shorter naps each day. And when she reaches a year and a half, she'll be down to a single daily nap, a schedule which will continue for a few years.

The above describes a common napping pattern followed by babies and toddlers. But it only represents a rough guideline since every baby approaches naps a little differently.

Acclimating Your Little One To A Schedule

As mentioned, month three marks a good time to introduce a nap schedule. Rather than forcing your infant to conform to a routine of your choosing, work around her existing napping pattern. Take notes during her second month to record the times she tends to nap, and the signals she gives that indicate she's sleepy. Watch her mood; note how she behaves following short versus long naps; and keep your eye on signs such as yawning, eye-rubbing, or general fussiness.

Once you have created a schedule for your baby, be as consistent as possible. If she naps at 12:00 noon on Monday, but 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, her body and mind will be unable to grow accustomed to a specific routine.

If unforeseen circumstances disrupt her nap plan, treat it as an occasional snafu. There's no way to prevent all interruptions. When they occur, return to your baby's routine as soon as you - and she - are able. You'll find that if your little one has already adopted a consistent schedule, she'll have an easier time picking up where she had left off.

A Few Helpful Suggestions

First, try to minimize the amount of noise to which your infant is exposed prior to her naps. If she hears a commotion, she may have trouble relaxing and falling asleep.

Second, encourage her to nap by setting her down in her crib with the shades drawn to minimize unnecessary light. She'll make the connection that she's lying down in the place she sleeps during the evening. You may also want to dress her in the same clothing she wears when she sleeps at night.

Third, prepare your baby by nursing and rocking her twenty minutes prior to her naptime. This will help her relax, and thus make napping easier.

Babies need an enormous amount of sleep during the day. Design and implement a nap schedule for your little one that accommodates both of you.