By Sr Teresa Hayward (RN, RM, Lactation consultant, Infant & Paediatric Nutritionist, Baby Sleep Consultant)
Are you tired of having an overtired baby on your hands? As a sleep consultant I have some advice for how to get baby to take longer naps.
Every parent’s favourite time of day is Nap time! Getting your baby to take good naps during the day is not only important for their physical and mental development, but it also plays a huge role in promoting good sleep at night. Not to mention, its also the time of day when parents can have a bit of a break and get some things done.
Short and inconsistent naps are a common struggle amongst parents with babies under 1yr, and there are several reasons why this might be happening.
Here are some reasons it might be happening, and how you can get your baby to take longer naps.
How much should your baby be napping?
Before we get into how to get your baby to nap longer, lets look at the recommended amount of daytime sleep based on your babies ages, so you can see how much you should be aiming for.
For babies 0-3months – in the newborn stage, your baby should be sleeping a lot. The total amount of sleep they should be getting in a 24hr period is between 16 and 18hrs of sleep, aiming for only 40-60min of awake time and about 5 naps a day. Naps will be inconsistent at this stage and will be anything from 45min to 3hrs long.
For babies 3mo to 6mo – They should be getting bout 14-16hrs of sleeping in a 24hr period, aiming for 1hour awake time at 3months to 90min to 2hrs at 6mo. They should be having 3-5 naps at day of about 45min to 3hrs longs
From 6mo to 9mo – They should be getting about 14hrs of sleep in a 24hr period with 2-3 naps of 45min to 2hrs per naps, with their awake time between naps being about 2-3hrs
From 9mo to 14mo – They should be getting about 13-14hrs of sleep in a 24hr period and still be having 2 naps of about 1h30min to 2h30min with awake times between 3 and 4hrs
Nap Challenges and Solutions
The key to ensuring your baby is taking long enough naps and getting the recommended amount of sleep for their age, is figuring out what is preventing from napping in the first place.
There are several reasons babies struggle to adequate day sleep.
1. Baby is overtired
If you miss your baby’s awake window, and you try to put them down for a nap too late, your child will be overtired. Being overtired makes it harder for baby to fall asleep, leading to a nap time being a struggle and likely a short or even missed nap.
WHAT TO DO: In the first year it is important to follow the awake windows, and never go past them. Also look for their tired cues. If they show cues before awake window is up, put them down then, but don’t look for tried cues over awake window.
2. Baby has outgrown thir nap schedule
Remember your baby is an individual, and may have outgrown their awake windows, and may need longer awake periods to build up more sleep pressure in between naps.
WHAT TO DO: Rather try adding on 5-10min and see if nap time is easier. For example if suggested awake window is 2hrs try 2hr10min and then put down to sleep. This applies in older babies, so over 4mo.
3. Baby wakes up after one sleep cycle
A baby’s sleep cycle lasts approximately 45min, and at the end of it theyre in REM sleep, which is a lighter stage of sleep. It is normal for them to wake during sleep cycles, but there are some factors that may prevent them from being to link their sleep cycles and go back to sleep. They may need help replacing a dummy for example
WHAT TO DO: If you notice baby is waking at end of sleep cycle, help them by replacing a dummy, covering them with blanket, stroking their back, or even just placing a hand on their back, shushing them, but try not to pick them up.
4. Baby’s sleep environment isn’t promoting sleep
If your child is napping in the car or pram, or even an area that is not their sleep environment, such as lounge, they aren't going to get the best quality sleep. To get baby to nap longer, you'll need to adjust their sleep environment
WHAT TO DO: follow the 80/20 rule. Some naps out and about are inevitable, but aim for the majority of their naps (80%) are in their sleep environment
5. Your child is stuck in an overtired cycle
There are several reasons why a baby might be stuck in an overtired and overstimulated cycle leading to poor naps and night time sleep.
WHAT TO DO: To break this cycle, you need to make sure that your baby;s awake window aren’t too long and that they getting adequate night sleep. You may even have to do an assisted nap, which is essentially holding or wearing your baby for the entire nap, in their sleep environment, to ensure that lengthen their nap and break the cycle
6. Baby is waking early from naps due to hunger
This might happen if your baby's feeding schedule doesn’t align with their nap schedule, or baby isn’t getting full feeds throughout the day, and they wake from a nap to feed.
WHAT TO DO: The aim in the first year is to aim for full feeds. Try your best to time feeding during awake periods so baby is nice and full before each nap. If baby is already overtired feeding them will make them drowsy and they will often not having full feed. There is also nothing wrong with feeding to sleep in a baby under 1yr.
Short naps can be frustrating for both parents and baby, and it can take a bit of troubleshooting to determine the reason and how to get baby to sleep longer. Once you have addressed all the areas above, you should see longer naps in a matter of weeks, leading to better sleep for baby and more time for you.
If you are struggling to get baby into a good nap routine, please feel free to contact me for a sleep consultation and we can find the culprit and solve the problem together, setting up a plan together.
Contact Sr Teresa at 0824009501 or claydh@telkomsa.net
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