How Many Naps Should My Baby Get?
by Jeannine M. Conte from Sleep Wise Consulting
The magic number is…. there is no magic number; it really depends on your individual child and their age. As your baby grows through the first year of life, their need for sleep slowly decreases, and the total amount of daytime sleep decreases as well.
When your baby is first born, it may feel like all they do is sleep, eat, and get their diapers changed. In those first few weeks of life, your baby will be sleeping a lot! As your baby nears the three-month mark, you may see more consistent naps begin to develop, and the amount of wake time extends.
Let’s dive deeper into four different age categories and discuss your child’s sleep as they transition through each developmental stage. Often, the number of naps will be dictated by the amount of awake time they can tolerate. So as your child grows month by month, they can slowly add more wake time to their days. .
3 to 6 months – 3 to 5 naps per day
Your baby should be taking anywhere between three to five naps each day at around the three-month mark. Most kiddos are closer to four to five naps at this stage due to shorter naps, of 30-45 minutes in length. It is ideal for your three-month-old to be getting around four to five hours of total daytime sleep. With awake-windows reaching only about 90 minutes between each nap, it makes for a day of many short naps, which is considered normal at three months old!
As your little one gets closer to the six-month mark, they should be working on two to three naps per day and 3 - 4 hours of total daily sleep. Since wakeful windows can extend up to three hours long, and it's usually at this time their naps get longer, around 1-2 hours per nap.
7 to 12 months – 2 to 3 naps per day
At the seven-month mark, your baby is likely taking a maximum of three naps, and by twelve months, most kiddos will be on a maximum of 2 naps. This age group needs between 2.5 - 3 hours of total daily sleep.
This is a good stage to create a sleep schedule for your baby. What does this mean? It means you can decide what time your little one wakes up each morning and then set a nap schedule based on their standard wake time. For example, if your little one awoke at around 7 am, you could set her naps every day for 9:30 am and 2:30 pm. At this stage, you can forget about those wakeful windows and set a nap schedule. This can make planning a day much easier!
13 to 18 months – 1 to 2 naps per day
As your baby starts to enter toddler-stage, their sleep needs will also go through some pretty big changes. Your baby's daytime sleep will likely reduce from 3.5 to 2.5 hours. At this stage, your little one will likely transition from two naps to one nap schedule. But do not worry if your little one is not ready for this big change at the 13-month mark; it is completely normal too. As discussed above, if your little one is still on a two-nap schedule at this stage, a set nap should work great here too! If your budding toddler has made that big transition, they likely will need a nap somewhere between 11 am-12 pm, depending on when they wake up in the morning. It is common for toddlers to have a single nap during the day and an earlier bedtime. Whether you are on one or two naps, enjoy this age, it is truly one of my favorites!
19 months to 3 years - 1 nap per day.
This is the last age group I will review in this article, since most children after the age of three drop their naps altogether. Most kiddos between 19 months to three years old will need one nap per day. This nap will likely occur somewhere between 12 pm-1 pm, depending on when your little one wakes in the morning. Between 19 months and three years old, your toddler will likely need between 2.5 - 1.5 hours of sleep. Remember, as your child grows older, their sleep needs decrease, which you will likely see reflected in their nap length.
Keep in mind that a baby’s daytime sleep depends on their own sleep needs, age, and ability to stay awake for longer periods. It is essential to remember that each child has different sleep needs. So, if your baby does not fall into one of these categories at the specified age stage, but they are sleeping well during the day and night, it is completely normal!
