According to sleep research, and
motherly experience, the length and the quality of naps affect nighttime sleep.
(And, conversely, nighttime sleep affects naps.)
Babies differ in their napping
needs – but here’s a general guide that applies to most babies:
Age Number Hours of
of Naps naptime
4 months 3 4–6
6 months 2 3–4
9 months 2 2 ½–4
12 months 1–2 2–3
2 years 1 1–2
3 years 1 1–1 ½
When should your baby nap?
Timing of naps is important. A
nap too late in the day will negatively affect nighttime sleep. Certain times
of the day are better for napping because they suit your baby’s biological
clock; these optimum periods balance sleep and wake time to affect nighttime
sleep in the most positive way.
All babies are different, but
generally, the best nap times are as follows:
If baby takes three naps: midmorning/early
afternoon/early evening
If baby takes two naps: midmorning/early
afternoon
If baby takes one nap: early afternoon
Watch your baby’s sleepy
signals!
Naps should happen immediately
when your baby shows signs of tiredness. If you wait too long, she becomes overtired,
“wired up,” and unable to sleep.
Once you are familiar with the
your baby’s nap needs you can plan a nap routine to start the wind-down
process. If consistent naps are new to you look more for your baby’s signs of
tiredness and scrimp on the routine until you settle into a predictable
pattern. In other words, don’t begin a lengthy pre-nap routine if your baby is
clearly ready to sleep!
Watch for these signs of fatigue;
your baby may demonstrate one or more of these:
decreasing activity
quieting down
losing interest in people and toys
rubbing eyes
looking “glazed”
fussing
yawning
laying down
caressing a lovey or asking for a pacifier,
bottle or to nurse
Timing is very, very important!
You have probably experienced this scenario: Your baby looks
tired and you think, “Time for a nap.” So, you wash her hands and face, change
her diaper, answer a phone call, put out the dog, and head for baby’s crib or
the family bed, only to find that she’s suddenly wide awake and anxious to
play!
What happened? She has moved through her window of tiredness
and gotten that “second wind” that buys her another hour or two of alert time
before she re-enters her tired state. This can often happen later in the day.
Suddenly, your baby is (finally!) ready for a nap at dinnertime, and the plot
thickens- do you put her for a late nap and thus extend bedtime, or keep her
awake and deal with a tired, fussy baby? Rather than face this ordeal, respond
earlier to her signs of fatigue and get her in for her nap right at that time.
Once you have watched your baby carefully for a week or so,
you should be able to create a nap schedule that works with her daily periods
of alertness and tiredness, thus making your nap schedule easy to adhere to.
The nap routine
Once you’ve established a nap schedule for your baby, it is
very helpful if you create a simple but specific nap routine. This routine
should be different from your nighttime routine, although it can have
similarities that signal sleep- for example, the presence of a lovely or
special sleep-inducing music. Follow your nap routine the same way every day.
(Except, as I mentioned before, if your baby is showing clear signs of being
tired and ready to sleep. Then abbreviate or even eliminate your routine for
that day.)
For a reluctant napper, your routine might include some
relaxing motion, such as rocking/relaxing in a swing/walking in a sling or
stroller, and some gentle lullaby music.
A nap routine doesn’t have to be long and involved to be
effective. If your baby’s nap occurs about the same time every day there will
be many subtle cues, such as the timing of his lunch, that tell your baby that
nap time is nearing.
Better naps mean better nighttime sleep.
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Excerpted with permission by McGraw-Hill/Contemporary
Publishing from The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night by Elizabeth Pantley, copyright 2002 Website: http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth
