Babies and Nap Schedules

How will I know when my baby is tired?

There are a few very simple sleep signs that will let you know what your baby wants, and in the beginning you are running around so much and still getting to know them that it can be hard to pick up, but usually by 6 weeks maybe a little later for some, you will know their sleep cues, this can be anything, the most common signs are:

• Eye rubbing
• Ear tugging
• Excessive crying (not a particularly helpful sign in the first few weeks when all they ever seem to do is cry!)
• Snuggling into your chest more
• Hair pulling
• Being extra fussy
• Their level of alertness goes down
• Become restless
  

But how much sleep is enough?

Newborns are happy to sleep the vast majority of the time (except when Mummy wants to go to bed/eat/go to the loo, of course). They wake when they need to eat, and also have a few periods of quiet alertness – and unfortunately, some babies can also be fussy or suffer from colic and bad gas. But for the first 6 weeks, trying to enforce a sleeping schedule is pretty pointless as the baby is still adjusting to life outside the womb and doesn’t yet know the difference between night and day. And lets face it, all they want to is snuggle their mummy/daddy and feel safe and warm like they did when they were in utero.

At around 6 – 8 weeks your baby will start to consolidate their sleep, sleeping less often and for longer periods of time. At this age the baby takes about 2 – 4 naps a day for the next couple of months (some babies sleep less, some babies sleep more) – morning, early afternoon, and late afternoon – with awake periods in between naps slowly increasing. (When you see that the baby is awake and quietly alert, this is a wonderful time to help him/her learn or exercise – show him/her a toy, smile and talk to him/her, or put him/her on their tummy for some “tummy time” to develop his/her upper body strength. But don’t be disheartened if the baby doesn’t like tummy time, not all babies do, this doesn’t mean that they will have trouble crawling, my son hated tummy time to begin with and now he is a little crawling pro! And it helps if they have a boppy pillow or tummy time mat underneath them.)

From 3 – 4 months onwards is a good time to start looking at a napping schedule and from 4-5 months until your baby is around a year old, s/he will probably need 2 – 3 naps a day: one in the morning and one after lunch.However, not all babies are alike in their sleep needs. If your baby’s 2 naps are interfering with his/her sleep at night, try going to one nap a day. I found that from about 8/9 months onwards my little man only needed one nap and this varied from late morning to early afternoon for between 1 and 2 hours, sometimes 3 if I was lucky. Now at the age of 1 he still takes 1 nap a day and the longest nap he has had since he turned a year old was 3 hours. Not all babies are big nappers.

From about 1-2.5 years – one short nap a day of between 1 and 2 hours, should be enough. If you are putting your little one to bed at 7:00 or 8:00. then the nap shouldn’t last beyond 3pm. If your toddler is sleeping straight through the night between 11 and 12 hours, then the nap is coming at the right time and not interfering with their sleep schedule. If they are sleeping longer then it is possible that they are not getting enough nap time in, and on the flip side if they are getting up earlier then they may be getting too much nap time. It can be hard to find the right balance, but your child will let you know and you know them better than anyone else.

From about 2-3 years, as your child enters the preschool years and leaves toddlerhood behind, you will probably find that your child doesn’t need a nap in the day anymore. In eliminating the nap you will need to bring your child’s bedtime forward, as if they have been going to sleep at 8 they will not be able to go that long without throwing mega, overtired tantrums. Instead try a bedtime of 6:30 or 7:00. When you have got it right you will know, because your child will be able to go to bed calmly and happily without being overtired and/or throwing a paddy. S/he should be able to sleep 12-13 hours and wake up easily the next day.

If your baby or toddler wakes up during the night at any age and needs a feed, a new nappy/diaper, or  some reassurance/love/hugs after a nightmare, take care of their needs quickly, calmly and quietly. Don’t play because night-time is for sleeping, nothing else.A baby will quickly learn the difference between night and day if night-time feedings are quiet and calm and the baby is put back in their cot straight away afterwards.

If your child has sleeping problems at any age and you are worried, call your GP as they will be able to give you a straight answer. and remember teething can upset the sleep/nap schedule but that is only temporary – the key is keeping consistent with the routine you want to happen, no matter what happens, whether it be teething, being poorly, having a birthday. And try to make sure the naps are at the same time everyday, and if one nap is out and about try and make sure the other is at home in bed.