The Infant Nap Schedule That Every Parent Needs

Why is a sleep schedule helpful for infants? Why do some babies struggle to take naps?

Babies who take good naps tend to sleep better at night as well. However, a lot of babies have trouble taking naps during the day, and they’ll require an infant sleep schedule to help them.

We have an infant nap schedule that’ll get your baby’s naps back on track.

How to Improve Your Baby’s Naps

Lots of babies struggle with naps for many reasons: Nap needs change as babies grow, naps aren’t as fun as being awake, and nap schedules are delicate—illness, teething, car naps, and skipped naps can all throw things off. 

(Shortform note: Although getting your baby to take good naps and keep a good nap schedule can be challenging, research shows that not getting enough nap sleep during the day can have consequences for your baby: Skipping naps regularly can inhibit their growth and development. Napping supports learning by helping babies process and remember information they absorb while awake. Naptime is also when growth hormone is secreted most in babies, so interrupted or insufficient naps may interfere with their physical development. Missing out on naps can also have long-term effects, such as causing behavioral issues or attention problems later in life, because sleep is instrumental in brain maturation and cognitive functions.)

Refer to this infant nap schedule as a general guide for understanding your child’s nap needs.

Alexis Dubief writes that to improve your baby’s naps:

• Be consistent: Have the same nap location, pre-nap routine, and sleep aids for 80% of their naps.
• Time naps well: When naps are too early, your baby isn’t tired enough. When they’re too late, your baby becomes overtired. Use their age-appropriate wake time length and patterns as a general guide, and look for tiredness cues.
• Teach independent sleep skills: You must teach your baby how to sleep independently for naptime, just as you do for bedtime. Babies can learn to nap independently between 3 and 6 months of age.

(Shortform note: Dubief’s techniques for improving nap quality echo her recommendations for nighttime sleep. Consistency and timing are important for both types of sleep because little ones learn through repetition and are soothed by predictable routines. Additionally, consistent routines help set and maintain healthy biological rhythms like the circadian hormone cycle, which play a crucial role in healthy sleep patterns for babies and adults. It’s important for your baby to learn to fall asleep independently at naptime after they learn to do so at night to maintain consistency in your routines and help them completely let go of unsustainable sleep associations.)

How to Deal With Short Naps

What if you’ve taught your baby to sleep independently at night, but they only nap for 35 minutes or less? Dubief recommends you try one of the following tactics for babies 6 months and older. 

• If their nap schedule is predictable, wake them up very slightly five to 10 minutes before they typically awaken. You can do this by gently nudging them until their eyes flutter. This method disrupts and resets their sleep cycle, so they fall into a deeper stage of sleep. Experiment for five to seven days. 
• For the first two naps of the day, give your baby a chance to fall back asleep after waking up—leave them alone for 15 to 30 minutes. This strategy isn’t practical for the third nap (if they’re taking three) because the third nap is usually shorter than the others.

(Shortform note: Your baby may be taking short naps because their sleep cycle is off or they need a chance to fall asleep if they awaken prematurely, though some infant sleep experts offer an additional explanation: they might be hungry. Misaligned feeding and nap schedules or missed feedings can cause your baby to awaken too early from naps. To prevent this, strive to create a structured feeding and nap routine that ensures your baby is satiated enough to get through a full nap.)

How to Help Your Baby Drop Naps

As your baby grows, they’ll take fewer and fewer naps. Navigating the transition to fewer naps can be turbulent. The author offers some tips to help.

• Shorten the nap that they’re ready to drop until they drop it completely.
• Stagger the nap that’s transitioning out to every other day for a while.
• When they drop a nap, go outside to get natural sunlight, if possible, during the time they used to nap. This helps recalibrate their circadian rhythm.
• If you have an older child who’s recently dropped their last nap, make bedtime a little earlier until they adjust.

(Shortform note: Many infant sleep experts echo the tips above for helping your baby drop naps. However, Dubief does not address how to help your baby hold onto a nap for a little longer if they’re not quite ready to drop it—eliminating a nap too soon can result in overtiredness, fussiness, and poor sleep at night. Some sleep experts say you can help your baby hold onto a nap with strategies similar to Dubief’s tips for dropping them: 1) Make the nap they’re getting ready to drop shorter without discontinuing it, or 2) Continue offering opportunities to nap each day, but know they may skip naps sometimes. During this transitional period, it’s common for children to alternate between no-nap and one-nap days.)