Snooze control: an age-by-age guide to naps

Making naps work at every age

Teresa Pitman,

Originally published in Today's Parent November 2005

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When you were pregnant, you probably imagined all the creative things you’d do when baby napped — work on the baby book, do a yoga video, catch up with friends on the phone…. A few months later, all you care about is finding creative ways to get him to nap so you can take a shower or catch a few winks yourself. Naps can be a treasured break in a parent’s day, but they can also be frustrating, especially when they aren’t happening the way you think they should.

“It’s amazing what a hot topic sleep can be,” says Kellie Walden, baby wellness coordinator at the Early Years Centre in Peterborough, Ont. “Parents often have a preconceived idea of how a baby should sleep. But babies are very individual in how much they sleep, when they sleep, how they fall asleep.”

During the first six weeks, there really isn’t such a thing as a nap. Your baby will eat and sleep and wake around the clock, and you may not see anything that looks like a routine or predictable sleep times. That’s normal for this age and there isn’t much you can do about it.

Keeping in mind that every infant is different, here are some typical patterns that emerge beyond those initial hazy weeks.

6 weeks to 3 months
Popular Patterns
At this age, the most popular pattern may still be no pattern at all. Paediatric neurologist Shelly Weiss of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children’s Sleep Disorder Clinic says many babies this age don’t have a longer sleep at night and short naps during the day; they just sleep when they need to around the clock. “It’s important to go with the baby’s natural tendency to sleep and wake,” she says. Gradually over these weeks, babies will start to sleep more at night.

Common Conundrums
“My baby has day and night mixed up!” Some babies sleep for longer stretches during the day, then wake repeatedly at night and want to stay awake. You can help your baby learn about the differences between day and night by keeping the room dark and quiet during night feedings. During the day, watch for signs of stirring and see if he’ll wake easily so naps won’t be so long.

“My baby will only sleep in my arms. If I put him down, he wakes up and cries.” When babies first close their eyes and seem to be on their way to dreamland, they are actually only in a very light sleep. Moving them to a crib or even setting them down on a blanket on the floor can startle them awake again. Some things that can help: swaddling, and waiting about 20 minutes after she first drifts off to be sure she’s reached a deeper level of sleep before you try to move her.