How to know the best nap schedule for your baby by age? When and how to transition naps?
As your baby grows, their nap needs change. Knowing when it’s time to stretch wake windows drop naps, is crucial. Transitioning can be tough, but it’s important for your baby’s overall sleep. Here are some signs and guidelines to help you navigate this phase:
Signs It’s Time to Transition Naps:
1. Struggle to Fall Asleep at Bedtime or Late Bedtimes:
One sign that your baby may need a nap transition is if they have trouble falling asleep at bedtime. If bedtime keeps getting pushed later and later, it may be time for a change. This can happen when the last nap needs to go away. Sometimes, when babies need to drop the last nap, they struggle to fall asleep for this nap. When they finally fall asleep for the nap, they sleep too late and then they struggle to fall asleep at bedtime.
2. Naptime Struggles:
If your baby starts refusing daytime naps, especially the last nap of the day, it means they may need a new schedule. Sometimes the last nap needs to be cut shorter and shorter until it disappears.
3. Short Naps:
Short wake windows cause short naps. Of course, this isn’t a hard and fast rule for every nap, but it’s true for almost every nap. 90 to 95% of the time, wake windows that are too short will cause short naps. Where it gets tricky is that children who learn to sleep well can sometimes do too well with their morning nap. They often continue to take great morning naps. Often, the first nap is glorious, with ease falling asleep. This can be true, even when the wake window before is short. But, as we’ll talk about more in a moment, the short morning wake window can cause babies to wake early in the morning.
4. Night Waking:
This can be a vicious cycle that starts with amazing daytime sleep. Even babies who have been sleeping through the night can get into patterns like this. Some children get into a pattern of having amazing, glorious, long naps. It can be difficult to know when they need to drop a nap because naps are so good. Signs of their growth include leaps, teething, and reaching developmental milestones. But decreased sleep needs are a sign of growing up that is difficult to see. When babies have decreased sleep needs, and their naps are great, it can appear in the form of night waking.
5. Early Morning Waking:
Many sleep experts recommend using a short wake window before the first nap. I personally disagree. The short wake window “tells” the body to keep waking up earlier in the morning. It sort of sets a child’s circadian rhythm for early waking. If the first nap is very early, with a very short wake window, it’s as if the nap is an extension of the night.
Babies will seem ready to fall asleep right away in the morning. They often “seem” like they can’t stay awake longer. But if you try for a longer wake window, you’ll usually find they can do it, and it helps their nap become longer.
Some Tips and Strategies When Transitioning Naps:
To transition your baby’s naps effectively, consider the following strategies:
You Can Be Preemptive or Wait Until You See Issues:
When you decide to transition naps is up to you. You can be preemptive about it. You can stretch wake windows until you’re at the recommended wake window for the next month. This is my favorite way to do it. Or, you can wait until you see any of the above signs and then jump right into the new wake window. If you are having the issues above and it’s time to transition to a new wake window, don’t worry. Your child can handle it. It may be a slight stretch from their current comfort zone. But that’s only because they are losing sleep in one area, like overnight or early morning. And making up for it in another area, like too short wake windows or too many naps.
Wake Windows:
I recommend keeping the same wake window for the most part throughout the day, with a few exceptions. I’ve noticed that babies tend to do better with slightly longer wake windows before bed. Some babies do better with longer and longer wake windows as the day goes on. And when most babies have a long nap, they seem to need a much longer wake window after it. They fall asleep much faster if they have a longer wake window after a long nap. I’ve seen normal wake windows cause lots of crying when they follow long naps.
That Darn Bridge Nap:
This is the last nap of the day. It’s the tricky one. It’s the fourth nap for a 3-month-old. It phases out when your baby is four months old. It’s tricky at 5 months. (I’ve dedicated a whole section in this article below about the bridge nap at 5 months). One thing to remember: When this nap is on the way out, it’s okay if this nap is simply a short “rest period.” If your child zones out but doesn’t quite fall asleep, it’s okay. I always recommend this last nap in a stroller, car, carrier, or swing. Always supervise these alternative naps.
Babies have less sleep pressure in the evening, so if you try for a crib nap, there could be more crying. This is a nap that you usually have to schedule. This means that the wake window may be shorter or longer, depending on your day. Don’t let this be a long nap. Wake your baby from this nap.
Avoid Sleep Props:
Transitioning naps becomes smoother when your baby isn’t reliant on sleep props. Make sure your baby is sleeping on their own without rocking or using pacifiers or any other sleep prop.
The Nap Schedules For Your Child Month By Month
Your Three-Month-Old.
When your baby turns three months old, the ideal wake window is around 90 minutes. During your baby’s third month, you can either increase this time gradually or week by week. Do this until you reach a two-hour wake window when your baby turns four months old. To prevent sleep issues, stretch wake windows throughout this third month. Alternatively, you can wait to increase it when you see any of the sleep issues mentioned above. By four months, the ideal wake window is about two hours.
Feeding recommendations for your three-month-old.
The recommended number of feeds is at least 6 full feeds per 24-hour period. Don’t feed within 30 minutes of beginning naps. Feed with fast sucking. To help your baby take good, full feeds, build some hunger pressure. Wait about 10 to 20 minutes after your baby wakes in the morning or from naps to feed.
How much daytime sleep for your three-month-old?
Don’t let them sleep over two hours for one nap or get more than five hours total daytime sleep for now. Less than five hours total is okay too. Decrease total daytime sleep to 4.5 hours during the 3rd month. Decrease total daytime sleep to 4 hours when your baby is 4 months old. Again, less than this amount is okay too. Many babies have 3.5 hours of total daytime sleep at 4 months old. This is because they are sleeping consecutive 12-hour nights. We don’t have to account for night waking and feeding which causes them to make up sleep the next day. The same is true for 3-month-olds who sleep through the night without a feed.
Bridge nap for your three-month-old.
They will probably need a short, bridge nap as the last nap of the day. It’s okay to wake them after only 10-30 minutes of sleep for this short nap, so they can be on track for bedtime. Even if this nap is short, and it likely will be, make sure they have a long enough wake window before bed. Babies can often have a longer wake window before bedtime. The longer wake window before bed helps give them sleep pressure. They need this to sleep through the night. Another note about this nap — it will be phasing out, probably this month. When your baby is four months old, the third nap will become the bridge nap.
Example Schedule for Your Three-Month-Old
Morning Wake Up
Between 6:30 to 7:30 am – Wake up, feed, play (in that order)
Wait 10 to 20 minutes after waking to feed. Don’t feed within 30 minutes of putting down for Nap One.
Nap One.
Put them down for Nap One around 90 minutes after picking them up from the crib for morning wake-up. Don’t start this nap before 8:00 a.m.
Wait at least 10 mins after waking from Nap One to begin feeding. Feed with fast sucking only. Don’t feed within 30 minutes of putting down for Nap Two.
Nap Two.
Put them down for Nap Two around 90 minutes after picking them up from the crib for Nap One.
Feed at least 10 mins after waking from Nap Two. Feed as before with fast sucking only. Don’t feed within 30 minutes of putting down for Nap Three.
Nap Three.
Put them down for Nap Three around 90 minutes after picking them up from the crib for Nap Two.
Feed at least 10 mins after waking from Nap Three. Feed as before, with fast sucking only. Don’t feed within 30 minutes of putting down for Nap Four.
Nap Four, The Bridge Nap:
Start the bridge nap anywhere from 60 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes after waking from Nap 3. This will likely be a short nap. We call it a bridge nap because it bridges what would be too long of a wake window. It has either a longer or shorter wake window preceding on purpose. If you can use motion for this nap, please do so. It will decrease crying and help your baby fall asleep faster. Often, this nap is difficult in general, so motion makes it easier. Go for a walk with a stroller, or carrier. Or use a car seat, or swing. Be sure to supervise these alternative naps per AAP recommendations. Keep the bridge nap short so bedtime stays on time. Wake him from it to keep bedtime around the same time every day. Even if this is a super short nap, still do a normal or slightly longer wake window before bed. I recommend a 90-minute or 1-hour and 45-minute wake window before bed to start.
Begin Bedtime Routine Between 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Feed at the beginning of the bedtime routine.
Between 7:00 and 7:30 – End the bedtime routine and put them into the crib awake.
Again, to stay on track for bedtime, wake them up from their last nap or schedule a short nap at the end of the day.
Your Four-Month-Old
I recommend starting with a 2-hour wake window between naps. During your baby’s fourth month, you can either increase this time gradually or week by week. Do this until you reach a 2.5-hour wake window when your baby turns five months old. To prevent sleep issues, stretch wake windows throughout this fourth. You can also wait to increase it when you see any of the sleep issues mentioned above. By five months, the ideal wake window is about 2.5 hours.
Feeding recommendations for your four-month-old.
The recommended number of feeds is at least 6 full feeds per 24-hour period. Don’t feed within 30 minutes of beginning naps. Feed with fast sucking. To help your baby take good, full feeds, build some hunger pressure. Wait about 10 to 20 minutes after your baby wakes in the morning or from naps to feed.
Daytime sleep recommendations for your four-month-old.
Don’t go over 4 hours total daytime sleep for now. Less than this amount is okay. This amount will decrease to 3.5 hours by 5 months, and 3 hours (or even 2.5 hours) by 6 months.
Bridge nap for your four-month-old.
Make sure they have a long enough wake window before bed. Babies can often have a longer wake window before bedtime. They will probably need a short, bridge nap as the last nap of the day. It’s okay to wake them after only 10-30 minutes of sleep for this short nap, so they can be on track for bedtime.
Example Schedule for Your Four-Month-Old
Morning Wake Up Between 6:30 to 7:30 am
Wake up, feed, play (in that order)
Wait 10 to 20 minutes after waking to feed. Don’t feed within 30 minutes of putting down for Nap One.
Nap One.
Put them down for Nap One around 2 hours after picking them up from the crib for morning wake-up. Don’t start this nap before 8:30 a.m.
Wait at least 10 mins after waking from Nap One to begin feeding. Feed with fast sucking only. Don’t feed within 30 minutes of putting down for Nap Two.
Nap Two.
Put them down for Nap Two around 2 hours after picking them up from the crib for Nap One.
Feed at least 10 mins after waking from Nap Two. Feed as before with fast sucking only. Don’t feed within 30 minutes of putting down for Nap Three.
Nap Three, The Bridge Nap.
Start the bridge nap anywhere from 60 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes after waking from Nap 3. This will likely be a short nap. We call it a bridge nap because it bridges what would be too long of a wake window. It has either a longer or shorter wake window preceding on purpose. If you can use motion for this nap, please do so. It will decrease crying and help your baby fall asleep faster. Often, this nap is difficult in general, so motion makes it easier. Go for a walk with a stroller, or carrier. Or use a car seat, or swing. Be sure to supervise these alternative naps per AAP recommendations. Keep the bridge nap short so bedtime stays on time. Wake him from it to keep bedtime around the same time every day. Even if this is a super short nap, still do a normal or slightly longer wake window before bed. I recommend a 2-hour to 2.5-hour wake window before bed to start.
Begin Bedtime Routine Between 6:30 and 7:00.
Feed at the beginning of the bedtime routine.
Between 7:00 and 7:30 – End the bedtime routine and put them into the crib awake.
Again, to stay on track for bedtime, wake them up from their last nap or schedule a short nap at the end of the day.
If Nap Two ends at 4:00 p.m. or after, don’t try for a bridge nap. Instead, start the bedtime routine early, and do an early bedtime (6:30 or 7:00). This doesn’t mean they can’t sleep after 4:00 p.m. It means it’s hard to fit in two more wake windows and another nap. And still, maintain a smooth bedtime and enough sleep at night.
Your Five-Month-Old
I recommend starting with a 2.5-hour wake window between naps. During your baby’s fifth month, you can either increase this time gradually or week by week. Do this until you reach a 3-hour wake window when your baby turns six months old. During your baby’s sixth month, you can use a set schedule. This helps regulate your child’s sleep even more. If you want to be preemptive, stretch wake windows throughout this fifth month. If things are going great and you want to wait to see how things go, that’s okay too. You can always wait to stretch wake windows. Just look for any of the sleep issues mentioned above in the introduction.
Feeding recommendations for your five-month-old.
The recommended number of feeds is at least 6 full feeds per 24-hour period. Don’t feed within 30 minutes of beginning naps. Feed with fast sucking. To help your baby take good, full feeds, build some hunger pressure. Wait about 10 to 20 minutes after your baby wakes in the morning or from naps to feed.
Daytime sleep for your five-month-old.
Don’t go over 3.5 hours of total daytime sleep for now. Less than this amount is okay. This amount will decrease to 3 hours (or even 2.5 hours) by 6 months.
That darned bridge nap is bothering my five-month-old.
They will probably need a short, bridge nap as the last nap of the day. It’s okay to wake them after only 10-30 minutes of sleep for this short nap, so they can be on track for bedtime. But…This darned old bridge nap that I loathe so much for 5-month-olds is about to phase out soon. It’s the month when the bridge nap goes all wonky on everybody. Babies can’t sleep for this nap. Some days yes? Some no? Thankfully it won’t be around much longer, but that thought can be scary too.
If you can do a motion nap for the bridge nap, and you’re baby is happy doing it, keep at it. If your baby doesn’t sleep but turns into a zombie baby in the car, stroller, carrier, or swing, that’s okay too. Call it a nap and keep doing your longer wake windows before bed. They don’t have to actually go into a real sleep. They can rest their mind and body and it’s usually enough. I’ve seen this so many times.
However, if that’s not working for you or if nothing is working, stop. Don’t even try for the bridge not-a-bridge anymore. Start using the 6-month schedule instead. I know, it may seem like a stretch, but you’re already doing super long wake windows at the end of the day anyway. This would be balancing it out. It would be moving naps to a more balanced place in the day. You won’t be having all that daytime sleep happen in the morning and early afternoon. Instead, it would happen a bit later, and that super-long wake window would be balanced out on both sides of the day.
Don’t worry, your child can handle it. If they stay awake without a bridge, they can stay awake in the morning. It may be a little push out of their comfort zone in the morning. But if they can do it in the evening, they can do it in the morning.
Example Schedule for Your Five-Month-Old
Morning Wake Up Between 6:30 to 7:30 am
Wake up, feed, play (in that order)
Wait 10 to 20 minutes after waking to feed. Don’t feed within 30 minutes of putting down for Nap One.
Nap One.
Put them down for Nap One around 2.5 hours after picking them up from the crib for morning wake-up. Don’t start this nap before 9:00 a.m.
Wait at least 10 mins after waking from Nap One to begin feeding. Feed with fast sucking only. Don’t feed within 30 minutes of putting down for Nap Two.
Nap Two.
Put them down for Nap Two around 2.5 hours after picking them up from the crib for Nap One.
Feed at least 10 mins after waking from Nap Two. Feed as before with fast sucking only. Don’t feed within 30 minutes of putting down for Nap Three.
Nap Three, The Bridge Nap.
Start the bridge nap anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes after waking from Nap 3. This will likely be a short nap. We call it a bridge nap because it bridges what would be too long of a wake window. It has either a longer or shorter wake window preceding on purpose. If you can use motion for this nap, please do so. It will decrease crying and help your baby fall asleep faster. Often, this nap is difficult in general, so motion makes it easier. Go for a walk with a stroller, or carrier. Or use a car seat, or swing. Be sure to supervise these alternative naps per AAP recommendations. Keep the bridge nap short so bedtime stays on time. Wake him from it to keep bedtime around the same time every day. Even if this is a super short nap, still do a normal or slightly longer wake window before bed. I recommend a 2.5-hour to 3-hour wake window before bed.
Begin Bedtime Routine Between 6:30 and 7:00.
Feed at the beginning of the bedtime routine.
Between 7:00 and 7:30 – End the bedtime routine and put them into the crib awake.
Again, to stay on track for bedtime, wake them up from their last nap or schedule a short nap at the end of the day.
If Nap Two ends after 3:30 p.m., don’t try for another nap. Instead, start the bedtime routine early, and do an early bedtime (6:30 or 7:00). This doesn’t mean they can’t sleep after 3:30 p.m. It means it’s hard to fit in two more wake windows and another nap. And still, maintain a smooth bedtime and enough sleep at night.
Your Six-Month-Old to Eleven-Month-Old
How to use a Set Schedule (or set schedule with options) for your baby at six months and older.
You can start to use a set schedule when your baby is six months old and older. The set schedule helps to create sleep regularity. It also helps to consolidate sleep at night.
I recommend a set schedule with a couple of options, which I will mention below.
The following are things I’ve noticed enough that bear mentioning. When these things happen, it almost always causes problems. Maybe I only hear from families with problems, but fixing these areas solves the problems.
1) Letting Nap Two go later than 4:00 p.m.
This can mean more crying at bedtime. Or night waking or early morning waking because of extra daytime sleep.
2) Letting Nap One go longer than 90 minutes.
I’m on the fence about this myself. If you want Nap One to be a two-hour nap, it’s okay to experiment with letting it go later. See what happens. If you have problems, cap the nap to 90 minutes.
If you do want to experiment with a two-hour first nap, please compensate by moving Nap Two later. Move Nap Two later by at least 30 minutes. You may need to move it even later than that but see how it goes and make adjustments as needed.
Problems with having a two-hour morning nap:
Inability to nap for Nap Two. Falling asleep too late for Nap Two and then having trouble waking. If they don’t sleep at all for Nap Two, the wake window before bed is too long. The tendency to fall asleep during feeds is greater with a super long wake window. This can sabotage bedtime and cause night waking. If anything, try for another nap from 3:30 to 4:00 p.m. Even if it’s a super short nap, it will be enough rest to carry them over. Remember, 2 to 2.5 hours of total daytime sleep is common for many 6-month-olds. This is especially true if they as sleeping straight through the night without a feed. Again, if your baby can’t fall asleep at all for Nap Two when Nap One is long, cap Nap One at 90 minutes.
3) Letting total daytime sleep go over 3 hours total.
I’ve found that this amount of total daytime sleep is erring on the generous side. Babies who aren’t feeding in the night have more restful, restorative sleep at night. If babies don’t use pacifiers or eat during the night, they sleep deeply and for a long time. They won’t have as much of a need to get lots of daytime sleep. Many babies that sleep long hours during the day are making up for lost sleep at night. If your baby still wakes up at night to eat, they may need more sleep during the day. They will probably be ready to nap when the time comes and they will probably take good, long naps. If they stop feeding at night, their daytime sleep will likely decrease.
4) Doing naps at 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., or close to these times.
Often, parents say that their child is too tired to make it to a later morning nap. But then, there’s a super long wake window at the end of the day. Because of the long wake window before bed, parents may put their baby down earlier for bed. When bedtime is very early, 6:00 or 6:30 p.m., a split night can happen. This is a very long night waking. Morning waking at 5:00 or 5:30 a.m. happens frequently when babies have 6:00 or 6:30 p.m. bedtimes. They’ve already slept 11 hours. We can’t expect them to stay in bed longer. Babies are more likely to fall asleep during their bedtime feed because they are tired.
How to fix this?
I recommend keeping them awake later in the morning. Many parents think their baby can’t do it, but they can. They are already having a super long wake window at the end of the day. They can delay their first nap in the morning. This balances the nap out to the middle of the day and helps everything go better. Sure, it’s a bit of a push out of their morning comfort zone for the first few days, but it’s worth it.
Here are the options for the set schedule:
- Here’s how to make this a true set schedule. Wake them up at 7:00 a.m. If they wake up earlier, leave them in the crib until 7:00 a.m. Start Nap One at 10:00 a.m. Follow the rest of the schedule as written.
- Or, you can be a bit more flexible and still create sleep regularity. Here’s how. Put them down for the first nap 3 hours after picking them up from the crib for morning wake-up. If you get your baby up for morning at 6:30 a.m. start the nap at 9:30 a.m. If you get your baby up for the morning at 7:30 a.m., start the nap at 10:30 a.m.If the nap starts at 10:30 a.m. and goes until 12:00 p.m., you may need to start Nap Two later also (around 3:00). Still wake them by 4:00 p.m. to be on track for bedtime.
Pay attention to Nap Two as your baby grows older.
Usually, at 6 months old, they can fall asleep easily at 2:30 p.m. for this nap.
But around 6.5 or 7 months old, they start to cry more when put down for Nap Two. This is because their sleep needs decrease as they grow older. This is why I wrote the schedule recommendations to move the nap to 2:45 p.m. Still, wake them by 4:00. This means they would have a 75-minute nap instead of a 90-minute nap. Even if the nap is shorter than 75 minutes, it’s ok. Around 8 to 10 months, they struggle to fall asleep even more for this nap.
If they can’t fall asleep for this Nap, move it later.
You can start by moving it to 2:45. Move it to 3:00 if needed or 3:15. Still wake them by 4:00 to stay on track for bedtime. Don’t worry about having a shorter Nap Two as your baby grows older. This, like all the other “last naps of the day” is the one that will fall away when your baby transitions to one nap. The first nap will move down to midday. During the months before transitioning to one nap a day, babies often take a shorter second nap on their own. If the second nap doesn’t shorten on its own, it can stay long. But that’s not necessarily a good thing. For an older baby, a long second nap usually means that decreased sleep needs will show up somewhere else. It often shows in night waking, struggle at bedtime, or early morning waking. I’ve written the schedules with my recommendations for moving nap two later as needed.
Here is the 6 to 11 Month Set Schedule:
On days with short naps, push them to the next naptime or bedtime. They will start to recognize the fixed timing, and it will help their overall sleep. To create sleep regularity and help consolidate sleep at night, do naps around the same time each day. Don’t let them sleep more than 3 hours during the day. It’s normal for total daytime sleep to be 2.5 hours at this age if babies are sleeping long nights.
Morning– 6:30 – 7:30
If they wake before 6:30 a.m., treat it as a night waking. Wake them by 7:30 a.m.
Wait at least 10 to 20 minutes after waking to feed. Feed with fast sucking only.
Offer solid food (complementary food) about 1 hour later (if desired). Follow with breastfeeding or bottle feeding if needed. Or feed on demand throughout the wake window as needed.
Don’t breastfeed or bottle feed within 30 minutes of putting them down for Nap One.
Nap One.
Put them down at 10:00 a.m. OR you can put them down 3 hours after picking them up from the crib for morning wake up. See the options for the schedule (above).
Cap nap at 90 minutes. Wake them if they are still asleep.
Wait 10 to 20 minutes after waking from Nap One to breastfeed or bottle feed. Feed with fast sucking only. You can feed on demand throughout the wake window as needed.
Don’t breastfeed or bottle feed within 30 minutes of putting them down for Nap Two.
Nap Two.
2:30 to 3:15 p.m. Put them down for Nap Two. Don’t put them down before 2:30 p.m. Move Nap Two later as needed.
4:00 p.m. End the nap. Wake them if they are still asleep.
Wait 10 to 20 minutes after waking from Nap Two to start breastfeeding or bottle feeding. Feed with fast sucking only.
Offer solid food (complementary food) about 1 hour later (if desired). Follow with breastfeeding or bottle feeding if needed. Or feed on demand throughout the wake window as needed.
Bedtime.
Between 7:30 and 7:40 p.m. Put them down for bedtime. Do a full feed at the beginning of the bedtime routine.
Schedule for 12 months and beyond.
You may need to keep this two-nap schedule when your baby is 12 months old. You may need to transition to one nap a day at that time. Most of the babies I’ve worked with transition to one nap a day around 13 to 15 months old. Earlier or later than that is okay too. It’s not so much about what age they should transition, but when is your child ready for one nap. If you’re wondering about the signs of readiness, you can check those out here. And if you want to know how to transition your child to one nap a day, you can check that out here too.
Remember, every baby is unique. You may need to adjust these schedules for your baby’s individual sleep needs. It is my hope that you’ve experimented and come to know the wake windows that suit your baby best. Nap transitions can be tricky. But with patience and consistency, your baby’s first year of naps can be easier.
If you ever do find that you’re having night waking, early waking, short naps, or crying before naps, don’t worry. Come back to these schedules. If you’ve been consistent with independent sleep, your baby will be back on track in no time. If that doesn’t happen, please reach out to me and I will help you.
