Establishing healthy sleep habits is one of the biggest challenges new parents face. Infants need plenty of sleep, but as they grow it's not always easy to tell how long and how often they should nap during the day. Settling your child into a regular nap routine will give her body the rest it needs to thrive and help her to be at her best when she's awake.
Newborn
During the earliest weeks of his life, your baby will spend most of his time sleeping. He'll wake regularly to eat and maybe even spend some time alertly watching the world around him, but there's no need to establish a nap schedule at this point. Between six and eight weeks of age, he might start to sleep for longer stretches, which will result in about four or five daily naps, but they might not occur at the same time every day. During this period, let your baby sleep as much as he wants -- and try to get some rest yourself.
Five to Eight Months
Now that your baby needs less sleep than she did as a newborn, she'll stay awake for longer periods, which should help consolidate her daytime sleeping into two or three daily naps. This usually means a nap in the morning, another in the early afternoon and possibly a third rest in the late afternoon. You can help your baby establish a regular napping habit by putting her down around the same time every day.
Nine to 15 Months
Older babies typically have two predictable naps, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. Together, these naps typically add up to three or four hours of total sleep, although one nap might be quite a bit longer than the other. Just don't let your child sleep too late into the afternoon or evening, since this can make it harder for him to fall asleep at bedtime.
16 Months and Up
Sometime between 15 and 18 months, most toddlers drop their morning naps and take just one longer nap in the afternoon. For most kids, this one-nap habit will continue until they're 3 or 4 years old. However, some children give up napping as early as 2 or as late as 5. Toddlers are notoriously resistant to nap time, but it's important to maintain a consistent schedule at this age. If your toddler insists she's not tired, allow her to spend some time in her crib or bed reading books or playing quietly.
