Baby’s Naptime
If you baby is not napping well during her first few months of life, you may
want to try to cut back on the time she is awake by 15 minute increments. If she
is getting overstimulated, then she will fight sleep and be difficult to get to
nap. The way to prevent this is to watch her “sleepy” cues to make sure that you
put her down when she is beginning to get sleepy.
Some parents believe that letting their child cry will harm him or her. Fifteen
or twenty minutes of crying will not harm your child physically or mentally.
Babies will learn to self-soothe and fall asleep by themselves, but only if you
let her. It is very important that babies learn to fall asleep by themselves so
that they can self-soothe if they awake in the middle of the night. Otherwise,
you may have a child that will not sleep through the night for years.
Regular sleep patterns are intermeshed with regular eating patterns, so let us
look at the stages of a baby’s life:
* Newborn: Your newborn will sleep anywhere from 16 to 20 hours a day, including
the naps that he takes between feedings. When your baby has been fed, let him
stay awake for a short while and then put him down before he becomes
overstimulated.
* Two months: At two months and older, your child should be allowed to try to
self-soothe during their naptimes and bedtime. Crying is normal when you put
your baby down, but it is okay. If he cries for longer than 10-15 minutes, then
go in and check on him. Don’t get him up, but pat his bottom or lightly rub his
back until he calms down.
* 3-6 months: At around 3-6 months, your baby will stop taking one of his naps.
Usually it is the third nap or late afternoon nap that they do not need as much.
He may be a little fussy and may want to take a little nap, but you need to try
to keep him up if you want him to go to bed at a decent time and sleep soundly
through the night.
* 16+ months: When your child is between 16-20 months, they usually quit taking
the morning nap in favor of a longer nap in the afternoons. Babies this age
usually sleep between 10-12 hours a night and take a 2-3 hour afternoon nap.
Ground Rules about Naps
1. You decide when the nap starts and ends, not the baby.
2. When your baby is older than 4 months old, she will wake up crying if she
hasn’t slept enough. She might have a dirty diaper, be in a position that is not
comfortable, or cold/hot. Fix the problem and encourage her to go back to sleep.
Babies that have enough rest wake up happy, talking, and in a good mood.
