Let's talk about naps and nap schedules. If naps are a struggle for you, you're not alone.
Please remember naps ARE important. We know “sleep begets sleep.” This means that adequate daytime rest leads to fewer night wakings and longer night sleep. However, naps can be so difficult to navigate through without any guidance. Let me help you.
Please use the nap schedule guidelines set forth based upon your baby’s age, watch your baby and adjust your routine accordingly. Understand that if your baby is NOT sleeping 10-12 hours at night independently, THAT is the place to start. Night sleep is typically accomplished prior to day sleep. Now, these nap schedules can be helpful, but naps may remain a bit messy until your nights are conquered.
If your baby is struggling to sleep through the night and has inconsistent naps, The 5–24 Month Collection: Everything You Need for Great Sleep is the place to begin! These online classes will help you have a great little sleeper for days and nights, now and for every bump along the way.
If you have taken the newborn class, Will I Ever Sleep Again, you may notice that the nap schedules below do NOT follow the eat, play, sleep method encouraged for newborn care. At this age, a baby’s awake time begins to lengthen, making it difficult to maintain the eat, play, sleep method while still fitting an adequate amount of calories during their day. Because of this, continue to offer feedings according to your baby’s hunger cues. Yes, continue to offer breast and bottle feedings every 2-3.5 hours throughout your baby’s first year of life. Just fit feedings in around nap times when you see true hunger cues.
Expert tip: If a feeding falls prior to a nap, try not to feed your baby to sleep. Wake him up prior to putting him in the crib. Feeding to sleep can actually lead to shorter, less productive naps. Again, if you’re struggling to implement naps, the online class Conquering Naps: Your Plan for Great Days will help.
5-7 Monthsanchor
Goal Amount of Daytime Sleep: 3-4 hours
Average Number of Naps: 3
Wake Windows: 2-3 hours
Bedtime: 7-8pm
Feedings: Offer breast or bottle about every 2.5 -3.5 hours based on hunger cues.
Your Daily Routine Based Upon Wake Time:anchor
About 2 hours after Wake Time = Nap 1
About 2.5 hours after the end of Nap 1 = Nap 2
About 2.5 hours after the end of Nap 2 = Nap 3
About 2.5 - 3 hours after the end of Nap 3 = Bedtime
(Bedtime may need to be pushed a bit earlier depending on the last nap of the day so as not to exceed three hours.)
Side note about that 3rd nap: This nap is typically a “catnap” lasting 30-45 minutes. The purpose of the third nap is to help baby make it until bedtime. Sometimes, that third nap of the day is a real BEAST! Get it however you can get it.
Signs it’s time to drop the third nap:
most commonly happens around 6.5-8 months
difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep at nap time (when this wasn't a problem previously)
3rd nap is getting so late it's interfering with bedtime
early morning wakings begin to manifest (because the baby is getting too much daytime sleep)
baby just doesn't seem tired at nap time- difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
Sample Nap Schedules:anchor
Please remember... These are just examples to see, not exact schedules to follow.
*Continue to offer solids throughout your day as advised by your pediatrician with every schedule.
Text version of table
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 6:00 am | Wake and Feeding |
| 8:00 am | Feeding |
| 8:15–9:45 am | Nap 1 |
| 11:00 am | Feeding |
| 12:15–1:15 pm | Nap 2 |
| 2:00 pm | Feeding |
| 3:45–4:15 pm | Nap 3 (catnap) |
| 4:30 pm | Feeding |
| 7:00 pm | Feeding |
| 7:15 pm | Bedtime |
Text version of table
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 6:30 am | Wake and Feeding |
| 8:30–9:30 am | Nap 1 |
| 9:30 am | Feeding |
| 11:45 am | Feeding |
| 12:00–1:30 pm | Nap 2 |
| 2:30 pm | Feeding |
| 4:00–4:45 pm | Nap 3 (catnap) |
| 5:00 pm | Feeding |
| 7:15 pm | Feeding |
| 7:30 pm | Bedtime |
Looking for more age-specific guidance on development, schedules, naps, and more?
Check out my month-by-month sleep schedule blogs for 5 months, 6 months, and 7 months.
7 - 10 Monthsanchor
Goal Amount of Daytime Sleep: 2.5-3.5 hours
Average Number of Naps: 2
Wake Windows: 2.5-3.5 hours
Bedtime: 7-8pm
Feedings: Offer breast or bottle about every 2.5 -3.5 hours based on hunger cues.
Your Daily Routine Based Upon Wake Time:anchor
About 2.5–3 hours after Wake Time = Nap 1
About 3 hours after the end of Nap 1 = Nap 2
About 3-3.5 hours after the end of Nap 2 = Bedtime
Bedtime may need to be pushed a bit earlier depending on the last nap of the day.
*Please offer solids throughout your day as advised by your pediatrician with every schedule.
Text version of table
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 7:00 am | Wake and Feeding |
| 9:30 am | Feeding |
| 9:45–11:00 am | Nap 1 |
| 12:30 pm | Feeding |
| 2:00–3:30 pm | Nap 2 |
| 3:30 pm | Feeding |
| 6:30 pm | Feeding |
| 7:00 pm | Bedtime |
Text version of table
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 7:00 am | Wake and Feeding |
| 9:50 am | Feeding |
| 10:00–11:30 am | Nap 1 |
| 1:00 pm | Feeding |
| 2:30–4:00 pm | Nap 2 |
| 4:00 pm | Feeding |
| 6:45 pm | Feeding |
| 7:00 pm | Bedtime |
Looking for more age-specific guidance on development, schedules, naps, and more?
Check out my month-by-month sleep schedule blogs for 7 months, 8 months, 9 months, and 10 months.
11-14 Monthsanchor
Goal Amount of Daytime Sleep: 2.5-3 hours
Average Number of Naps: 2
Wake Windows: 3-4 hours
Bedtime: 7-8pm
Feedings: About every 2.5 -3.5 hours based on hunger cues.
Your Daily Routine Based Upon Wake Time:anchor
About 3 hours after Wake Time = Nap 1
About 3-3.5 hours after the end of Nap 1 = Nap 2
About 3.5-4 hours after the end of Nap 2 = Bedtime
As babies get closer to 12 months and beyond, they may start to show signs that they are ready for one nap. Let’s not rush this too quickly.
Signs it’s time to transition to one nap:
most commonly happens between ages 13-18 months
second nap is interfering with bedtime (bedtime suddenly becomes a battle)
baby is resisting second nap 3-4 days a week for two weeks
baby just doesn't seem tired at nap time- difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
Text version of table
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 6:30 am | Wake and Feeding |
| 9:15 am | Feeding |
| 9:30–10:30 am | Nap 1 |
| 12:00 pm | Feeding |
| 1:30–3:30 pm | Nap 2 |
| 3:30 pm | Feeding |
| 7:00 pm | Feeding |
| 7:30 pm | Bedtime |
Text version of table
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 7:00 am | Wake and Feeding |
| 9:30 am | Feeding |
| 10:00–11:30 am | Nap 1 |
| 12:30 pm | Feeding |
| 3:00–4:00 pm | Nap 2 |
| 4:00 pm | Feeding |
| 7:30 pm | Feeding |
| 8:00 pm | Bedtime |
Looking for more age-specific guidance on development, schedules, naps, and more?
Check out my month-by-month sleep schedule blogs for 11 months, 12 months, 13 months, and 14 months.
14-24 Months anchor
Goal Amount of Daytime Sleep: 2-3 hours
Average Number of Naps: 1
Wake Windows: 4-6
Bedtime: 7-8pm
Feedings: About every 2.5 -3.5 hours based on hunger cues
Your Daily Routine Based Upon Wake Time:anchor
About 5-6 hours after Wake Time = Nap
About 4-5 hours after Nap = Bedtime
Text version of table
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 7:00 am | Wake |
| 7:30 am | Breakfast |
| 10:00 am | Snack |
| 11:45 am | Lunch |
| 12:30–2:30 pm | Nap |
| 3:00 pm | Snack |
| 6:00 pm | Dinner |
| 7:00 pm | Bedtime |
Text version of table
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 6:00 am | Wake |
| 6:15 am | Breakfast |
| 8:30 am | Snack |
| 11:00 am | Lunch |
| 12:00–3:00 pm | Nap |
| 3:00 pm | Snack |
| 6:00 pm | Dinner |
| 7:00 pm | Bedtime |
Nap Schedules FAQsanchor
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If the 2-3-4 hour schedule is working for you, there’s no reason to change it. However, I find for many babies on a 2-nap schedule, 2 hours is too short for the first wake window, and 4 hours is a bit too long for the wake window before bedtime. Instead, I recommend following age-appropriate wake windows and your baby’s individual cues to navigate your days. This allows you to meet your baby’s needs while balancing both predictability and flexibility.
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Once your toddler is consistently taking one nap per day and is at least 18 months old, we can let go of wake windows a little bit. That allows you to have a more set wakeup time, nap time, and bedtime.
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Not always. For babies 5 months and older, aim to follow the 80/20 rule. That means, 80% of the time we try to have naps at home in an “ideal” sleep environment, and 20% of the time we can be flexible with naps outside of the crib or on-the-go.
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It depends! There are a few reasons to wake a sleeping baby.
If your baby is taking two or more naps a day, we don’t want any single nap to exceed 2 hours. If your baby or toddler is taking only one nap a day, we’ll want to limit the nap to 3 hours. Capping your little one’s naps supports good sleep by allowing time for adequate daytime calories, providing opportunity for active awake time, and helping maintain bedtime between 7:00-8:00 pm.
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Yes! If naps are a struggle for your baby (5-24 months) or toddler (2-4 years), I have classes that will give you the tools you need for nap time success. I’ll walk you step-by-step through a fully customizable plan to have easy naps that fit your family’s routine and lifestyle.
References
4 Sources
Galland et. al. (2012). Normal sleep patterns in infants and children: a systematic review of observational studies
Mindell et. al. (2016). Development of infant and toddler sleep patterns: real-world data from a mobile application
Mindell et. al. (2009). Developmental aspects of sleep hygiene: findings from the 2004 National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America Poll
Shakankiry. (2011). Sleep physiology and sleep disorders in childhood.
Keep in mind that the information and content on this blog is for informational purposes and should not be considered medical advice. If you have questions about your child, please reach out to your doctor.
