It is common to think that if your baby or young child is sleeping relatively well at night, then the daytime naps do not really matter so much. However, research and experience show that the length and quality of naps taken during the day can affect night time sleep – and that poor night time sleeping affects the daytime naps. So we can see that to get a good all round healthy sleep pattern for your baby, both night and day sleep is important.

Newborn babies tend to sleep fairly well, being tired from the birth and not showing their ‘true colours’ for a couple of weeks. They tend to sleep for similar amounts of time during the night and day, when they get a little older and the difference between night and day starts having an affect on them, it usually follows that your baby will sleep for several naps in the day and gradually for longer stretches at night. If they get their night and day muddled up, for example sleeping for a 5 hour stretch during the day, the night can often be quite broken with wakeful periods and because the baby has missed out on a feed due to the long daytime sleeping, it can mean that baby will require more feeding during the night to make up.

Many babies have difficulty with daytime naps for a whole host of reasons and if not getting enough sleep or sleeping too close to bedtime, this will adversely affect the night, not to mention they may become cranky and difficult to settle. An overtired baby takes longer to fall asleep and, in general, will sleep more fitfully. Naps taken too soon after morning wake up time can encourage early waking and a very late afternoon nap can mean baby is not tired enough to fall asleep easily at bedtime.

Generally speaking, all babies and young children up to the age of around 3 years old will need daytime sleep of varying lengths.

On Average:
Newborn babies will sleep around every 2 hours, day and night, punctuated by feeds.
By 3 months total daily napping will be around 4 ½ - 5 hours
By 6 months this has reduced to 3 – 4 hours
At 1 year 2 - 3 hours is average.
Your 2 – 3 year old will need approximately 1 – 2 hours which translates into a short ‘power nap’ at around 3 years of age. At 2 – 3 years of age be sure the nap is not too close to bedtime, it should be finished by around 4 – 5 hours before bedtime to ensure your child falls to sleep easily at bedtime, so a good time for this nap is after lunch.

So, the common myth that if your little one does not sleep well at night it may be an idea to reduce daytime napping or cut it out altogether, does not actually work too well in practice, unless there is excessive daytime sleeping outside the averages mentioned above. Sometimes parents feel their baby does not seem to need daytime sleep, whilst some do need a little less than others and function perfectly well on a little less sleep, generally all babies need well spaced daytime naps to balance their total sleep needs. The reason for some sleep problems can be that your baby is not getting enough daytime sleep and is therefore overtired. When your baby is overtired he becomes ‘stressed’ and may start to be very irritable or overactive, this in turn will make it very difficult for him to fall asleep at night time, as the wind down process to becoming relaxed enough to sleep will take far longer. This can often result in a cycle of battles at bedtime and nap time and the likelihood of poorer quality sleep.

So how do you know when to put your baby down for a nap? Follow your baby’s lead for feeding and sleeping in the first few weeks, once your baby is around 4weeks old, look at his pattern, it may be perfectly fine and your baby is feeding and sleeping well. If you feel this is not the case, as well as looking at the feeding pattern, start to space the naps fairly evenly throughout the day, making sure your baby’s feeding schedule allows him to be fairly full before a nap and look for your baby’s signs of tiredness. Aim to put your baby in the cot when he is drowsy but not asleep, and help him to fall asleep in the cot with a little help from gentle patting, stroking or shh shh ing. Once your baby settles happily in the cot, you should no longer need to the patting etc. If your baby has learned to always fall asleep on you, he will find it more difficult to become relaxed and comfortable in the cot which can often lead to waking more easily and crying more often, creating a more stressful environment. A baby or toddler who has a healthy sleep pattern, not only benefits him greatly but getting enough sleep is also very important for the parents.

If you are concerned about your baby or toddler’s sleep, please contact the Annerley Sleep Clinic on 2983 1558.

What People Have to Say

"I did the math. When my daughter Sophia was 13 weeks old, it took me 1 hour and 45 minutes of constant crying to put her down for a 15 minute nap. With 3-4 naps per day, I ended up spending 5-7 hours of my day rocking her to sleep, nursing her to sleep, or cuddling her to sleep. I had read all the books. I had researched and tried all the methods: “controlled crying” (with which I wasn’t comfortable), “check and console” (which didn’t seem to work)! and the like. Deb visited our home and watched me put Sophia down for a nap. She suggested a method that I hadn’t found in the literature or considered intuitively. It worked! There is no doubt about it, Deb and The Sleep Clinic at Annerley are worth their weight in gold." Gina Hertel

"Deborah has been a tremendous help in teaching our girls to sleep on their own. My older daughter has been rocked from day one and even at 2 years old, we needed to sit on the bed with her until she fell asleep. She would also wake up from night terrors in the middle of the night and we would have to go in and stay with her for up to an hour each time. Needless to say, we were all sleep deprived! When I had my second baby, I vowed to start sleep training as early as possible. Deborah helped me train both children and through implementing her sleep programme, the younger one at 6 months falls asleep within 5 mins on her own in the crib and the older one falls sleep within 10-15 mins with us standing by the door. We are all a happier and better rested family because of Deborah! I think teaching our kids to sleep on their own is one of the greatest gifts we can give them. With Deborah's help, this is possible!" Cynthia Lam

"I had read many books and theories about getting your baby to sleep, and letting your baby ‘cry it out’, and simply could not do this. Deborah showed me a much kinder and caring way of helping Isabella to sleep.
Deborah also helped me with feeding routines and I soon realized that sleeping and feeding go hand in hand. Babies need structure and routine in their day just like adults do. My husband and I love the new pattern and just knowing what is going to happen and when. With Deborah’s help and our perseverance we now understand our baby better and can respond to her needs. We now have a much calmer and contented baby and two very relieved parents." Julia Stern