Nap Schedules: 4, 3, 2 and 1
Not one consultation goes by where I don't speak to parents about age appropriate nap schedules. Having an age appropriate schedule can sometimes be the missing puzzle piece to sleep. Children naturally have dips in energy throughout the day, during these dips their body is primed for sleep, and if you miss these windows for sleep, then sleep will be harder ie: fighting sleep, short naps and/or refusing naps.
Most children naturally fall into their age appropriate schedule, but if your child is like my first then this blog is for you! Truth be told, my son’s naps were all over the place, partly because I didn't have a conducive sleep environment, he was an avid catnapper, and had a huge eat to sleep association but…
Confession time…
Mostly because I had no idea what an age appropriate schedule looked like!
I thought he would sleep when he was tired, boy was I wrong. Once I learned, understood and implemented an age appropriate nap schedule (along with other things), his sleep significantly improved! In this blog, we'll explore age appropriate nap schedules, 4 naps, 3 naps, 2 naps, and 1 nap schedule.
The 4-Nap Schedule for Ages 3-4 months:
Around 2-3 months, nap 1 and 2 start to lengthen and the 4 nap schedule should start to develop. By about 3-4 months most children are on a 4 nap schedule.
The 3-Nap Schedule for Ages 5 to 8 Months:
Around 5 months children will begin to transition to 3 naps, nap 1 and 2 will consistently be longer, which will lengthen their wake windows and the 4th nap will no longer fit into the day schedule/naturally drops off. By about 6 months most children are on a predictable 3 nap schedule.
The 2-Nap Schedule for Ages 9 to 15/18 months:
From 6-8 months children will begin to transition to 2 naps, nap 1 and 2 will consistently be 1-2 hours long, which will lengthen their wake windows and the 3rd nap will no longer fit into the day schedule/naturally drops off. By about 9 months most children are on a predictable 2 nap schedule.
The 1-Nap Schedule for Ages 15/18 months to 3/5 years old:
From 15-18 months children will begin to transition to 1 nap (some children might begin the transition even earlier around 12 months), they will begin fighting nap/s, taking short nap/s and/or refusing a nap. By about 18 months most children are on a predictable 1 nap schedule.
Maintaining an age appropriate nap schedule is a crucial puzzle piece of promoting healthy sleep habits. Other puzzle pieces for healthy sleep habits include a conducive sleep environment and age appropriate nap/bedtime routine. As your child grows, remember to be attentive to their changing sleep needs, spot nap transitions cues and transition to the new nap schedule accordingly. A child that takes good age appropriate naps tends to have deep/consolidated nighttime sleep.
And, if you find that you need help putting your child’s sleep puzzle together, do not hesitate to schedule a complimentary discovery call with me! Let’s get this sleep puzzle figured out together!
