Short naps are one of the most common sleep issues that families will encounter through their child’s first year of life.
They can be incredibly frustrating and exhausting for both you and your child. Naps are an important part of a child’s development, both physically and mentally. PLUS they give you, the caregiver, an opportunity to rest and recharge during the day. There are several external factors that can lead to short naps and we are going to look at those today! Reminder: Short naps can be developmentally normal for babies under 6 months.
What are short naps and why are they a problem?
Generally speaking (for babies > 4 months) anything under 1 hour is qualified as a “short nap”. Typically, short naps occur when babies wake after one sleep cycle (~40 mins) OR they wake in the middle of the cycle during the lighter stages of sleep.
Short naps are problematic because they lead to overtiredness (impacts overall sleep, behaviour, mood, intake…etc.) and it can be draining for YOU to not get a break during the day. Before you can solve short naps, you need to do some detective work and determine WHY your baby is having short naps.
6 Questions to Ask Yourself If You Are Battling Short Naps
1) Is my baby’s sleep environment conducive to sleep?
If the environment is too hot, too cool, too bright, too stimulating it could be impacting your little one’s ability to have long restorative naps. Setting up an optimal sleep environment is the first step to ensure great daytime sleep. Check out my baby and toddler Sleep Environment Checklist here.
2) Is my baby too tired (or not tired enough) going for a nap?
Finding the right timing of naps is a key to setting your baby up for successful sleep. Age appropriate wake windows are a great place to start. Find the unique sweet spot for your child to ensure enough sleep pressure (but not TOO much) is built up for nap time.
3) Are feeds well aligned for naps?
Sometimes babies will wake early from a nap due to hunger. If everything else checks out, then hunger is an important piece to investigate. You may consider offering a top up feed 20-30 minutes before their nap time.
4) Is my baby getting drowsy during their wake window?
Any drowsiness (whether during a feed, car ride, or cuddle before nap) will relieve some sleep pressure and can ultimately lead to short naps. Watch your little one like a hawk during their wake time to rule out any accidental drowsiness as a cause for short naps.
5) What is my response when my baby wakes?
If you are running in as soon as your baby makes a noise, you are not giving a chance to your child to learn to connect their sleep cycles. Consider a “pause” and give them the opportunity to settle back to sleep.
*Rushing in to save a nap (as a way to lengthen sleep) is most effective for babies 5-6 months of age.
6) How does my baby fall asleep?
If you find your baby still requires a lot of external support to fall asleep, they likely have developed strong sleep associations. These babies often wake after 1 sleep cycle and require assistance to transition to the next sleep cycle. Give space to your baby to practice falling asleep independently.
Ready to ditch short naps and finally have a happy baby that takes long and restorative daytime naps?
Although we can’t control how long our baby will sleep, we can bring all of the puzzle pieces together to ensure we are setting them up for successful sleep. If you are still struggling to bring naps together after implementing the above suggestions, consider my Short Naps Masterclass or book a 30 minute Ask Me Anything Call. Are you rocking or feeding your baby to sleep for each nap and you don’t know where to start with the development of independent sleep skills? Book a free discovery call with me today to discuss if private coaching is right for your family!