Napping 101: Nap Schedules

A healthy nap routine is a key part of your baby’s well-being. Many parents wonder when their new baby will be able to sleep through the night but overlook the importance of healthy daytime sleep. When babies get the sleep they need during the day, they sleep better at night, too.

• But how many naps does a newborn need?
• How long should babies nap?
• When is it time to drop a nap?

While each baby will have individual sleep needs, daily nap time follows a general pattern for most infants. At first, newborns seem to sleep around the clock! But over time, they grow into a rhythm of predictable nap times, slowly dropping naps until they’re ready to stay awake all day. Let’s explore nap routines by month age, from birth to preschool.

Newborn Baby Nap Schedule

This period of time is tricky because they are growing and changing day by day. Generally newborns in their first month Earthside need 15-17 hours of sleep per 24 hours with 4-8 naps per day. Before a month of age, newborns are often awake only long enough for a diaper change and to communicate that they need to eat again.

PRO TIP: Overtired babies quickly become fussy and difficult to soothe to sleep. If your newborn has been awake over 45 minutes and seems wide eyed and alert, they might be OVERtired. Get them into a dark room and swaddled ASAP!

Between birth through the first month, the focus should be on helping your baby get accustomed to life outside the womb. Their circadian rhythm isn’t set yet and they might sleep more or less in the day vs night. Nap times and lengths will be all over the place, and that’s okay. Forming healthy sleep habits from day one will help you develop a solid nap routine as your baby gets a bit older.

It’s never too early to start implementing healthy sleep habits! White noise, blackout curtains, and swaddling set the stage for solid baby sleep. Remember, nothing in the crib except a well-fitting sheet and a pacifier (if you use one). Keep lights off or as low as possible at night and keep nighttime wake-ups “all business” – change, feed, burp, swaddle, back to sleep.

If we haven’t made it abundantly clear yet, your newborn won’t have a true nap routine at this stage. Sleep stretches of various lengths scattered throughout the day and night are perfectly normal. In time, and with implementing sleep habits, your baby will understand that nights are for longer stretches. With this solid foundation, you can begin to settle into a nap routine around the one month mark.

By one month of age, you might start seeing your baby’s daytime sleep start emerging into patterns! This might not happen until month two or even later so don’t be discouraged. The best way to set your baby up for success it to get feedings into a regular three hour schedule, and the sleep will follow!

*If you need a little help in this department, we offer 1:1 virtual support, as well as in-home care to help parents develop nap routines [and sleep through the night]. *Let us Help You!*

Sample Four Nap Schedule for Newborns (1-4mo old):

The “four nap” routine is actually a variation of the Eat, Play, Sleep schedule or the “three hour schedule”. New babies don’t follow naptimes based on the clock, but rather based on how long they can stay awake in between naps. These are called wake windows. Wake windows slowly lengthen week by week as your baby ages:

0-1 month old: 20-60 minute wake window

1-2 months old: 60-90 minute wake window

2-3 months old: 60-120 minute wake window

7am: Wakeup
830am – 10am: 1st nap
1130am – 1pm: 2nd nap
230pm – 4pm: 3rd Nap
5pm – 5:30pm: 4th catnap
7pm: Bedtime

What this means:

• Wake for the day
• 60-120 minute wake window [shortest wake window of the day]
• Nap 1
• 60-120 minute wake window
• Nap 2
• 60-120 minute wake window
• Nap 3
• 60-120 minute wake window
• Nap 4 [short nap]
• 60-120 minute wake window [longest wake window of the day]
• Bedtime

When should my baby drop to a 3 nap schedule?

Dropping from four daily naps  to a three nap schedule happens around 5 months old. You will know when this nap isn’t working because your baby will start being awake for longer stretches. With these longer stretches awake your baby will sleep past their feedings. Generally your beautiful 3 hour eat play sleep will fall apart and you’ll be wondering why! To be ready for three naps your baby also typically needs to be able to take at least one long[er] nap a day. If you switch to three, 30 minute naps, your baby will end up overtired from less total sleep and have a difficult time making it to bedtime.

Three Nap Schedule for a 5-8 Month Old Baby:

Around the five month mark, most babies are ready to lean towards a three nap schedule. Your baby will likely only be on it for a couple of months.

Wake windows at this age average around 2-3 hours. Ideally your baby is taking two longer naps and one shorter nap on this schedule. If your baby is still taking short naps and isn’t getting enough sleep, this is actually the ideal age to consider sleep training.

Babies on this schedule might not nap at the same exact time every day, but they are getting into a more regular and predictable routine. The main goal is to plan for their last nap to be 2.5-3 hours to set up for bedtime. [And oh yeah, your baby should definitely have a bedtime routine by now.]

Sample Nap Schedule for a 5-8 month old baby:

5-8 month old: 1-3 hour wake window

7am: Wakeup
9am – 10:30am: 1st Nap
12:30pm – 2pm: 2nd Nap
4pm – 4:30pm: 3rd Catnap
7pm: Bedtime

What this means:

• Wake for the day
• 1.5-2 hour wake window [shortest wake window of the day]
• Nap 1
• 2-2.5 hour wake window
• Nap 2
• 2-2.5 hour wake window
• Nap 3 [shortest nap]
• 2.5-3 hour wake window [longest wake window of the day]

When should my baby drop to a two nap schedule?

Almost all babies drop their third nap between 7 and 9 months of age. You’ll know when your baby needs to drop their third nap because their wake windows are extending again.

To be ready to move to a two nap schedule, your baby needs to be able to be awake for around four hours in the afternoon. If your baby starts melting at around three hours, they are likely not ready for this transition just yet. If your baby doesn’t take naps longer than 30-40 minutes, they also won’t be ready for a two nap schedule just yet.

If your baby isn’t ready but you are struggling with naps, try shifting the times around a bit. Sometimes an earlier morning nap can actually be really helpful! Nap times can be trial and error.

Two Nap Routine for an older baby:

Around 8 months of age, your baby may be ready to drop that final afternoon catnap and take two naps per day. This nap routine for daytime sleep is a parent favorite. This is because a two nap schedule can typically be planned. That’s right, Type A parents rejoice! In most cases, a baby on two naps is able to follow the clock. So you can plan classes, playdates, appointments and errands around when your baby is predicted to be sleeping/awake.

Wake windows at this age are from 2-4 hours, with the wake windows extending longer as the day goes on. Ideally your baby is getting 2-4 hours of daytime sleep. This nap routine should last a year to a year and a half!! So get comfortable, you made it.

Sample Nap Schedule for a 8-16 month old baby:

8-18 month old: 2-4 hour wake window

7am: Wakeup
9:30-11am: 1st Nap
2pm -3:30pm: 2nd Nap
7pm: Bedtime

What this means:

• Wake for the day
• 1.5-2.5 hour wake window [shortest wake window of the day]
• Nap 1
• 2.5-3.5 hour wake window
• Nap 2
• 3-4 hour wake window
• Bedtime

When should my baby drop their second nap and go to one daily nap schedule?

As with all of the other schedules, you’ll know when your baby is ready to go down to one nap because they will begin fighting going down for one or both of their naps. Or alternatively, bedtime may begin to become a struggle. A baby is ready for one nap between 15-18 months old.

Unfortunately, in America many babies are put on one nap around a year because of daycare classroom guidelines. Our feelings is that this is inappropriately early, if you can fight the system and hold your baby off until even 14 months everyone will be much happier!

This is the most difficult nap shift. Once your baby clearly shows signs of not needing both naps, choose a few days with nothing to do to “train” them to adjust to one nap. You may need to move bedtime earlier for a couple of weeks to compensate for the lost sleep. Toddlers generally adjust between 2-5 days and then will begin to get sleepy at their new nap times.

If your young toddler transitions to only one nap and is napping an hour or less, that might not be long enough to get them through the long periods of awake time in between naps.

Need Help? Ask A Sleep Consultant

One Nap Routine for a Toddler/Preschooler [15-36+ months]:

Once your baby is established into a one nap routine [See section above if you need help], they will be on this schedule for the foreseeable future. Some children need to nap until age four, and some early threes can happily go through the day with no naps.

It’s important to note that toddlers often go through *nap strikes*. If you keep the routine the same, they will often go back to napping within a few days! As your toddler grows the nap might get shorter, or the timing might change slightly, but a toddler nap is typically between 1-3 hours long. As with most schedules, the most important part is timing the end of nap to coincide with bedtime.

If your baby is climbing out of their crib but isn’t ready to drop their nap yet, we can help with that too! Adventurous Toddlers.

Sample One Nap Schedule for a toddler:

Wake windows for 15 months +: 5-7 hours until they drop the nap

7am: Wakeup
1230-230 nap
7pm: Bedtime

What this means:

• Wake for the day
• 5-7 hours awake
• 1-3 hour nap
• 4-5 hours awake 
• Bedtime

When is it time for my baby to stop napping?

When your preschooler is consistently bouncing off the walls at bedtime, it’s typically a good sign that they are ready to drop their nap. Give it 4-5 days to make sure that it isn’t a nap strike or a phase, and then you can confidently make a plan to drop the nap. If they try to drop their nap before they’re ready, they’ll still be cranky and tired in the afternoons and exhausted by bedtime.

When your preschooler can happily stay awake all day and is getting 11-13 hours of nighttime sleep, they’re ready to skip naps entirely. Many parents and caregivers choose to keep that hour or so of quiet time midday, to give children the opportunity to settle and relax. During this time, children can look through books, play quietly with toys, color, or listen to audiobooks. This helps ensure that everyone in the family can get the rest that they need!

Still having issues even after reading over napping 101?? We can help with that: sleep training with the Nightingales

Recap: How many naps and when to drop a nap:

• One month old nap schedule: four [or more] naps
• Two month old nap schedule: four naps
• Three month old nap schedule: four naps
• Four month old nap schedule: three or four naps
• Five month old nap schedule: three naps
• Six month old nap schedule: three naps
• Seven month old nap schedule: three naps
• Eight month old nap schedule: three or two
• Nine month old nap schedule: three or two naps
• Ten month old nap schedule: two naps
• Eleven month old nap schedule: two naps
• Twelve month old nap schedule: two naps
• Thirteen month old nap schedule: two naps
• Fourteen month old nap schedule: two naps
• Fifteen month old nap schedule: one or two naps
• Sixteen month old nap schedule: one or two naps
• Seventeen month old nap schedule: likely transitioning to one nap
• Eighteen month old nap schedule: Likely on one nap