Index: Naps

See also Naps for Baby-Preschoolers

45 Minute Naps

Babies

Dropping Naps

In Action

Nap Information

Nap Problems (see also 45 minute naps section above)

Related Polls

Timing Naps

Toddlers

 The Babywise Mom Book of Naps

13 thoughts on “Index: Naps”

  1. Love your site! It is a God-send! I have been using BW since birth, my son is now 3.5 months old. Everything was going well until about 2 weeks ago. He started taking 45 minute naps (he used to take 1.5 hour naps like clockwork) and he is now waking 2-3 times in the night. He started STTN around 8 weeks (10 pm feed and then sleep until 7:30) so I know he can sleep through the night. For the naps, I have tried longer/shorter wake times, eating more (tried pumping to increase my milk supply) and CIO, but nothing works. I know he's tired because if I go in I can rock him to sleep in just a few minutes. If I let him cry he will cry the rest of his nap. I thought it was a feeding issue like BW says but he just falls asleep at the breast after a minute of suckling. After a week of 45 minute naps he started waking in the night, so I think the two are related. He scarfs down the first feeding great, but when I feed him his second feeding (we're on a 3 hour schedule) he's not very interested–it's hard to get him to nurse and take a full feeding–I often end up pumping and trying to give him a bottle to make sure he can make it through the next nap. I am wondering if he is ready for solids or a 4 hour schedule? Something has to change! If I switch to a 4 hour schedule that might solve the not wanting to eat, but with 45 minute naps it will be a disaster! Help!

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  2. Oh, and when he wakes in the night he usually just falls back to sleep the minute I pick him up, but he sometimes (1 out of every 3 nights) takes a full feeding. It we let him CIO, it takes at least an hour, which is hard on my working husband… so I have gotten the bad habit of just going to him every time in case he's hungry and so my hubby an sleep!

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  3. Lommori family, it might be a wonder week issue (see "wonder weeks" blog label"). It also might have been a variety of other things. Think about what changed at the time. What is different? Weather? Noise? You also might need to go to CIO in the night. If so, have you husband sleep somewhere he couldn't hear the baby or get him earplugs. Start over the weekend and by the time the weekend is over, baby might be back to sleeping through.

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  4. I was wondering if you had anything on preschoolers naps changing. My 3.5 year old has been napping from 12:30 – 3:00ish for…gosh, a loooong time. All of a sudden he won't nap. He'll be super quiet in his bed and move around, look around (even when the room is suuuuper clean and picked up), whisper to himself, etc. I've tried going in and telling him to lay back down, to keep his body still. Many days he'll lay there awake for two hours and then be a GROUCH super sonic style all evening. It was just happening once a week (on weekends when his Big Daddy was home from work) but now it's also happening a few times a week.Advice? Thoughts?

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  5. January, that is totally normal. The fact that he has taken until 3.5 to start this is quite amazing, really. Most kids start doing this some days shortly after turning two.So it is normal. Some ideas for a 3.5 year old: you might want to try moving the nap a bit later. I have had to move Kaitlyn's nap to start later over time. She still gets up about the same time, but goes down later. Another consideration is making sure physical exercise is enough to make him tired enough for a nap.

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  6. I have a question about falling asleep at naps 🙂 I have a 14 week old handsome little boy! I am finally figuring out his optimal wake times, or so I think. How long should it take a baby to fall asleep at nap? Right now he goes down about an hour and 5 min after waking and with no crying. At most, he will whimper/whine and wiggle around at first then talk to him self some..finally falling asleep 20-30 min after going down for nap. Ive tried a longer wake time but he will cry/scream and hardly nap. So I'd rather leave waketime short and keep him happier going down for nap but he seems to take a while to fall asleep. Should I worry about this??thanks!!! love your blog and advice:)

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  7. Emily–Hopefully Val will chime in but here is my 2 cents–the most common cause of taking too long to fall asleep is the wake time isn't right. If you lengthen it and he cries, then try shortening, even 5-10 minutes may make a big difference. Around 14 weeks my son went from 1 hour back to 50 minute wake times. I think he was becoming more aware of his surroundings and trying to roll from tummy to back and he just got tired faster.

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  8. I have so many questions I don't know where to start! 🙂 baby girl is 2 months She is capable of sleepy 6-7 hours but sleeps it 745-2/3 am so I started dream feeding at 10 and she still wakes at 2/3 regardless and stays awake for a while after I feed and put her straight back to bed – she feeds at 6 9 12 3 6 and is down for the night by 745. I tried a couple times to take the afternoon down to 2.5 hrs to get another feed in there but no change , should I stay with 3 hr?, dreamfeed? Stick it out ? Also she has just this past week started 30- 45 min naps she usually wakes up happy and so I let her stay in the crib for a little bit – I figure if it was hunger she would let me know?? And then if she can stay up I don't put her down until her original nap time or if she get tired before but she usually is up much longer then what I would consider her optimal wake time – is that just part of rolling with the punches of 45 min naps?? Does that mean she might need a longer wake? Sorry I'm like a ball in high weeds lol Thank you in advance for any input !!

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    • Sorry my phone is hard to use for commenting on here. If it were me, I would tighten up the evening schedule to get an extra feeding in there. I would want to feed at 8 before going down for the night. I believe in the dreamfeed and work hard to establish it–but your baby is old enough that if she isn't responding to it with benefits to it right away, I don't know if it is worth the effort it would take to establish it. If she is the type who would drop it around 4-5 months, probably not. If she is the type who would hold on until 8 months, then yes. You will have to go with yor gut on what is the right path th pursue.

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  9. Sarah, you never know for sure what will work and how long you have to try something before you know of it will help. Her waking around the same time with or without a dreamfeed would indicate that she is habitually waking around that time.

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  10. Thank you for the input! I had actually started an 8 pm feed ! Yay would you recommend wake time at this feed or just nurse and back to bed ? She eats well at dream feed because I actually wake her a little so I think I'll keep it for now ! I agree with the habit of waking at 230 – she eats well then also but I might try to wean off it if she doesn't drop it on her own now that I added the 8th feed- thoughts?

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  11. When my newborn (9 days old) is only having 30 min wake times should I move him to a 2.5hr schedule to keep his naps to 2 hour increments. I saw somewhere that we shouldn't let newborns regularly nap for +2 hrs at a time or it will start to effect night sleep. Thoughts?

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